Merry Christmas

I found this great blog today and wanted to share. This gal really is feisty, in a good way!

Foxy Pink Cheetah: Feminism

Shell Shocked

Have you ever signed up for something and then realize when it was over that, had you known what you were signing yourself up for in advance, you would have never signed up for it in the first place?

Yeah. That's what Advanced Operating Systems at USC taught by Professor Neuman is like.

Don't get me wrong. I actually *liked* and *enjoyed* the class, even though operating systems is not my strong suit. And Professor Neuman is awesome. The running joke among a few of us is that Professor Neuman can cause a lightbulb to spontaneously light up through sheer enthusiasm and mental brilliance. He's that good.

But had I known in advance that the open book, open note final would involve two 3" binders full of papers we had to read, the actual textbook for the class, my own notes and the slides from class, I think I might have passed. Or questioned my sanity.

For future reference, if you take this course from Professor Neuman, be prepared to learn a lot about distributed operating systems. Neuman is God when it comes to this and computer security. Yes. Try taking a class from God. The brain cannot get any fuller than this, and there is no dial past 11.

If you do take this course from Professor Neuman, here is a list of the readings to pay particular attention to:

Any paper on Kerberos or Prospero.
The Cheriton and Lampson papers are especially "good for you".
Neuman's paper on Scale in Distributed Systems was nicknamed in my class "The Magic Paper". Much knowledge is to be gleaned from this. Read this paper even before you take the midterm.
The Fault Tolerance and Mach papers are "good for you" as well.

When you take the final, for God's sake please print out a copy of your reading reports. They came in handy as I didn't have to re-lookup many of my answers. Also, for the design problem, a lot of people seem to get hung up on details. The specifics of the problem description are only there to provide some context for solving it. You can't completely forsee or solve every problem this system is going to have in the 30 or so minutes you have to solve it. The point is can you get the broad strokes of the solution and convey them in a way to the grader to show that you have an understanding of the course material. Your solution doesn't have to be "right", but you do need to justify your decisions in a way that "makes sense".

Anyway, in a way I'm sad the class is over. I look forward to taking Computer Security with Neuman next Fall.

Bento Snack

I actually made a whole lunch for Mr. Bento today, but here's just a photo of the snack portion (because it turned out the prettiest). This is the small tupperware container, filled with cheddar cheese, smoked sausage, and crackers. If I had a couple grape tomatoes I would have squeezed them in around the crackers, but other than that everything fit quite snugly. The angle of the photo just makes the container look half empty.

The rest of the lunch was Thanksgiving leftovers; stuffing and green beans in the rice container and turkey slathered with cranberry sauce in the soup container. The large tupperware container had peanut butter cookies and chex mix to snack on, but I haven't really tackled that one yet.

Hey Twilight Fans!

Please, please, please, for the love of homemade macaroni with real cheddar cheese, please explain to me why you love this series so much.

Because this synopsis of Breaking Dawn and this comparison of Edward's behavior to an abusive relationship signs checklist do not help your case.

I watched Twilight last night. On YouTube. And I do not understand the appeal of Edward's character *at* *all*. I was OK with his character until his conversation with Bella in the hallway when he tells her flat-out that no one would believe her version of what happened with the van. Holy crap. Any fascination I had for the character completely died in that moment.

I actually really liked the Jacob character (even though I *know* he forcibly kisses her in one of the later books). Given the choice between the two, at least it appears that Jacob genuinely cares about Bella (although the reason why escapes me. I think she's an awful human being, even for being an angsty teenager).

And yes, when they make the film version of Breaking Dawn, I think they should keep it as true to the novel as the synopsis. Because at least that film would be hilarious.

Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

I volunteered myself to host Thanksgiving for my parents and sweetheart this year. This is the first time I've hosted Thanksgiving, and while I'm a bit freaked out, I think I'll be OK. :)

Did I mention I don't have an oven?

I do, on the other hand, have a very nice Weber Q 220 that I think will work for all the "oven like" things I'll be doing.

I'm going to make:
Dinner Rolls - I'm going to borrow liberally from the Taste of Home Garlic Herb Rolls recipe. I really don't need 20 dinner rolls. :)
Turkey (I found an 8lb free range one that was quite a dear price at Whole Foods - it should fit in the grill) - I'm going to be inspired by Alton Brown's recipe, but omit the brine because I don't have a pan big enough to brine the turkey in. Let's hope butter under the skin will do the trick. I found a neat grilled turkey article here.
Stuffing - A bag of Pepperidge Farm's herb seasoned stuffing made Mrs. Cubbison's style. Saute the celery and onions with the giblets for the best results. I haven't decided if this will go in a dish on the grill or if I'll just make it on the stovetop.
Roasted Acorn Squash - sprinkled with cinnamon
either steamed green beans or steamed asparagus (I found asparagus on sale that looked kind of nice, so I think that will be the winner)
Pumpkin Pie - using the recipe on the can of pumpkin and a pie crust made with an egg.

I finally found kitchen twine at Ralph's. It seems like one of those things that should be ubiquitous to the kitchen, but I honestly don't think many stores carry it. If they do it's not in a good location. I almost bought "turkey lacers" and steal the twine from that until I spotted the real thing.

Facebook "Friends" Criteria

I have some weird criteria when it comes to "friends" on Facebook. Does this make me snobbish or weird?

