Sunday, August 1, 2010

and so it begins...

hey, Blog! fancy meeting you here!

(it's random, but it's from my favorite band and is absolutely ridiculous. as is this blog. well, it's not from my favorite band... you know what i mean!)
Hellogoodbye - Welcome to My Record [GM OG Mix] by coolhandjohnny

so here we are, doing that BEDA thing again, except this time the A stands for August. why am i doing this you ask? well clearly i didn't get enough torture the last time!!!

seriously though, i'm doing this because i got to know my friends better doing this project. and even more of them are doing it this time which means it's going to be even better! also, i kind of failed last time. ...well, i did fail last time. there were days i forgot to post or posted late, and this time i wanna do it right! so here's to 30 more days of this! :)

oh, and you may notice the lack of snazzy countdown counter. i thought i was gonna do one, but then realized, last minute, that i just couldn't be bothered and would rather work on my secret projects which are discussed (cryptically) herein.

so i think we should start out seeing what i'm doing today and now, and then comparing notes on the 31st. that's one of my out of thin air ideas, so theoretically, it should work.

right now i'm working on two relatively secret projects with my friends Meg and Lydia. (who are also doing BEDA and who are pretty much the only people who read my blog.) hi guys! or i should say ladies. but i won't because that just is getting way too PC and i was just going for an informal greeting. digression!!! so yeah, relatively secret projects. "relatively" because Meg knows about me and Lydia's project, and a small handful of people (such as Lydia) know about me and Meg's project. but only I know all the details of BOTH! muahahahaha!

ok, not a big deal, but hey! how often do you get to pull out the evil laughter??? right?

also, i'm trying to talk myself into paying for LeakyCon right now. it's in Orlando next year. first day is my birthday. so i could LEGITIMATELY make it my birthday present for next year. however, i don't have the money for it at the moment. well, i mean TECHNICALLY i COULD pay for it now. but that's just generally a BAD idea. the con itself isn't the price i'm worried about. it's the hotel stay. and LeakyCon's forum doesn't have a roommate section like VidCon's did. :( oh, nerd dilemmas!

and next summer is going to be a VERY expensive summer that i'm going to have to start saving now for. there's VidCon, and ComicCon, and SitC. SitC obviously being the most expensive as it will include a flight and hotel stay in London. ComicCon will require a hotel stay in San Diego. and VidCon, even if it's in LA again, will require a hotel stay. plus the cost of the cons themselves. so now, thinking about investing in LeakyCon... i just don't know. cuz i'm already determined to go to the other three. Also, i have to book the hotel now. and that's the most expensive part! i just don't have the money to pay for that part right now. the flight and the con yes. the hotel, no. if it were the other way around, i'd do it. but it's not. ALSO, i'm planning on buying a car soon. car payments + insurance = EXPENSIVE. so, don't exactly have the funds to be shelling out for expensive hotels in Orlando at the moment. :( #nerddilemma

wow, did i just devote not one, but TWO paragraphs to cons that are happening NEXT YEAR! yeah, i'm just gonna pass that one off as #hotnerdsexy. a term i invented two weeks ago. more on that in blogs to come.

for now, i leave you! and considering how long this thing has gotten, i think you're probably glad. #relief #thankgodshestoppedtyping or, if you're Lydia, #thanknoentityinparticularidon'tbelieveinthatshitshestoppedtyping

Thursday, July 29, 2010

#nerdjokes

this is a quickie folks. so here's what just happened:

back story (so that this makes sense): i pass out a terabyte external hard drive to every one of the engineers every Thursday so they can back up their data.

my coworker comes in, and he tilts the drive a bit before he sets it down on my desk. then he says, "oops! i spilled some data there!" #nerdjokes #soawful #ilawled

and that concludes our quickie. i hope it was as good for you as it was for me.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

chuck progress

so last time dear friends, we talked about how i pretty much always act on my random impulse ideas. how sometimes they're great, like #hotnerdsexy, and sometimes they're bad like blogging my progress of two Chuck Klosterman books. but as they're both impulse ideas, they're both coming to fruition.
so here's how the progression of Chuck, or my Chuck Progress* as i'm calling it, is going to work. we're coming up on Blog Every Day in August, and i'm sure no one, including myself wants to read/write an entire blog about a potentially boring and unbloggable book every day. so we're going to do this blog thing as normal, and then , occasionally (when i actually have time to read), in a section of it's own, will be the Chuck Progress. this way, you can skip it with ease if you wish, i get to continue with my suicide mission, and everybody's happy. :)
so, with no further ado:

Chuck Progress

The first thing you will notice is the text is saturated in the word fuck. the next thing you will notice is that it's rather funny. a bit pompous... no shamelessly pompous, just shy of annoying, which makes it tolerable long enough to be funny and even relevant.
--god, sometimes i really like listening to myself talk (write). honestly, so far, it's a bit pessimistic. very "why bother cuz you'll never find true happiness." and i'm, well, far too optimistic to really buy into any of it. but i will say it's entertaining, and does occassionally fall upon pearls of truth. for the record: i'm on page 4.

quotes:

"The main problem with mass media is that it makes it impossible to fall in love with any acumen of normalcy."

"If Woody Allen had never been born, I'm sure I would be doomed to a life of celibacy."



* i'm calling this project "Chuck Progress" for 2 reasons. 1) the obvious. it's following my progress through Chuck Klosterman books. 2) i think it's clear that i have no real faith in this project and therefore believe that it may in fact end up hindering progress. so, we'll take it by it's other meaning. throw out progress. as in, throw it into the trash. as in, might as well since you'll get equally far either way.

Monday, July 19, 2010

bad idea

sometimes project ideas are gradual. they start with an inspiration. whatever the thing is that inspired you is, you think about it and you think about it. you analyze and you discuss and you develop. and then you finally have this plan.
sometimes project ideas just hit you. they're random. they're completely undeveloped. you're not even sure how you are going to do them, or if you even WANT to do them. but like magic, almost as though they've been introduced by someone else, they're there. in your head. and if you're me, you do them.

Amazon likes to suggest things to you. at first it's kind of annoying. but if you think about it (and you happen to find marketing fascinating!) then you find that it's rather genius. every suggestion is based on what YOU LIKE. so it's very likely that buying what they suggest is a good idea.

i'm stubborn. the more i'm told to do something, the less likely i am to do it, and more apt to drag my feet about it. if something is popular and everyone is doing it (society telling me to do something) i run away from it. if my mother says i should do something, i fight it... or do it later. homework, school, whatever, apply this to EVERYTHING, and you have my reaction to ANYTHING. and, to make it worse, despite the fact that i know this system doesn't work, or at least it works very poorly, i do it anyway. because i'm stubborn.

so Amazon has been suggesting books by author Chuck Klosterman for years. literally. i've been stubbornly ignoring this suggestion for a LONG time. but while walking down a random aisle in the library, as i like to do, i came across a couple of his books. literally, there were two lone Chuck Klosterman books sitting among a sea of other authors. (we're gonna ignore for a moment that TWO books in a SEA of other books is hardly "lone" just this once, ok? stay with me!) since i recognized the name instantly from seeing it thrown at me for so many years, i finally caved and decided to pick them up.

i mentioned my happenstance with these books, and a few people expressed interest in me letting them know how it went. you know, the reading of the books.

