Odds and ends and evens

Haven’t updated in a while, but I guess since it’s 2am and I’m still up I might as well. I was so going to go to bed early, I really was. Darn you Jon Stewart, darn you Apple Trailers, and most of all, darn you what seems to be my until now latent desire to watch TV! Good thing I don’t have one but… I do wish I could watch The Daily Show in some format other than the little WMP clips they have on their website. Sigh.

As so often happens I was reading a friend’s journal and her entries are so honest they always make me want to write too. I guess I can manage a quick update without staying up till three. (Ha, now watch me proceed to write a huge long entry that takes me two hours. That happens all the time.)

Last week was pretty hideous; I procrastinated a lot on starting a paper and found out as I was doing it that I really didn’t know what I was doing. Between Wednesday and Thursday I got four hours of sleep. I don’t want that to happen again. It was miserable and desperate and I don’t really even want to know how I did on that paper. How is it that I have six hours of class per week and I still haven’t apparently learned a thing about time management?

Things are looking up, though, and I’m finding ways to be more productive with more of my time. Okay fine, so these “ways” involve writing notes to myself every night in cheerful light-blue ink, notes that I tape onto my kitchen door so I can be greeted in the morning with my own handwriting: “Good morning, Lisa!” Surely I am insane, yes, but it seems to work. Somehow figuring out the night before what I have to do the next day–while those tasks are still a comfortable night’s-rest distance away–is a great way to keep me aware of where I am in my obligations.

Last Thursday I had intended to clean my apartment and have it sparkling and beautiful for my family’s visit, but instead when Mommy and Daddo and Al arrived they found me still in my pj’s, dirty and stinky and trying frantically to finish my paper. But because they are my family and they are cool and they love me (and already know what I look/smell like in that state), they willingly bore with me until I finished. Then we went to Versailles and stuffed our faces. So satisfying. Then we picked up Erik at the airport. Fuzzy blue sweater met fuzzy green sweater for the first time. Sweater hugs are so delicious.

Next morning we all met up and went to Kokomo Cafe for brunch. It was so funny, Al must be inheriting my gastronomic genes because she had her breakfast cravings all laid out: burger and fries, salad with cheese and bacon. We got pretty close: bacon cheeseburger, curly fries, Southwest salad with grilled chicken and cheese. I had catfish and eggs. Just knowing it was possible to have catfish and eggs for breakfast was a pretty cool thing. I took my family to UCLA while I turned in my paper, then we found our way downtown for the WTA Tour. Sharapova sounds like a bird of prey. “Cawwww!”

It’s always great to watch experts do their thing, but I think I got even more enjoyment from watching the games with Al. She explained all the rules to me and commented on the games as they progressed. It occurred to me that she plays three hours of tennis a day and has tournaments on weekends… this makes her better trained at tennis than I have ever been at anything. An awesome thought. Now I want to watch her play.

I really enjoyed having my family come to visit (we missed Shra, though). I have had three months to explore LA, but there has been no one with whom I could share my findings. It was really fun taking them around and showing them the places I’ve discovered. Plus I hadn’t seen them since August. But– Al is growing up so fast. It seems like in the few months since I left she has metamorphosed into an incredibly self-possessed teenager, fit and funny and gorgeous. It is an amazing thing to witness. It gives me a hint of– what heartbreaking pride and joy there must be in being a parent. I am so proud of her, and so humbled that she is going to be a cooler adult than I can ever aspire to, and I’ve had so little to do with it. Being with her made me very happy.

After my family left, Erik and I didn’t have much time together before he had to go home too, but I have to say this. How can you not love a man who can make delicious soup out of onions, zucchini, leftover fried rice and saltines? In the soup, not with?

Not much else to say about this week. Just happy it’s not last week. Today was a good day; my classmate Precious and I unwittingly kept Valerie at her office hours until seven-thirty pm, talking about ghosts, Harry Potter, Eric Bana, food, and research. I don’t know how a busy professor can make so much time for her students. Very grateful. Afterward Precious and I went to dinner and fulfilled longings for Thai food. Ahhh rice noodles, how I have missed you. A good dinner with good company.

That’s all

oh but one more thing

I had this thought the other night

no wait two more things

Tuesday I wore a black halter top to class and two people complimented me on my skin while we were waiting for the bus. Random. Sweet.

okay so

I had this thought the other night while I was at Mobil. How weird is it that we put gasoline in our cars? Really, think about it. “Once upon a time there was a civilization in which transportation was centered around household vehicles. These vehicles all depended for their fuel upon a toxic, flammable, combustible liquid that was expensive to buy, left the country dependent on other nations, and depleted a limited supply of a natural resource.” Wouldn’t you think that civilization was stupid for not coming up with something better to put in their vehicles? Shortsighted?

I’m reading The Shipping News right now and really getting into it.

Two-thirty am. Not so bad, but you can tell I’m getting tired can’t you?

Good night, love you all. If I know you that is and you’re not an internet stalker.

Current State: tired, stomachy, thirsty, my hair looks really good though
Current State of Apartment: kitchen is dirty and there are apples, oranges, potatoes, sweet potatoes in my bedroom, books and clothes on my bed

[This post was imported on 4/10/14 from my old blog at satsumabug.livejournal.com.]