If you are genuinely my "friend", you can be my friend on Facebook.
If you are in my familiy, you can be my friend on Facebook.
If we work together, you can possibly be my friend on Facebook.
If you are someone I met randomly and we hit it off, you can be my friend on Facebook.
If you are someone I went to school with, and we maintain in some sort of contact (via Facebook or e-mail, or phone, or IM), you can be my friend on Facebook.

If I only vaguely think your name is familiar, and we went to high school together, I have to wonder why the hell you want to be my "friend" on Facebook. Is it because you genuinely want to know what I've been up to since May 2001? If I say that you're my friend, you're never going to write on my wall or e-mail me, so what's the point? I don't necessarily have any ill feelings towards you, but I just don't think you have a need to know about what's going on in my life if I can barely remember your name and don't remember what you look like. If we went to high school together and you're married with kids, chances are as soon as you see my full profile you will write me off as persona non grata anyway. What are you going to get out of being my friend other than the privilege to nose around my photos?

If you're from college and we took some classes together, I don't mind being your Facebook friend. But honestly, I possibly don't remember you either unless I immediately write on your wall something about how it's been so long. Sorry. Names from people in college are even more elusive to me than names from high school. Isn't that weird?

However, if you're a professor I took a class from I'd love to have you as a Facebook friend.

The Mormon Proposition

Here is my pro-gay-rights rant for the day. Every time I hear about Proposition 8, I get upset. Even though the vote was over a year ago.

I'm not gay, but I do have gay friends. And the gay people I know are some of the nicest people I know, period.

I honestly don't care who people marry, as long as it doesn't involve abuse of any kind. Want to marry someone of your same sex? Fine by me. Want to marry 2 or 3 or 10 other people? Go right ahead, as long as everyone else involved is genuinely happy with the arrangement. Why limit the crapshoot that is marriage to just straight, theoretically monogamous people?

I really want all marriages in this country to be reduced to civil unions performed at the courthouse for everybody. Then if you are religious you can have your white wedding at the church with your pastor/priest/bishop/flying spaghetti monster presiding. It's not taking away from anyone's marriage, just separating the concepts of marriage recognized by the state and marriage recognized by your flavor of deity worship.

I don't even care what religion you are. I know a lot of atheists, a lot of Catholics, more than a few Mormons. I know some Hindu and Buddhist people too. You want to go practice your religion in any way you see fit, go right ahead. But don't hurt other people in the process. If you believe magic underwear will save you, wear it. Wear two pairs, on top of each other, if you think it will help God recognize you as one of the Chosen Ones. If you believe you need to face Mecca every morning and pray, do it. Get audited too, if you need it. Don't celebrate birthdays either if you believe that will keep you from reaching Paradise. Go right on thinking there are monsters in the bathtub if that helps you out spiritually.

Just don't hurt other people. Not physically, not mentally, not emotionally, and certainly not sexually. Just don't do it. It is in complete and absolute conflict with 'civilized' life. If your religion does things to harm other people or interfere negatively in other people's lives, your religion deserves to lose its tax-exempt status, or get rightfully smeared in documentaries or the media. That just seems fair and karmic to me.

My dad taught me to treat other people the way I would want to be treated. I've gotten shit on quite a bit because of that well-ingrained philosophy. But I still believe there is a grain of truth in it.

If I found myself in a position of being emotionally and financially ready, and in a relationship with a man who I liked enough to get married to, and he liked me enough to get married to me, I'd like to feel free to get married if we so chose to do. Denying that same choice to homosexual people is hypocritical and selfish.

Watching those old geezers smile and say that it would be "better to be dead than be homosexual" gets the Aries in me all upset. What the hell people. I'd really like to know where they get off on saying something like that.

I get really pissed off when people say sexuality is a choice. It's not. It's a continuum. To think that it's a binary decision where you just say, "Oh, I must be [blank] today" is stupid.

And to be persecuted for something you cannot change about yourself, that just sucks. You think homosexuals and bisexuals WANT to be treated poorly by their societies? Who in their right mind would CHOOSE that?

OK. I'm done for today.

Rolling My Eyes

Mormons throw support behind gay-rights cause

I thought that it was already illegal to discriminate against homosexual people in housing and employment. . . .talk about being over a year late and many millions of dollars short. . . .

IKEA Experience

I've been thinking about getting bar stools for my studio apartment's counter for a long time, and now I have the pressing incentive to actually do it: I'm hosting my parents and my boyfriend for Thanksgiving dinner. I've had my parents over at my place for Thanksgiving before, but I feel this is the first time I'm actually "hosting" dinner. I guess I need to get "civilized" and get some damn bar stools. At least after Thanksgiving I can host happy hour, whenever I'm home on a Friday night and want to kick it with some colleagues.

Have you ever noticed that "Happy Hour" is full of sad, depressing saps? Maybe I don't want to be introducing that into my personal space.

So to dip my toe in the water, my boyfriend took me to IKEA this weekend and we wandered around. Wow. I didn't get anything, but it was a fun experience. We almost had a moment similar to the one in (500) Days of Summer, where Joesph Gordon-Leavitt and Zooey Deschanel have a date in IKEA, start making out in one of the display bedrooms, and one of them says to the other, "We have a Chinese family in our bathroom." We walked into a kitchen display and looked into the adjacent living room display, where several people had made themselves at home on the couch.