VidCon is this thing where 1400 people who make and watch videos on YouTube, as well as a few of the people who run YouTube, went to go celebrate the wonderfulness of each other much like a giant hippy orgy, but with all of the physical contact and none of the nudity or sex. yeah. awesome.

preparing for VidCon, going to VidCon, then recovering from VidCon left NO TIME for beginning, or even remembering Chuck Klosterman books, the library, Amazon, or my family. hence, i just picked up "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" for the first time today.

i got through the preface. i didn't know it was a preface. it was sneaky and unmarked! but i read it. and nearly the very moment after i had read it, i got my idea. (i say nearly because DIRECTLY after reading it, i ran head first into the table of contents and realized i'd just read a preface! so this is afterward.) i'm going to blog my progress.

this may very easily be the worst and most boring idea i've EVER come up with. but, as i said in the beginning of this blog, when those sudden, possibly implanted by a mutant being or alien ideas come into my head, i just do them. and this is one of those. so i'm doing it. i will probably give up. but that's part of the fun.

i am also going to note that i recognize this as a BAD and STUPID idea directly before Blog Every Day in August, but we're doing it anyway!

oh, and for the record, i liked the preface. despite it's devious and misleading nature.

Friday, June 25, 2010

walk in my old shoes

so i just came in from lunch. late. because i was at a really good part in the book. well, all the parts are good. but that's beside the point.

the point is this. i gathered my things. i kept reading. i stood up. i kept reading. i turned around and walked to the door. i kept reading. and it was at this point that i didn't stop reading, but i had a feeling i haven't felt in years. i suddenly remembered ages 10-19, literally walking around reading. i would wake up and start reading. i would brush my teeth reading. i would walk through school hallways, dodging people, reading. i would even shower, with the door partly ajar, book propped on the toilet, towel nearby so i could turn pages with a dry hand. on the weekends, when i didn't have to sleep, i wouldn't. i would just keep reading.

and then, suddenly, that stopped. i don't know when it stopped. i can't mark the time or place. i just stopped reading like i used to. in fact, i stopped reading good old fashioned books in their booky form completely. e-books, and audio books as of late. but no sitting down with bound paper.

and this has bugged me. i mean, it really has bugged me. but it's one of those things that just nags at the back of your head and you just keep saying, "yes, later. yes, later." and sometimes i actually stop and feel a little ashamed, cuz i can't actually pinpoint when later will actually be.

and then today. that moment. that JUST happened.

...

i was me. i didn't even realize i hadn't been until i was again.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

two rules: clever, not stupid

blog, i have just experienced an epiphany: i, like John Green's Will Grayson, live by two rules. not nearly as drastic as his "shut up, and don't care," but easily just as ridiculous.

1. don't be stupid.

2. be clever.

i know what you're thinking. "seriously, Chelsea? you should really consider condensing that list to the ONE item that it is." but hear me out.

i had this epiphany in the printer room. as i was waiting for my print, i was thinking about how i would need to tell my coworker why there would be pages missing. i thought it would be clever to say that they had been "eliminated from existence" and i was working out the wording of this particular bit of cleverness, when i realized that i was working out the wording of this particular bit of cleverness. you wouldn't believe how much time in my life is spent working out the wording, and the general presentation of bits of cleverness. which lead me to also realize how much time i dedicate to not being stupid.

so first, and this is the most important one: don't be stupid. i don't mean, book-learned don't be stupid. anyone can be book-smart and still be a moron. i mean don't say or do anything that could be perceived as stupid. don't show insecurities, or weaknesses, or ignorance. in fact, don't enter into situations you don't know much about... well, ever.

and second: be clever. at any time you can possibly think of something clever and/or witty to say, say it. if it's not clever or witty, it's probably best unsaid. and since it's a little weird to be a mute, this means that most things i say have to be, on some level, witty or clever. this means most things that come out of my mouth are "tried and true" or are rehearsed in my head (granted, a quick rehearsal, but a rehearsal all the same). "tried and true" statements are things i've said before and have gone over well. most things i say are just a slightly tweaked version of a "tried and true." everything else gets a quick once over in my head. i always had something clever to retort. i never needed to pause long enough to be perceived as stupid.

the really crazy bit is i'm actually not as big on my two rules as i used to be. once upon a time, before entering social situations, i would think of the stories i might tell. and i would think of all the different reactions people could have. and i thought of all the clever things i could say to each different reaction. if people only knew that i was just saying lines. a moment to think about it wasn't thinking, it was a timed pause. their honest reactions were just my cues. a laugh - say this. challenge my remark - shoot back with the counterpoint.

one of the major problems with thinking of every possible reaction someone could have to whatever you say is that you're never surprised by anything. no conversation is original cuz you've already played it out in your head. after a while, conversation gets VERY boring. it's no wonder i've always had a small group of friends. it's only after a while of rehearsed conversations that i ever feel comfortable enough to be "spontaneous" and go improv.

now, again i say i'm not as big on my two rules as i used to be. but then it's very easy to "not be stupid" and "be clever" on the fly when you've already been doing it for over 10 years. in other words, i'm not as into them because i don't HAVE to be into them. nowadays i can coast on autopilot.

and for the record, just because i'd had my epiphany about cleverness, doesn't mean i didn't walk right up to my coworker and spit out my clever line, executed with the timing that only years of practice can provide. it was an epiphany, not an inspiration.

however, i have been inspired to try very hard at VidCon, the biggest social event i'll be involved in all year, to leave my rules behind. from Thursday night to Sunday night, for 72 hours, i'm going to put my script away, not even "improv," just say the genuine thoughts that come to my head. no flash rehearsals.

so... i'll let you know how that goes.

((NOTE: ironically, since the universe never misses the chance at a good laugh, the preview function for my blog isn't working. i almost ALWAYS find mistakes while looking at the preview view. what this means is that i can't properly do the editing that keeps me from looking stupid and occasionally allows me to seem witty and clever. classic.))