Have you noticed how *slow* people move through IKEA? Talk about sheeple. There's even the dude or dude-ette who is wide enough for two people and somehow always manages to walk into your path, no matter how you try to get around him/her. The single path is WIDE, and yet shoppers manage to congest the whole flow of traffic.

Tonight I drove down to the IKEA nearest me to obtain the bar stools that will provide dinner seating for four in my little studio. I found some online that would suffice, for half of what other barstools would cost me. The store near me had some in stock, and I thought it would be a neat adventure to navigate IKEA on my own.

Well, I managed to completely irritate several IKEA employees tonight. The bar stools I wanted were not in the self-pick-up area, and I had to figure out how the whole "full pick-up" process worked by consulting an employee each step of the way. I was obviously not one of the IKEA-converted glassy-eyed zombies that roam the aisles. But I successfully obtained the stools, and was so flummoxed that I totally forgot to get a jar of lingonberry jam, frozen potato pancakes, and frozen Swedish meatballs for Scandinavian convenience food experimentation. (That sounds so naughty!)

Ah well. I suppose that will all wait for next time. I spied $5.00 8x10 frames with included mats that will work well for my travel photos that have been begging to be framed for the past 9 months or so. . . . .

Women Are Tough Too, You Know

Associated Press: Civilian officer shot gunman, ended rampage

What the hell Lt. General Cone? Women are just as capable as men, and you're just figuring this out?

Love, Lay Your Head On My Weary Shoulder

I once saw Spencer Day live in Hollywood. Nice guy.

He just released a CD, and was on the Craig Ferguson show in September. I missed seeing him in Redondo Beach last weekend. Maybe next time.

Anyway, I remember this song from his show. It's a lot more polished now, and still quite lovely.



And now I want a hug.

Women in Space

Right Stuff, Wrong Sex

This makes me want to simultaneously roll my eyes and shake my fist in anger.

Of course they weren't going to put women in space. Because we're all weak and stuff. Can't handle the stress.

I remember a Navy recruiter who once tried to recruit at my high school. He told me that women weren't allowed on submarines because they couldn't take the physical and psychological stress.

An aside: the other night I was a passenger on a flight and I saw the cities below encrusted in lights. I thought they looked just like photos of nebulas sent back from Hubble.

Marine Corps Marathon 2009 - Race Report

Yay! I finished my very first marathon! (05:31:18)

To tell you the truth, I had no idea how big a deal it seemed to be to other people for me to finish. I went out to D.C. because I had a very personal goal and it was very surprising to me that so many friends and colleagues were interested in supporting me and cheering me on. So thanks friends! :)

The Marines run such a fantastic and organized race, and it's very evident why it's so popular. I think it took less than 5 minutes to pick up my race packet. For such a huge race, that was incredible to me. When I ran Long Beach last year it took 20 minutes easily, and I've had to wait in packet pick-up lines for many 5Ks as well. So to basically show up and have the Marines there almost immediately produce my bib, race packet goodie bag, and shirt was incredibly impressive.

Very funny side story: As my friend who I was staying with and I were approaching the queue for bib pick-up, I realized I had forgotten what size shirt I stated on my registration that I should get. It wasn't listed on my e-Confirmation either. My friend said, "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure they'll have some young strapping Marine size you up and say, 'oh, I think you're a size C!'"

I go pick up my bib and head over to the table to get my goodie bag and shirt. The Lance Corporal handing out shirts asked me what size I needed and I said, "You know, honestly I don't know!" He blatantly looked me over and said, "It's just me, but I think a size small would fit you best" and laid out a shirt for me to compare myself to. Just wow. He totally lined himself up for volunteering for this job, and he is having an awesome day. :)

The weather on Race Day was absolutely perfect. It started off pretty chilly in the morning but it turned into such a gorgeous day. It was nice to be running the start of the race in the neighborhoods around Georgetown and see the trees whose leaves had started to turn.

Watching the 2 Osprey V-22s fly by overhead in both helicopter and airplane mode before the race was pretty awesome to witness. It was also nice feeling followed by the black Army helicopter throughout the race.

A big "Ooh Rah" to the Marine Captain who ran the marathon in full cammies and boots, carrying his unit's guidon. I saw him around mile 2, and thought if I kept up with him there was definitely no way he would be put onto the stragglers bus if we didn't beat the bridge. At this point in the race I was very worried I wouldn't be able to keep up my pace. I did eventually pass this Marine around mile 4 and I hope he made it OK.

The amount of support this race has is absolutely astonishing. Not only do you have Marines along the course cheering you on you also have A LOT of spectators. The sidewalks are literally lined with spectators and at times it feels there isn't enough room to get past them.

I did see the White House when I was running around the Mall. I'm not familiar enough with Washington geography to really know any of the museums or memorials I saw, and my eyes were more focused on the road than they were on the monuments.

Beating the bridge at mile 20 was a great feeling. It was something I was worried about and to know I had made it was such a relief. There was a runner who caught up with me around mile 18 and said that he must have seen me 100 times that day; he commented that our strategies were different but we had the exact same pace. I was run-walking and he was running the whole thing. He said he might try my strategy some other time. I'm pretty sure he passed me for good by the end of the race though; I was pretty worn out by the end.

Those last six miles were absolutely brutal. After beating the bridge, my feet swelled up around mile 22 and made it very painful to run (on top of my legs feeling very tired). I walked most of the last six miles. The leg of the race down into Crystal City was also fairly demoralizing, despite the spectators. The course is such that you run down one side of the street and come back up the other, but there's no real clue as to *how far* you need to go.

I was lucky to not really hit the wall. I can't imagine how difficult it would have been to just finish if that had happened to me. So I'm glad that I was careful in pacing out my calorie intake during the race. Those oranges they had at mile 9 were soooo yummy and satisfying! I wouldn't have minded taking a Gu from all the Marines calling out that they had Mocha flavored Gu, but I've *tried* Mocha flavored Gu and it's truly nasty. So I skipped that. The sport jelly beans were a god send as I had run out of my own fuel by that point and I was starting to get ravenous.

I only had the urge to sit down once. But I knew if I did I wouldn't finish.

It's a cruel joke to tell people "they're almost there" when they have 5 more miles to go. I thought the Grim Reaper hanging out around mile 24 with the sign "The End is Near" was hilarious.

The last two miles, but most especially the last mile are really tough. The course runs you through the starting area, which looks to be a bit of a ghost town by the time I made it there. Then the course winds down a ramp before finishing at the top of a really steep hill. I tried running up the hill but had to walk part of it.

The post-race organization was also very impressive. Lines of congratulations from all the Marines is truly humbling. There's a line of Marines who are handing out space blankets; the Marine who gave me mine made me turn around and wrapped the space blanket around me. You get herded into chutes where 2nd Lts give you your finisher's medal; the Lieutenant who gave me mine must have seen how I was hurting and pointed out where I could get my finisher's photo at the Iwo Jima War Memorial, Powerade, and food packet. Immediately after getting your medal there are photographers taking candid finisher photos. I headed over to get Powerade before I got my photo taken; the Gunny who gave me a bottle of Powerade looked at me with kind blue eyes and said, "There you go dear." After getting used to being called "ma'am" by Marines all day, it was kind of nice to see this guy who was old enough to be my uncle or dad say something compassionate.

I thanked each and every Marine who helped me out that day, and they all said "You're welcome" back to me. I sort of feel like there's a Hemingway/Donne-esque "No Man is an Island" thing going on. It's very humbling.

Actually finishing the race was anti-climatic for me. Even now I have mixed feelings about it. I don't feel triumphant, I don't feel instantly more special or more unique than I did the day before. I don't even feel like I've accomplished anything extraordinary and I'm not even sure I gained what I set out to gain by doing this. I'm surprised at how many people have commented on how big of an accomplishment it was for me. I honestly wasn't looking for recognition from my friends and loved ones, so to be getting so much of it was a real surprise. It was such a relief just to trot across the finish line. I started weeping and kept thinking to myself, "I did it! I did it!" When I called my parents my dad asked me what was wrong because he could hear me crying over the phone.

I recommend skipping the shuttle buses and just taking the Rosslyn metro back to wherever you started from. I waited about an hour for a shuttle before I decided my bladder couldn't wait any more and I dropped out of the line to use a port-o-potty. Then I tried the metro line which went *much* faster.

At any rate, I want to run it next year. It's on Halloween, so I guess I'll be chasing more than my own personal ghosts. I'm pretty sure I can beat my time.

Last- Minute Marathon Tips

Because this is so neat. . .
The guy is a coach in NYC (Toby Tanser).

Last Minute Marathon Tips: shot with Nikon D90 from Mike Kobal on Vimeo.

Why I Run

I'm running my first marathon in a few short days. I'm undertrained, but I know I can at least walk the distance. I will probably be able to run at least half the distance, and I don't expect my time to be less than 5 hours. I've never claimed to be a fast runner.

I've been a bundle of nervous energy, excitement, and anxiousness. I don't doubt that these feelings will only intensify in the time between now and the start time.

Running this marathon has been a goal of mine for such a long time. Whenever people ask me why, and I try to explain it to them, some of them get it, and others don't. I had several people chew me out that I *shouldn't* have this as a goal, and that my purpose for doing it was silly and unnecessary.

A few years ago, I was a Marine Officer Candidate for a few short days. But what a glorious few days that was for me. It was my dream to become a Marine Intelligence Officer, a dream I fostered and held dearly for 15 months. 8 weeks before I was to ship out, I rolled my ankle during an OCS prep weekend. 4 weeks later, I contracted a cold that turned into a sinus infection. I was not physically ready to go the day I shipped out. I failed the initial physical fitness test (PFT) on the run and my dream ended before it even had a chance to get started. A star winked out for me that day.

Could I have tried to apply to OCS again? Sure, but I would have needed a perfect score on the PFT, something I knew I could not obtain on my own.

I had never failed anything I had wanted like that in my entire life. I was personally devastated.

Life has since taken me on a different path, one that most would argue has been for the better. But I still felt that some lost part of me lay discarded somewhere in Virginia. An idea was born.

What better way to regain face than to run the Marine Corps Marathon? Since I had fallen out on the run, which was a measly 3 miles, what better way to tell the Marines that they had made a mistake if I could go back and traverse 26.2 miles on their turf, not far from where I fell out of the PFT?