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

YouTube Spam

hello blog! wow! it's been a WHILE! did you miss me?!
ok, that was rhetorical. we both know you didn't, but that doesn't mean you should say so!

ok, so i found this little gem waiting for me in my email this morning. take a gander:



so there are several flaws in this proposition. let us go through them now.
  1. ok first, this is an ad. it is trying to entice people. "If you jus tried a bit harder you wud get notice more" that's kind of insulting. they're saying i'm not trying hard enough? also, "You cud do well to watch it". F you! you condescending prick!
  2. "this is the first time i saw a real Vid No the people acting up for the cam n stuff u got raw talent." i'd say, anyone watching YouTube for a "long time" has most likely seen a "real vid." it's just plain statistics. not to mention, EVERYONE is "acting up for the cam"!!! psych 101, anybody? and finally, i think we can all agree that there are many vloggers with far more "raw talent" than i possess! *cough*Lydia*cough*Meg*cough**choke*charlieissocoollike*cough**splutter**cough*vlogbrothers*cough* whoa! written cough attack! brutal!
  3. apparently, ol' Marcus was simultaneously inspired by 21 individuals. AMAZING! all of us, just oozing with untapped "raw talent"!
  4. Marcus apparently goes by the alias Emeline Tery Anese (emelineteryanese). what i can only interpret as three female names. fascinating.
  5. who the eff is emalineteryanese?!?! your ad might be a little more convincing if ANYONE knew who the fuck you are.
  6. improper use of gratuitous punctuation. i mean, seriously! "amazing video!!!!!!!.." and you've all read my writing! there's an example of gratuitous punctuation in my last point(s)! i enjoy gratuitous punctuation! ...and smileys. but i digress.
  7. you didn't think i wasn't gonna mention the grammer (or, more precisely, the lack thereof) did you? seriously, this is the piece de resistance!
    • the optional punctuation. sometimes we end our sentences with a period, sometimes we don't. completely random!
    • the random capitalization of the word "vid" along with the lowercase "i's". freakin' hell!
    • misspelled words that i just found generally offensive (in order of appearance): cam, n, jus, wud, alot, ya, and cud. yes, i know that "cam" and "ya" aren't that offensive, but in conjunction with the rest of this mess, they're intolerable.
so yeah. btw, i hate YouTube spam. especially poorly (if at all) thought out spam. also, i needed to update you, blog, since i haven't updated in forever, so i thought i'd share this! ^_^

Friday, June 18, 2010

experiment experiment

so I just got swype and it's silk in beta and I'm trying to see how fast I can go without errors.so I'm not going to correct anything so if something doesn't make sense its not my fault and remember I'm still learning.or getting used to making gestures.so far I don't think its too much gayer.although I must say so far this is easier.well I suppose well see when I read this back.I think the result will be nothing be says a computer and keyboard.but this is still a cool idea.
action

Sunday, May 30, 2010

where's the beach?

i'm home! and then there was no internet!!! and then my mommy fixed it. apparently the power plug to the modem died. so, new power plug and all is well. (this is a nerd house, so we already had a new plug. ♥)
so today after the Guide meeting (which i attended whilst en route with the Skype app on my beloved Droid), i went to Redondo Beach with my family. that is, my mom, my brother, my aunt Roxanne, my aunt Judy, and my cousin Jay*.
because my aunt Roxanne is cheap and would rather walk half a mile than spend $10 on parking (no. literally.) we walked for way to long to get to - the "King's Wharf" or something?? we were supposed to end up at the beach. ya know. sand, water, and more sand, and then more water. but we never made it there. only my family wouldn't be able to figure out how to get to the large expanse of sand and water that stretches 840 miles (from the top to the bottom of California).
i just got very distracted by tweets midway through my last sentence, started clicking the links on said tweets, and it took me an hour to get back to finishing this blog. :/
now i'm just too sleepy to say anything else worth saying. if i continue, it will just end up as worthless gibberish. or wait, i think that constitutes the entire contents of this blog. shit. :/

*his actual name is John. i've asked both he and my mother why i call him Jay, and both said, "i don't know. that's just the way it's always been." so yeah.

Friday, May 28, 2010

in the future

hello blog!

so, i am very excited about VidCon. i mean, VERY excited. i mean, i think about it at least once a day. if it's not getting stuff to be signed and how i'm going to acquire those signatures for both myself and the Guide, then it's the birthday celebration part of the weekend and figuring out the logistics of it.
turning another year older is not impressive to me in the least. in fact, i would very much like NOT to get a year older. the celebration with friends who normally are in different states and countries however, sounds wonderful!

there are two things i'm doing, appropriately on video, for VidCon.
1) i'm doing a three part series (there are three History Mondays on 5BD till VidCon) covering cameras and video and the like.
2) i'm going to be vlogging every day from June 9th - July 8th in a project designed for all those going to VidCon to a) get to know each other and b) dust off those neglected channels and get reacquainted with video making. VidCon does, after all, stand for Video Conference.

so last night i watched a bunch of Gears' (the one responsible for this brilliant idea) videos and he did a thing where he vlogged every day in March. (i don't know if he was aware of VEDA at the time) and he did it so that he would stop planning every aspect of his videos, from his background to his clothing. and this new project of his, vlogging every day till VidCon, will help me achieve goals a and b, but it will also help me do what Gears did in March. stop being so freaking self-conscious!!!

i've done it with this blog. my last blog post would NEVER have happened if i had been self conscious about it. it's so fangirl! "i don't want to be seen as a fangirl! ugh! i'd rather be dead!" and, of course, everyone reading my blog is going to disregard every post i've ever written before, and every blog after, and judge me solely on the "fangirl blog."

so i need to have the same approach with my vlog. nothing will ever get posted to that channel if i keep being self-conscious about it! i have footage from at least 2 or 3 videos that i've never posted because i was too self-conscious.

so while we're talking about things i'm going to start doing, i've been wanting to do something, another device to get me vlogging, less self-conscious and getting to know people better: no comments, only vid response.

i can record video and post to YT straight from my phone, and my video camera has a feature to download straight to YT, so it's not like loading a bunch of response videos would be a hassle. i have a small arsenal of technology that makes it incredibly easy. so after VidCon, this is my plan!

also, Daily Booth. i HAVE NOT been posting to DB enough! and once again, it's because i don't want to take a boring picture. god forbid i'm not perceived as absolutely brilliant and fascinating! so expect those a bit more often as well! :)

so that should more or less cover my online plans for the next 2 months. XD

Thursday, May 27, 2010

OK Go Show

hi blog!

so usually i don't write anything because my life is really boring and i don't have anything to say and i'm not creative or intelligent enough to just pick some random topic to write about. but is that the reason i haven't written? NO! i've actually had things write about and instead i'm just like, "hmm. i should write a blog later." and then later never comes. :/

so, because this is the most exciting thing that's happened as of late, i'm gonna talk about going to see OK Go. because i've loved this band since '02 and yet last Friday was only the SECOND time i've seen them. as opposed to Hellogoodbye, which i also LOVE and i've seen them like 4 times. twice in the past year.
but back to OK Go!