I'm no longer bitter or disappointed with the way things turned out, although I do think of it from time to time and wonder how my life might have turned out. And my experience with the Marine Corps has changed my life for the better. Through the Marine Corps I was introduced to running. Were it not for the lessons I learned while running and for having running as a hobby I would not have had the resilience to bounce back as well as I did earlier this year. I am much healthier today than I was then. So I have the Corps to thank for that.

Is it a silly goal? Perhaps. But it is my goal and if I drop out of it now, what does that say about me?

I <3 Dan Savage

Dan Savage is a smart and witty journalist who authors Savage Love for Seattle's The Stranger.

In response to this New York Times' article Grievous Choice on Risky Path to Parenthood, Dan wrote this scathing post, whose sentiments I share exactly.

The Stansels keep a blog here. In the editorial, there is a photo of one of their babies' feet. The child's foot is so tiny the Stansels were able to slip their wedding rings on the foot. And then take a photo. You've got to be kidding me. Human depravity knows no bounds.

A couple videos from interviews Dan Savage has done with Steven Colbert, from last year:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Gay Roundup - Dan Savage
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Proposition 8 Protests - Dan Savage
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

Perseverance

The truth about grit

I like the idea of grit. Merriam-Webster defines the quality of grit as "firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger".

Grit is an old-fashioned, honest quality. Manly, but in a non-sexist way. I'd like to think that women can by gritty too, but I'd also like to think there was a more feminine way to call that quality.

When all else fails, try, try again. Pick yourself up and keep going. Because the only person you can truly rely on is yourself. I'm being very honest here. We are all born into this world alone, and we die alone. Much of our lives we struggle on our own. There is no one else who can shoulder that burden for us but ourselves.

By pushing our responsibility of traveling through this life onto others, we commit ourselves to mediocrity and misery. There is nothing wrong with having a companion, in fact, I most love the concept of having a confidant with which to share my life and experiences with. But in the end I'll still be on my own.

I'm not quite sure what my thesis for this post is supposed to be. There was something in the original article that made me think about what it means to be an adult, what it means to truly be self sufficient. And I definitely think grit is one of those things you must possess if you truly desire growing up.

Miramar Air Show

OK, the photo isn't from the air show, but I like it.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Marines, and for Marine rotor craft units. My dad used to maintain them, and as a child I remember going to Marine Corps Air Station Tustin and just being in awe of the huge hangars they had there. The city of Tustin desperately wants to tear those hangars down in the name of development, and when that eventually happens a part of my childhood, a part of whatever mythology I crafted for myself, will die forever, to only live in my memory. When I am gone what will be left?

I went to the airshow last weekend, and had a blast. When I was a little girl my daddy would take me to the air show in Chino, and I imagine the air show in Tustin as well, to see the planes. To go down to Miramar last weekend and touch the aircraft again was a delight for me. To smell that odd, distinctly military smell of sweat, dust, and motor oil was a treat. To feel that cargo webbing and steel painted over in olive drab again was heaven. To touch the nose of the Super Stallion that touches the sky - is ecstasy.

To be among Marines again, to be among the few and the proud. I was comfortable in that environment, being on a military base again. If you know how to talk to them, they'll let you in their world.

"Hey Marines! Do you know where [Parking Lot] Silver 1 is?"

"Oh sure - it's all the way down this road. Here; I'll walk you out."

"Oh that's not necessary"

"It's OK. We're not doing anything around here anyway. (To his buddies) Hey watch that van and make sure nothing happens with that."

"How are you tonight?"

"Oh, we're all right - been doin' this since seven this morning. We'll probably be here until midnight tonight, and then we get to wake up at six AM tomorrow and do this again." I don't know anyone in the military who doesn't complain about this all-encompassing duty that seems to allow for less-than-optimal sleep. I mean, they ALL do it, and they all use the same phrases.

"I see." A car approaches from behind, and the Marine's buddy says, "Hey man, move over to the side of the road."

"Eh, he can go around." He waves his arm so the car will pass.

They're all so young. When we walked onto the flight line that afternoon, there was a slender Marine wearing cammies that looked oversized for his tall frame, and BCGs that made him look geeky. I wonder if he joined to prove his friends he was tough. He gave us a big grin and waved us into the correct direction.

One Marine stopped me to check my bag and called me ma'am. Whenever grocery checkers call me ma'am it kind of irritates me, because I am NOT old enough to be a ma'am. I make exception for the military.

Some psychologist says that the sound of car engines arouses women. I think jet engines work better. :)

Coffee Break

Sometimes (more often than I care to admit), I will wander across the street from work to the Coffee Bean for a cup of that delightful black brew. I know I'm going far too often because the employees recognize me and know me by name. They even know what I typically order - a small (or regular, depending on how tired I am) Americano, with room for cream.

An Americano is comprised of espresso and hot water. If that's not enough for you, get a Red Eye. It's espresso and drip coffee. I like the term sailors and Marines have come up for it: A "depth charge".

Anyway, I'm at the bar thing that has the sugar packets and carafes of half-and-half, 2%, non-dairy and whatever else they have out for creamer. It's nice that they have those little sticks for stirrers. So much better than the short plastic straws, which never reach the bottom of your cup to stir up the sugar crystals.

He walks in. I haven't seen this dude in ages. Back in the day, we would head out for Starbucks runs around 10:00 AM and commiserate over failing relationships and work politics. Since the last time I ran into him, he's moved at least once and had a baby with his girlfriend (wife now? I didn't check his hand for a ring). This was the guy who used to tell me, "Don't chase 'em; replace 'em!"

"Hey!" He says. "I haven't seen you in forever! What's new?"

I wait for him to order, and as he's pouring cream and sugar into his cup he says out of the blue,

"Diane, you're going to make a great mom."

Huh? Where the hell did THAT come from?

"You know why? You're patient, and really kind."

I know he's being sincere, but it wasn't quite the pick-me-up I wanted that afternoon.

Polanski Media Circus

Polanski defenders lose sight of true victim

(Steve Lopez is the journalist who wrote the book that inspired the film "The Soloist". I blogged about the film earlier this year.)

This whole Roman Polanski extradition thing is really a media circus I do not want to watch.

I think this issue will last until Polanski dies, or until he is extradited and faces trial. No matter what the victim's wishes are, he still committed a crime. One which I don't feel was fairly served in the 42 days he spent in jail before bailing.

I don't feel the outcome of this case will cause more sex assaults to go unreported, as I think getting law enforcement officials to believe a crime has even taken place is hard enough.

If Polanski truly wanted this thing to be over, he wouldn't fight extradition and would just go pay his debt to society. But I guess it's easier to be a martyr.

Fortune

"Keep Your Plans Secret For Now"

Recipe - Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers

I made something like this a few weeks ago with my new boyfriend. We had a lot of fun, and the food was really tasty. This is a good "team effort" recipe that allows for breaks and "downtime". I would also hope that it's really hard to screw up.

My problem is that I don't have an oven in my apartment, and I've yet to be motivated enough to get propane for my grill (now THAT would be REALLY tasty!). So I've altered the recipe to suit my devious purposes. If you *do* have an oven and want to try out the original recipe, do note that a lot of people have found it to be a bit bland, and suggest to double the seasonings.

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers
1/2 c. diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 - 1 lb lean ground meat (preferably beef; I used 2/3 lb leftover bison from my parents' visit)
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 c. cooked brown rice
1 can diced tomatoes
2 large bell peppers
1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese, plus more for topping

In a large saute pan, saute the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the meat and brown. Add the pepper, oregano, rice, and tomatoes. Cook until most of the liquid is either evaporated or absorbed by the rice.

Meanwhile, either halve the peppers or cut the tops off of them, and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Boil some water (may add some salt if you want) and add the peppers. Cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on how soft you like them cooked. Drain the peppers.

Incorporate the cheese into the filling mixture, and then fill the peppers with the filling. Sprinkle additional feta on top of the peppers (I ran out, which is why you see no feta garnish in my photo) and consume with extreme prejudice.

I suspect this takes about an hour from start to finish, and is well worth the effort expended.

Wanderlust

Alaska Airlines now charges $25 per piece of checked luggage. To me, this is completely unacceptable. I've wanted to learn how to travel light and be basically as mobile as possible while traveling, but I suppose this has become the final incentive to actually do it.

I recently purchased an Eagle Creek Thrive 65L, which meets the size restrictions for Alaska Airlines' carry-ons. I think the H + W + L dimensions end up being something like 45.8", so it might end up a little large if I tried to take it on a different airline. On the other hand, if I learn to pack light I could compress it a little bit and get away with saying it's not really 45.8" but some other, smaller number.

The Thrive 65L only comes in Eagle Creek's "medium" frame size, which is a pity because my torso length is something like 15" ("short" or "small"). I did e-mail Eagle Creek and suggest they make this in either a women's version (as the woman's fit Thrive 75L is too big to carry-on) or adjustable for a shorter frame.

I've written about my love of Eagle Creek products before. I strongly believe in their packing aids, although it could just be how awesome their marketing team is.

My level of wanderlust was tolerable before I received the backpack; now I feel like I *must* travel somewhere. Rediscover myself and meet new, interesting folks. Eat strange food. Have adventures. Pity my next trip won't be for another month or so, and it's a short trip at that. Any suggestions of where I should go on vacation next summer? I'm thinking Peru or Argentina. . . and I suppose this is only if I don't take a summer class.

If you have the wanderlust and want to travel on the cheap, I suggest checking Travel Independent out. That site has a wealth of information on it.

Restaurant Review - Peter's Place

Yet another case of moving to more convenient pastures, only to find a really great place to eat not far from where I lived. . . . .

Peter's Place is located in a tiny strip mall of Asianish stores. . .it's in the strip mall just North of Sue's Kitchen, which has fantastic Taiwanese beef noodles. But I digress.

To date, Peter's Place is the only restaurant I've found in South Bay that serves Chinese breakfast. I think the next nearest place to get Chinese breakfast is at least an hour out of South Bay, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong. My favorite breakfast of all time is a bowl of warm soy milk accompanied by shaobing and you tiao. They have both the salty and the sweet soy milk, and while I like them both, I prefer the sweet soy milk. I can't tell if they make it from scratch or if it's just soy milk out of a jug and heated up. There's a place in Rowland Heights that makes their own soy milk and it's absolutely divine. And fan tuan; I only had the savory kind but I think they have the sweet kind too. The shaobing was particularly delicious.