so first, let's go back, way back to Chelsea's late teenage years. this is summer '02 and i've just graduated HS. i'm hanging out at my now ex-best friends house and she goes, "oh my god! listen to this song! it's so weird! it says something about a Cadillac or something... just listen!"
the line she was referring to goes like this, "Aren't you just catch, what a prize, got a body like a battle axe. Love that perfect frown, honest eyes, we oughta buy you a Cadillac!" and i will never forget that hot summer day, August, standing in her living room. it was the kind of hot where the artificial cold being pumped out of the vents only reminds you of how hot it really is because it's serving to mask the heat. and i'm standing there, listening to these crazy lyrics, going, "what??? *listens* what??? *listens* what???" (by the way, put a full valley girl accent on that quote, and you'll know exactly how i sounded.) fast forward to me downloading the song (illegally) when i get home. then downloading the whole album. watch me read OK Go's bio on allmusic.com. watch me look at this picture
and think, "to each his own, i guess" because although the bio said they had a hot lead singer, i didn't agree. not from that picture anyway. and at the time, that was the only one available. and then fast forward to me in the Target, waiting for their video to come on. waiting for the part where the music cuts out and it goes to a scene of them playing ping-pong, then goes back to the video at hand. SO WEIRD! who DOES that? i'm mesmerized. watch me buy the album, because i believe in supporting artists that i love, especially when they're small, especially when i'm addicted. then, fast forward to me and my friend, front row at the Troubadour, close enough to touch them. me doing all i can not to stare with my mouth open because that picture doesn't do the singer justice. that bio was right. he IS hot. and when he's not singing, he walks away from the mic and over to his amp, and he has this smile like he has a secret. but a good one. and, man if you knew! but he's not telling. and i just want to walk up and hug him and get him to let me in on the secret. and i hope the trade-off is sex. and the last number: a choreographed dance. my barely 18 year old mind was blown.

now go to last Friday. me and Tiff are somewhere in the mid-center of the crowd. good view. at the Fonda. way bigger than the Troubadour, but still small. and imagine my absolute thrill when the lead singer plays the acoustic song off the album right in the center of the crowd. right in front of me and Tiff! i'm too deep in awe to do anything but stare.
he jumps off the stage later on, right in front of us again. and i touch his back. like an affirmation, after all these years, that such a thing is possible. yes, he's real. and every now and then during the night, i catch a glimpse of that same secret smile. my reaction now is identical to my reaction 8 years ago.

well, i have to go to bed now. i could say a lot more. but it's too late. and all for the best i suppose.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

book signing

this blog, comin' at ya in three parts, is what happened between 7pm and 11pm.

Homeward Bound... i think
as i walked down the dark alley toward my car, fiddling with my phone all the while, i couldn't help but pause and think of Allison.
"what kind of person goes around walking down dark alleys?" i had said incredulously.
apparently, i do.*
so i set my GPS to guide me home, and... there's a crucial moment when you're being directed by a navigation system where it tells you to make a turn and gives you time to switch lanes. at this particular moment, my mother called. i panicked. if i picked up the phone, i wouldn't hear the navigation directions. if i let it keep ringing, i wouldn't hear the navigation directions. i rejected the call and saw that i was in the wrong lane and would not be able to make a right turn.
"oh, no. i'm lost."
so, of course, i panic even more and when the GPS tells me to make a right in half a mile, i make the first right i see. and when the GPS tells me to take a left in 3/4 miles, i take the first left i see. i, finally, start listening to the logical side of my consciousness that, by this time, is screaming, "Chelsea! what the fuck are you doing? LISTEN TO THE GPS! JUST FOLLOW THE INTRUCTIONS!"
so i take a deep breath, say, "ok," and follow the navigation's instructions till i'm home.

On the Catwalk
so, GPS navigation systems are useful and hilarious tools. useful in that they get you places, hilarious in that they butcher street names. Hazletine is has-ul-tine. Cañon (canyon) is canon. and La Cienega (see-en-egg-a) is La see-nigga.
once i found the place on La SeeNigga, it was time to play the parking game! i circle the block 3 times before i find a spot in the alley that doesn't threaten to tow my car if i'm not a patron of Blockbuster** or a resident.
after parking, i find i'm not the only one favoring this alley way. apparently, it is also a good place to learn to walk like a model in 6 inch stiletto heels. taught, of course, by a tall black gay man. i mean, to be honest, i wasn't a block away from the Beverly Center, so i wasn't exactly thrown by seeing a tall black man in heels. i was more shocked by how fancy and chic they were. i was more shocked to see someone drive up and drop off pink, sparkly heels for the model. i was more shocked that they felt this alley was a good place to practice.
at the door, people were checking names off a list. i wasn't on this list. i asked if you had to be on the list. the guy said that if there were any no-shows, he would let me in a 8pm. so i had 15 minutes to kill. i sat in my car***, chatted with my mom on the phone, and surreptitiously watched the model-walk lessons.

Blow It Up
to do anything interesting, you have to drive over the hill, out of the sunny Valley, and down into the wonderful chaos that is Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and eventually, the coast. you are not in Kansas anymore. it would not be unusual if you did, in fact, run into representatives of the Lollipop Guild.
this is the perfect place for a book signing by Chuck Palahniuk, an author whose characters would feel right at home in WeHo (way-ho)****.
at 8pm i walk to the door, pay for a book (which is the entrance fee), and get an assigned seat in the front row.
so the basis of "Tell All" is the story of a woman who's award is weighing her down. (that was the crappiest explanation ever, but i need to move on.) and apparently Chuck likes to have games during his readings. so he got a bunch of blow up award statues. i mean, these things stood about 5 feet tall. and there were two rounds where you had to blow these up as fast as you could, and in the last round you had to blow up a giant heart. the few who could blow these up the quickest would get a blow up turkey as a prize.
"I saw these and I just HAD to get them!" says Chuck, admiring the signed turkey he's holding up.
he was nervous. but he played it off well. only if you were really paying attention (watching his hands shake as he turned the pages, watching him play with a ring while he answered questions) would you realize his nervousness. his voice didn't waiver, his eyes didn't wander. when he stops to think before answering a question, he goes into a kind of suspended animation. he crosses his arms, presses his lips together, stares straight ahead, and just stays there. not moving. then he reanimates and says his answer.
one thing i did not like. NO PICTURES! who doesn't allow pictures?!
it was a strange night. but i would have been disappointed had it not been. :)

*i would like to point out that i still stick firm to my stance that a gun would not have improved my situation had there randomly been 5 guys there waiting to pounce.
**seriously, Blockbuster? you're gonna pretend you can fill all those spots? cuz we both know you're a dinosaur sinking in the tar of the internet. not even half of the parking spaces were taken! and we both know most of those cars belonged to employees.
***this car is not, in fact, mine, but a rental. short story: the car freaked out on me on my way home from work on Monday and we rented a car for the week on Tuesday morning. the work is under warranty, so no new cost on our part. and in fact the work is finished and we've gotten the car back, but we still have the rental.
****WeHo, or West Hollywood, if you don't already know, is SoCal's gay capital. (SanFran or Frisco, obviously being NorCal's captial.) there is also a NoHo. and to be fair, it is north of Hollywood, though not actually in Hollywood at all. it's in the Valley. i spent most my childhood there. by the way, we seem to like our shortened names here in Cali.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

sharing...