They also have a bunch of other dishes like dumplings and noodles and fried rice, but I don't intend on coming here for anything but Chinese breakfast on lazy Sunday mornings. I'll probably be a greedy pig too and get extras for breakfast during the week.

The family who runs the restaurant is really friendly, and the menu is in both Chinese and English (which means it's got to be good!). The waitress was particularly forgiving with my butchering of the language. At least I'll have the opportunity to practice my Mandarin more.

Peter's Place
23816 Crenshaw Blvd
Torrance, CA 90505
310-539-6058

Three Year Anniversary - Let's Punch It!

Three years ago, I moved to L.A. to start my career and grow new roots.

Tomorrow, my pension with my employer vests, which means that when I retire I will have supplementary income to help with the bills. Wow. I'm a company girl all of a sudden. When did that happen?

My three-year anniversary of moving to L.A. was actually last Thursday (the 10th), but when I think of my life really starting in the City of the Angels I think of the day I started my career.

My life has become something I could not have dreamed it would be. With each passing year, I've grasped new opportunities and had adventures I could not have imagined having when I was in college. With each passing year, my quality of life has improved and my general happiness has increased.

My career is finally feeling like it's going to take off. I'm making it in one of the best schools for graduate study. I'm generally healthy and I'm grateful to have good friends and loving parents. I'm truly grateful for what I have, because in many ways it seems to me I've been blessed more than the average person. A few years ago I don't think I would say my cup was more than half full. Now it overflows.

I like the idea of double fisting Life. We only have so much of it, and I want to get as much experience, as much knowledge, as much adventure as I can possible handle. Time is a resource I must not squander. I barely even have the time to contemplate its passing.

In the new Star Trek movie, Captain Pike commands Ensign Sulu to "punch it" when pulling the Enterprise out of space dock. That is totally how I feel about my life right now. Let's go!

Movie Review - Extract

As I sat through this funny film, I was bothered by my lack of ability to figure out the point. Maybe there was one, and I missed it. But it feels like there should be a clever point, with a film titled "Extract", centered around a flavoring extract owner whose side-kick at work is played by J.K. Simmons. Blame the Coen brothers and their brilliant dark comedy from last year, Burn After Reading (also involving J.K. Simmons).

Joel (Jason Bateman), the flavoring extract owner, ain't getting no loving at home. His wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig), loses the loving feeling after 8:00 PM when she slips the sweatpants on. So every night he races the clock to get home before 8:00 PM, and every night gets sidelined by the annoying, well-meaning, socially clueless neighbor who lives across the street.

Dejected, Joel heads to a local bar, where he is consoled by Dean (Ben Affleck) who encourages Joel to have an affair.

Hilarity ensues.

This is probably not worth going to see in the theaters, although it is very entertaining at times. I think the best part of the film is near the end when Suzie berates the annoying neighbor. Poor guy just couldn't take the shock.

It Goes To Eleven

For the past few weeks my stress levels were running around seven or eight. Stressful, but manageable. I was successfully juggling work, school (and school-related stuff), running, and my other two exercise hobbies as well as my social/love life. I was tired at the end of the day, but in command of my domain.

This week, I find out my stress level can go to eleven. Damn. All of a sudden, I was desperate to keep all of those balls in the air. If I let any of my exercise plans slip, stress doesn't get relieved and I become a lot more unpleasant to deal with, not to mention seriously unhappy. If I let school slip, I don't get the education that I crave. If I let work slip, well, school doesn't get paid for and neither does my car or apartment. You get the picture.

Tonight while I was running, I remembered how hard it was for me to get to the point where a 5K was something I didn't need to train for to do well in. I didn't have the mental endurance to push myself further. I limited myself with my physical, emotional, and mental pain. I spent several years at that level, not knowing how to break out of the glass ceiling I'd made for myself.

For me, it took a lot of courage to gain the level of self-trust needed to regularly go beyond three miles. Some days I still struggle to run five miles, but I consider that distance now my regular training distance. It's been only very recently that I've been able to consider ten miles an easily-obtainable long run.

This is a matter of perspective. A year ago, ten miles might as well have been one hundred. I was very demoralized that I might never reach my goal of running the marathon. How could I run twenty-six-point-two miles when I had such a hard time running three-point-one? Today, I feel my goal is within my grasp and I know that I have the training and the mental strength to reach out and grab it.

Just where am I going with this? Well, this thing that has caused so much stress in my life will not be the toughest thing I have to face in life. It was unexpected and possibly life-altering. To top it all off, there is absolutely nothing I can do to change it. Facing this thing head-on will be practice for when I have really difficult stressful events to deal with. Learning to relax, to breathe, to maintain inertia and forward motion, these are the skills I'm going to obtain from this difficult experience.

Because my mental toughness goes to eleven too.

LACMA - Pompeii and the Roman Villa

I went up to LACMA today; they are having a Pompeii exhibit there through October 4th. Some of the loot they dug up in Herculaneum and Pompeii is there.

After going to LACMA for the Dali exhibit a couple years ago, and visiting the Getty Villa (modeled after the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum) a couple times, I have to admit this special exhibit was underwhelming for me. There were a few pieces I really thought were great though.

Bust of Caesar - yes, there was a marble bust of Julius Caesar there. The realism of the Roman and Greek sculpture always takes my breath away. It's as if you can gaze into the face of the man, and he gazes back into you. He doesn't seem like the kind of fellow one could easily get along with.