Had to share this. Because, strangely, it effects all of our lives. :/
Facebook: /></a><br />[Source: <a href=Online PhD Programs for Mashable.com]

Monday, May 10, 2010

i imagine...

oh hai blog!

what's that? you feel that i've been blatantly neglecting you? thinking about you constantly, yet avoiding you like the plague the way a 13 year old girl with a crush would? ok, i was gonna lie. i was gonna say it's your imagination, you're a bit melodramatic, and seriously, i only like you as a friend. but we both know the truth.

i've been avoiding you, blog. and it's because i've gone ahead and set up stupid impossible standards that only exist in my mind... again.

you see, i've put you on this pedestal, blog. and now i can't just dribble out some mundane pablum. we're beyond that now. we've done better. and to go back to the drivel... it just seems like an injustice!

and so i've chosen to neglect you in favor of sparing you worthless nonsense. but can you blame me, blog? really?

so, because i'm a complete fucking psycho (or that's what all the evidence indicates, in any case) i've taken on a new collab project. and i'm covering history. now this really, in all seriousness, is NOT a big deal. unless you're me and you've decided that paranoia is necessary in all aspects of your life.

so do i simply say, "hey! i'll give the wiki randomizer a spin till i find something i like, research it further, then vlog about it"? of course i fucking don't! do you see any nail biting, lip chewing, or nervous ticks developing with that method? NO! so, clearly, not the choice for me.

ok, so i don't bite my nails, nor do i have any nervous ticks, but i do chew my lips. and just give it some time! with a little diligence (and continuance of my current habits) i'll get there! have a little faith, yeah?

and if you don't believe that i can turn any situation into a panic attack, just take this blog as an example. it's simple really. think of something, write about it. but no. i have to think, "later, when i have time. i'll research it and make it really good." and instead there's no post at all.

so from here on in, here's to not making such a big frickin' deal about everything.

and now that i've put everything into perspective, thus clearing all of the ridiculous anxiety clouding my mind, i've figured out, during the writing of this post, what the next 2-3 5BD videos will be about.

thanks, blog. you're such a good listener! and you always know just what to say.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Last Day! Yay! - BEDA 30


well, here we all are on the last day of BEDA!

i'm glad it's done, but i'm gonna miss it, too! i kind of like planning ahead for what i'm gonna write for my blogs. :) i think from now on, my blogs will be a bit more centered instead of just a random flow of whatever.

so i'm already scripting my first video for 5 Biggest Dorks! i'm really excited about it! i've never scripted a video before! i mean, i'm usually using notes. but those are just bullet points. i don't actually write anything i'm gonna say ahead of time! but i kind of have to for this. it's gonna be history packed into 2-4 minutes. i can't cut myself off or edit something out. and i can't ramble on, so i have to script it. i'm glad with this project i have two weeks to plan, record and edit each video! i have to post on Monday, but i don't have to record it on Monday. like how 7NAP chronicles my life one Friday at a time. not that i'm giving up 7NAP any time soon, i like that too much! but this is fun cuz it's completely different from anything else i've done. :)

plus, i think it's something Nerdfighters will enjoy watching because it's gonna feature 5 different personalities in 5 different locations completely nerding out about something they enjoy. i'd watch it! i mean, i'm just as excited about seeing what the others are going to do as much as i am about making my video. plus, besides Austin, i'm meeting 3 new people via this project! so i'm excited about the possible friendships i'm about to make.

well, blogosphere, for the last time we can call this BEDA this year:

/blog

Thursday, April 29, 2010



ok, seriously, Chelsea? you're procrastinating your blogs now? but you're almost done! *shakes head in disappointment*

the most ridiculous part: i had this blog all planned out. what i was going to talk about, there was a theme, just... *sigh* this was going to be the blog that made up for the past couple of weak ones. and then do you know what happened? i started to read Adam the Alien's blog post about collabs!

ok, less than a minute. gotta hit post!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

you can call me Monday - BEDA 28



so blog, we're almost done blogging every day in April. i still haven't found something to do in May, but who knows? maybe i'll find inspiration on May 1st.

so yesterday i saw the movie Chloe. now i generally liked the movie but i thought a couple of scenes were a bit pornographic and unnecessary.

my mom (not having seen it yet): so, what did you think of it?
me: i dunno. i liked it. but some scenes were a bit pornographic.
my mom: well, you are a bit of a prude, so... *shrugs*

my mother called me a prude!!! wha... how... just... wtf?

so, on May 10th, i'm gonna be in a new collab channel. (i'll still be do Friday on 7NAP, i'll just be doing this as well) this one was thought up by my friend Austin during her walk home. she was inspired by the song "Hey Kristina" by ALL CAPS. in particular the line, "Hey Kristina, i'm one of the 5 biggest dorks i know." hence the channel name, "5 Biggest Dorks."

So this is gonna be bi-weekly. or from a viewer standpoint, Mon-Wed-Fri one week, then Tue-Thu the next week. so there'll be posts every week, but we'll only be posting every other week. which is good because this isn't just a get-to-know-you collab. i actually have to plan and probably (at least loosely) script my video. The idea is five people, each nerdy in their own way. i'm the history nerd. and i'm on Monday. so i'm starting of the week this time, instead of being nestled deep into the week where no one will notice me too much.

but i'm really excited about it too. cuz i've been wanting to do another project because i want to do something that makes me blog more often, and i wanted to do something different from 7NAP. so i said yes before i even knew what i was doing when Austin brought it up today. it took a while of me and Austin talking it out before i decided to do history. i kept thinking of it as this really dull torture full of research topics i don't care about. because that's what history was for me in school. but that's not this. this is the parts of history that i find interesting. researching and learning about them will be fun, not tedious and torturous.

ok, blog. i'd write more, but i'm falling asleep! so i'll have to say goodnight for now. :)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

write about Alan



so, i'm just gonna be honest: i'm still not inspired. but i am listening to Alan Lastufka's new CD. only 2 tracks in so far so there's only 2 things i can say so far: 1) i don't know what i was expecting, but i was a bit surprised. 2) i like it so far.
and one more thing, i love the way it sounds like you're listening to the radio. that's a really cool idea. extra awesome points.
maybe i'll talk more about it tomorrow, when i've listened to the whole thing.
oh, and if anyone's wondering how i'm already listening to the album when the pre-orders just started today (you obviously haven't pre-ordered it yourself, nor been following Alan's VEDA), you get the whole 2 disc album complete with album art for download as soon as you order it. i only wish they had started this with the ALL CAPS album. i swear i seriously thought about emailing Alan and presenting him with my case for why he should send me the ALL CAPS digitally. i didn't because i figured he'd think i was completely mad. well, i guess i was wrong. though it does make me wonder if he came up with the idea on his own or if someone as crazy and impatient as me asked him to send the CD digitally. (my case was going to be "i already paid for it. i'm going to rip the CD as soon as i receive it anyway. you've got the money, i want to listen to it on my ipod. why not just let me have it now?")
well, as fascinating as this blog has been, i'm going to have to end it now. i plan to write something much more interesting tomorrow. i mean, there's only 3 blogs left. gotta make 'em good right? (or at least decent.) :)

Monday, April 26, 2010

uninspired - BEDA 26



sorry blog. i have yet to be inspired tonight. i really have nothing interesting to say at the moment. i'm sure you're arguing that i never have anything interesting to say. to which i reply that this is true, and we both know this, but it's just plain mean spirited and in poor taste for you to rub it in my face.

hopefully i'll have a better, longer, more inspired blog tomorrow. (wow, that sentence looked like it was headed for "that's what she said" territory for a second there! XD)

Sunday, April 25, 2010

real friends online - BEDA 25


ok, i have limited time, but i'm in a much better mood, so let's try this again shall we?

from Feb 5th:
so i've been thinking a lot lately about how awkward and slightly creepy it is to have friends online. don't get me wrong, i love you guys. but, see, that's the problem. it's kind of creepy that i love you guys.
let's look at the facts. with the exception of one person, i have never actually met any of the people i talk to online. i have a few people's addresses, but no one's phone numbers. i know what all of you look like, sound like, and quite a few of your favorite things. i know your aspirations and even a few of your fears. i also happen to talk to most of you at least once a day. even if only briefly via twitter. and if i don't talk to you, i at least get an update via twitter/facebook/youtube/your blog.
ps. i wish the content of my blogs matched the quality of most of my titles. :/

the conclusion: once again, i point to how i wrote the last line first. most times i find i write better when i'm leading up to a conclusion. and i really do wish the content of my blogs matched the quality of my titles. ah well!

so yeah. by the average non-computer nerd standard, we don't know each other. at all. how much can you know about someone if you only ever met them over the computer.

i, NOT being the average non-computer nerd, say that you can know A LOT! especially when the lot of you are on YouTube. we see each other. which makes a HUGE difference. i probably wouldn't give my ... no, i'll correct myself: i WOULD NEVER give my address to someone i've never seen. and i think i've actually gotten stricter about that since i've become a "youtuber." before i thought talking to people via video was just an alternative to text. now i know that talking to people via video is a whole different experience!

there are things about personality and inflection and attitude that you just can't see in text. and there's something unique about seeing the same person in reality that you've already met on your screen. meeting someone you've only seen in a picture and text is meeting someone for the first time. meeting someone you've talked to via video is just an affirmation.

and if you're like me, than you realize just how real and valid online friendships can be when your "irl" friendships are mostly online as well. i haven't seen any of my irl friends in almost a year. any contact i have had with them has been online, and not anywhere near as frequently as i talk to my online friends. our interactions are far less personal as well. we talk in short messages on facebook. the basics are shared and that is all. they don't watch my videos. they don't read my blogs. they don't follow me on twitter. i don't think they even know what daily booth is. it's not that they don't have access to these things. it's that they don't find value in these things. they view these things as a form of vanity instead of a form of communication.

their interpretation: YT= look at me! blog = look at me! twitter = LOOK at me! daily booth= LOOK AT ME!!!

my interpretation: YT = talk to me (breaks the ice!) blog = tell me your opinion twitter = how's your day? daily booth = let me share

all of it is interactive. it's not some psycho, narcissistic exhibitionism. it's not some twisted, permissible voyeurism. it's not, in fact, creepy. it's communication.

unfortunately, if it's not your method of communication, it doesn't seem valid. but aren't we lucky to know how very valid, and real, and wonderful it is. :) <3

Saturday, April 24, 2010

boy or girl? - BEDA 24


hi blog! so, as promised, grumpy Chelsea went to sleep last night and awoke as refreshed, even-tempered, sound-minded, messy-haired, happy Chelsea. i would have linked to the grumpy Chelsea 7NAP video yesterday, but it was still uploading, so here it is today:



so, yes, i still think it epically sucked that i didn't get to make the super-fun video i wanted to make due to lack of tweet participation, but i think i made a pretty good video despite me not wanting to even look at my camera, let alone turn it on, talk at it for 10 minutes, and then spend 45 minutes editing. that's right. 45 minutes, sometimes an hour. aka i suck at editing. don't judge me.

but i digress. actually no, i didn't digress at all. i was completely on topic, however not the topic i would like to blog about today, and i rather like saying "digress" so i said it anyway. i also like saying "remiss" but i seldom get to say it. however now, i really am digressing.

so here it is kids! blog 24! (except not literally blog 24 because i kinda failed a couple times. :/)
(wait, are you cheering about the blog, or the fail?)

so, i'm making a sincere effort to catch up on the backlog in my sub box. and, in doing that, i'm making a lot of comments today. and sometimes, when i comment on a guy's stuff, i tend to say things that are very girly because i am, after all, a girl, but i have a kind of guyish s/n. (coolhandjohnny) more than once i have found myself adding to the end of my comment, "i'm a girl btw." i was about to do it today, but then left it off. the comment was on an sxephil video and i said, "i love that you love me in a weird way, and i love you in a weird way as well." (or something extremely similar.) and sometimes there are videos that ask for female viewer opinions that i also feel it necessary to append my disclaimer.

the thing is: is it necessary to append my disclaimer?

again, i say i didn't add it the sxephil love comment because i thought, "well, worst case scenario people think i'm a strange guy or gay guy." which isn't bad, i'd just much rather people know that i'm a girl.
now i chose my s/n because i wanted something generic, maybe even a bit guyish because, it's sadly still a fact that, male opinions get more respect than female. i've been in debates in comment sections before where, when they knew i was a girl, the rebuttal included sexist remarks that called me out as inferior for being a woman. while i've also gotten remarks from equally sexist guys who said sexist remarks to the female sounding s/n's (like sexyangel), but gave me a legitimate, albeit idiotic, answer.

so it's both served me well, and failed me. i also find that it's rather unique, so it does serve as identifying me as the individual that is coolhandjohnny. if you see that s/n, you can pretty much rest assured that it's me. but also, it comes from the movie Cool Hand Luke. and while i remember the impression the movie left behind (i cried and everything!), i don't remember too much of the movie itself. and as such, does it represent the individual that is me?

i also would like to properly add the conclusion to the February blog fragment i inserted into yestertay's blog, but as this is getting rather lengthy, i'll save that for tomorrow.

Friday, April 23, 2010

bad mood


Fatigue Meter: 10

Chelsea and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

ok, so it wasn't that bad (like at all), but i still wanted to say that. (book nostalgia FTW!)i wish i had written my blog earlier when i was in a better mood.

as much as i'd like to say i'm totally over it, i'm totally not over the fact that my plan for an epic video was epic alright. an epic fail.

so, i sent this tweet this morning. and no one replied. which rather sucked since i think it was a genuinely good idea.

it's times like these that make you want to delete your twitter account. :/

anywho, since i sent the "important" email with all the details that everyone needs to know for the big meeting on Sunday, i really haven't wanted to think about the Guide. and for the most part, i haven't thought about it. i have tweets set to be sent automatically, so the one today was actually written days ago.

ugh! i'm talking about twitter again!

from Feb 5th:
so i've been thinking a lot lately about how awkward and slightly creepy it is to have friends online. don't get me wrong, i love you guys. but, see, that's the problem. it's kind of creepy that i love you guys.
let's look at the facts. with the exception of one person, i have never actually met any of the people i talk to online. i have a few people's addresses, but no one's phone numbers. i know what all of you look like, sound like, and quite a few of your favorite things. i know your aspirations and even a few of your fears. i also happen to talk to most of you at least once a day. even if only briefly via twitter. and if i don't talk to you, i at least get an update via twitter/facebook/youtube/your blog.
ps. i wish the content of my blogs matched the quality of most of my titles. :/

my thoughts now: first, i'd like to point out that this is a perfect example of the fact that sometimes i write the last line before i'm finished with the post. i did that with my last blog entry as well.

ugh! i keep trying to turn this blog around and make it positive, but my mood just really sucks! every time i make an attempt to turn it around, it just u-turns and goes right back to negative! i can't write an entry about internet friends when i'm this moody. ok, i'm going to stop this blog post before it gets any worse, and i'm going to bed before my mood can get any worse.

good night!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

seeing the arrow



because damned Alex Day turns off comments on his blog after a while, i can't make this comment on the appropriate post. but i can't just not share this either.

now, i read that post before, and it bugged me then. now, for some reason, it was still in my reader "unread". which allowed it to bug me again. what, exactly is it that bugs me?

well, dear reader, i make my living by, among other things, sending FedEx packages. For the past 2 years there hasn't been a work day gone by without me seeing one. Therefore, my complete bewilderment at having never seen said arrow in the logo absolutely infuriated me! however, upon the first read of that blog entry, it was a busy day at work and i had to spend my time sending FedEx and not staring at it.

but today i was determined. "dammit, if anyone should see that arrow, it should be me!" i thought. "i'm gonna walk to my back area and stare at that FedEx box (there is, in fact, a large sized FedEx box sitting back there) until i see that arrow!" and i got up, marched to the back and stared at the FedEx box. i frowned, as i saw nothing. "maybe if i tilt my head, look from different angles, another perspective?" a small tilt to the right, and i FINALLY SAW IT! there the arrow was. and i was so excited, i had to come share with you about it! i won't tell you where it is, because that moment when your perception shifts is magical and i wouldn't want to deprive you of that. but here's the logo so you can see it for yourself! :)



in hindsight, i coulda just asked the FedEx guy. but, honestly, where's the fun in that?

slanted views and technicalities


Fatigue Meter: 8

Location: Firmly Settled in the Land of Slanted Views and Technicalities

well, if you want to get technical, this is the middle of the night for me. i'll be going to sleep and wake up in the morning.

there is SO much to say, but i really do need to go back to sleep. (i woke up like 10 minutes ago.)

so yeah.

/blog

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

seriously?! - BEDA 20


Fatigue Meter: 5

i told myself earlier that i should just blog and get it out of the way, but did i listen to myself? of course not! freakin' know-it-all!
no, i had to say, "no, i'll have PLENTY of time later! i won't even get tired!" yeah, i don't know who's character and past experiences i was thinking of when i came to that conclusion, but it clearly wasn't mine!

and quickly, for the record, i tried to upload all the icons for the rest of the month again tonight and it worked flawlessly. i didn't do ANYTHING different from last night. the interenet (or at least Photobucket) was just intent upon fucking me over.

so today's challenge was trying not to fall asleep at work. i wasn't really tired, it was just really boring. i was NOT in a work mood today. :/

also, one of my coworkers wanted me to make a PDF of a report. i suggested that they send me the Word doc and i'd convert it, as opposed to running it through the copier and scanning it to PDF, because that way it's a smaller file.
Coworker: "Oh! It is?"
Me: "Yep!" :)
Coworker: "Ok, i'll tell Dave to send you the file."
Not 5 minutes pass when said coworker walks into my office and says, "so Dave's gonna send you the file, so just convert it to a PDF, so that way it's a smaller file, ok?"

OH MY GOD! SERIOUSLY!?!

i wish i were exaggerating. even just a little bit. but i'm not. i think i should at least get a gold star or something for simply replying, "ok" and nodding instead of letting the commentary in my head stream out of my mouth, which was, "seriously?! i just told YOU that not 5 minutes ago! you're telling me now?"

and i'm not even going to get into the time she gave me a crash course in how to effectively change modes on the phone. oh wait, i did that rant, didn't i? see? i don't always neglect my blog!

well, i've got crap to finish and email to the Guide staff, so i'll end it here. see you tomorrow blogsphere!

ps. Lydia, now every time i say, "seriously?!" i think of "Really?! with Lydia and Chelsea." (omg! that poor hookworm!)

Monday, April 19, 2010

NF friends are awesome!



so, me, thinking i'm rather freakin' clever, was like, "yeah. i'm gonna go ahead and upload all the icons for the rest of the month RIGHT NOW!" which, honestly isn't a bad idea. and actually would be rather clever and convenient. but when i tried to do it, Photobucket was like, "what? you want to use the multiple upload functionality? and you know it'll work cuz you've done it dozens of times before? no, you're wrong! i hate your face!" and personally, i thought that was a little bit harsh. but apparently Photobucket disagrees, and since it's 11pm. i really don't have time to reason with it right now.

so, i just had a most awesome convo with Lydia! i got to vent so my head won't be exploding after all! AND i still think it would be hilarious if we really did do the collab we were talking about. at the very least, we would thoroughly amuse ourselves.

i also am still talking to Dome. <3 for anyone who doesn't know, Dome is the best person with which to discuss the parallels between Buffy and Dr Who. i would even go so far as to say that, if you haven't already, you should watch both series just so that you can have such conversations. XD oh! writer's block! writer's block! ack! so, on Saturday, at my Aunty Judy's wedding reception, i forgot my purse. since my mom was going to visit her today anyway, she's bringing it home with her. which is really good, cuz it means i can stop driving without my license now! #examplesofwhatyoushouldntdo so, we're already more than half way through April, and as we get closer to the end, i can't help feeling like we should be preparing for something else in May. some other activity we can do every day that connects and strengthens friendships. **watched Dome's latest video**

alright, it's time for me to go to bed. g'night!

((NOTE)) 4/20/2010: i don't know what happened with the formatting on that last paragraph, but i didn't write it as one huge block of text. that's so awful! :/

Sunday, April 18, 2010

one for the kids



hey kids! it's blog time!

so i'm afraid this is going to be another short one. it's getting late and i still have things to do. so i'll be brilliant tomorrow (yeah, right!), ok?

Saturday, April 17, 2010

2 for 1!!! :D


Fatigue Meter: 0

16

so guess who just woke up and remembered her blog! ha!

so i was all about getting my 7NAP video up in time, and like most weeks, went to bed after i hit upload, but FORGOT TO WRITE A BLOG!!!!!

and just to add insult to injury, i talked about BEDA in my video. yeah, genius right?

and i actually very nearly forgot i had to do a video! i was all, "i'm gonna spend a half an hour (at work) to take a look at this outline/agenda for the Guide." and then, i suddenly remembered it was Friday, and started watching all the 7NAP videos for the week.

so anyway, i suddenly realized that in that "IMPORTANT" email that i tried to get everyone on staff to read, i told them i was gonna have a preliminary plan outline and agenda ready for them by Sunday, about Tuesday at the latest. this means i have to transfer all my thoughts i scribbled on paper to the computer. and transcribing just isn't one of my favorite activities. :/

17
i'm sure, if i had written any of that yesterday, it would be sprinkled with clever little things i pondered over the day. but i didn't, so it's not. sorry.

so my aunt's wedding reception is later today. and i'm just like, "holy, hell! what am i going to wear?!" which is the problem when you're a nerd girl who 1) likes the indoors better than outdoors 2) thinks that wearing pajamas anytime should become acceptable 3) has 75 t-shirts and maybe 5 dress tops.

i have been known to not attend parties simply because i had nothing appropriate to wear. do i remedy this and go shopping? no. of course not! that would be completely sound and logical thinking! instead i tell myself i didn't want to go anyway, i don't even really like those people, and anywhere jeans and a t-shirt is unacceptable is unacceptable to me!

but that's not the only thing happening today. what am i REALLY excited for? DR. WHO!!! don't even bother trying to explain that i should be more excited for my aunt. there's no point. you'll have better luck trying to explain to someone that the grass is, in fact, a pleasant shade of pale orange. besides, who doesn't love Dr. Who? oh, yeah. my entire family.

i'm so ADD when i blog! i just totally stopped writing for like, 20 minutes! i was off tweeting, and looking at Stuff on Heads (which was made by Austin and is fantastic!), and updating apps on my phone. ridiculous!




Thursday, April 15, 2010

in no rush (finally!)


Fatigue Meter: 0

oh, hai blog!

so i'm in a MUCH better mood than when i last got down to the business of blogging. though i must give myself props for being that concise while i was half asleep! i can't be that terse when i'm fully conscious and making my best efforts!

however, even twitter, the ever-so-famed "micro-blogging" with its 140 characters, would have been infinitely more descriptive than i was yesterday.

so, there is solid proof that Sean is in the running for most awesome being in the universe. and by solid i mean not so much tangible as available online: http://bit.ly/NFBook. and if you ask me (a girl who has stronger, healthier online friendships than IRL friendships), that's just as real, if not more so.

ok, that "taxes! grr!" thing was cuz... well, for all the paranoid worrying (which correct me if i'm wrong, but i think i'm known for) that i do, my mom cranks that up a notch. ...or ten.
so a situation that i was already tensely biting my lips over, she was screaming about. i love my mom. generally a smarty, witty, caring, loving, compassionate and CALM person. *carefully measuring words* she was driving me FUCKING crazy!!! i was exhausted just WATCHING her freak out! just imagine, if at all possible, that i looked like the stable, calm thinker in the situation. yeah. it was that scary.

so, tonight was taxes panic part two. you see, i was trying to file online. the feds took my money (i actually owed this year! ugh!!!), not a hitch. the state, who owes me, is like REJECTED! part of the problem is the site i chose to use, but i'm not even going to delve into the finer, more snooze worthy details. point is, i had to print out a form, scribble my John Hancock (i HATE that term! why did i even use it? i get it, i know the history of the term. but I am NOT Mr. Hancock, and... well it's just inaccurate!), and drive down to the post office to drop it off. left at about 8, returned at about 9. round trip without psycho bumper to bumper traffic for the last three blocks is about 20 minutes. maybe 25. yeah, exactly. endless fun! i only wish i could do this EVERY night! (did you, did you catch the sarcasm? careful, it's heavy!)

so, because i know you were TOTALLY craving MORE talk about the Guide in this blog, here we go! i am currently working on an outline for how the staff will be organized so that we can competently handle the (hopefully) thousands of submissions. also, i'm organizing the agenda for the staff only meeting that needs to take place so that we can discuss, perfect and enact this outline. i LOVE working on the Guide! i definitely went to school for the right stuff. (journalism) :)

so, tomorrow the rental car goes back. you remember the rental car, right? that was a fun story! so yeah. the thing too depressing to mention then, we'll just tackle real quick now. my mother and i were saving up for the down payment on a new car. ALL of that money went to fix our old car. yeah. we're still not over that. so now i'm like, can we just keep the rental? i like that little, zippy car! except i want it in a Honda version (the "Fit." ugh! what an awful name for a car!). i'm just a little scared every time i hit the brake in that Toyota. :/

man! we're at the half way point fellow BEDAers! yay for us! :D

P.S. @Lydia i love that you're enjoying the "Fatigue Meter"! maybe i should make icons for my blog after this too? and for the Guide blog if i can! :D

P.S.S i like the new ALL CAPS album more than i thought i would. and i thought i would like it, so what i mean is i like it A LOT! (listen to it on my Ning page)