Plato's Academy - some mosaic artist assembled this fantastic piece together, each tile smaller than my pinky nail.

Aphrodite - there were several life-size sculptures of Aphrodite/Venus on display. There's something in the beauty of depicting the female form in marble, a hard material, in a way that preserves the soft form and clothing. It's absolutely amazing to me.

There is a fresco depicting Apollo that was my favorite piece of the exhibit. The fresco was in a house or inn that was underwater, and fortunately the fresco was able to be removed and preserved. They were able to save almost three walls of this fresco that decorated a dining hall. Really fantastic.

At the exhibit gift shop, I noticed a magnet with the phrase, "Momento Vivre" (to live in the moment). Because once the moment passes, it is gone forever.

Sign Spinning Mile Markers

The Marine Corps Marathon folks have just announced they are having sign spinners for 9 of the mile markers along the course. This will be the first race in the United States to have sign spinners for mile markers.

Remember Praan?

I've already commented how much I like the Garry Schyman piece Praan, composed for the Where The Hell Is Matt? 2008 dancing video.

Now I find out there's free piano sheet music for this inspirational piece of music. Wow.

I have time to devote to my piano hobby, right? Right?

One More Breath

My yoga instructor has a great philosophy.

"All you need is one more breath", he tells us. "This is practice for what we do in the real world. Dealing with the frustrations and tensions on the mat is going to help us when we're faced with challenges in our lives. Being calm and learning how to relax in Warrior II is going to help you remain centered and calm when faced with stressful situations at work and at home and in the rest of our lives."

As we come down from Standing Split, he says, "Clasp your elbows, bend your knees, relax your neck and just breathe."

Just breathe. Because all we need is one more breath.

One more breath.

Just one more breath.

Grad School - Just What Did I Sign Myself Up For?

I know this was not going to be easy. But I'm up for challenges, and I'm up for completing goals I set for myself.

I knew in advance that I would probably have to rearrange my leisurely summer schedule to accommodate the extra reading and coding (depending on the class) I would need to do in order to complete the course requirements for this degree.

But holy crap. At least 80 pages of technical papers (not including the papers on how to read technical papers and write research papers), plus 4-5 chapters of textbook before Friday afternoon? Just what did I get myself into?

OK, at least the "Implementing Remote Procedure Calls" paper sounds like fun to read. Am I so disturbed?

I'm going to have to learn some mad speed reading skills or something to get this accomplished. Either that or just not sleep for the next 15 weeks.

If anyone out there has any hints or tips, please leave a comment. Even if it's funny. :-P

Note Organization

When I took my algorithms class last semester (Spring 2009) I bought a nice little Moleskine notebook to put my notes in. And then I proceeded to go overboard with my note-taking.
I left a few pages in the front blank, to later serve as a table of contents. As the semester wore on, I would number the pages, and then go to the contents page to put the topic of the lecture (sometimes there were two or three) and the page number you could find it on. I took it a step further when I included homework assignments and pasted in the given solutions.

As the semester progressed, I kept up with this psychotic scheme. It actually did come in handy once or twice when I was studying (cramming?) for the final. It was really nice to just look up a topic by going to the table of contents and then flip to the page where the notes were located. But I slacked on keeping up with the homeworks (they weren't mandatory). Because I have a good half of the notebook to fill, I need to paste in the remaining homework solutions into the book before the first lecture of my next class starts tomorrow night. For completeness.

Don't think I'm so crazy. I earned an A- in the class. If I hadn't been so stressed the week of finals, I definitely believe I would have earned an A.

If only the rest of my life could be so organized.

When Zombies Attack

A scientific paper.

I'm not a fan of horror films, but I love Shaun of the Dead. I' m a big Resident Evil 4 fan as well, even though the player doesn't deal with zombies in that game.

Anticipation

I gripped the paper ticket in my hand. It was a warm day, and I had really booked it down to the train station after work. The sweat from my hand softened the cardstock of the one-way Green Line ticket.

I had woken up early that morning, so I could go to work early and leave early enough to drive home and walk down to the train station, about a mile and a half away. This elaborate scheme was so that I wouldn't have to leave my car at Hawthorne Airport, and also (apparently) so I could get some exercise in. He had raised some concerns about leaving my car at the airport after dark, and also it would be more convenient if we didn't have to stop on the way back to pick my car up on the way back to my place.

Plus I like public transportation, even if the train system in L.A. is woefully inadequate. And the airport is just right across the street from the station.

Man, where is that train? There must be three of them down at the Marine Station by now. What's holding them up?

A Raytheon employee had joined me in wondering what was holding the trains up. He had bowling league tonight, and a Tom Clancy book to finish. The Bear and the Dragon. He only had about 20 pages to finish, if that. If only my time weren't so valuable and I still had a long commute that I could make by train. I would get so much more reading done.

A train finally rolls in, about 15 minutes behind schedule. It had to be today, huh? Oh well. It's not like he's going to strand me at the airport. Plus he has to refuel and everything. I might still make it there before he does.

I tick off the stations as we come to them. Mariposa. Aviation. Hawthorne. The next one is Crenshaw. I glance at the airstrip and don't see his plane on the tarmac. I run down the wrong stairwell and end up on the opposite side of the street I want to be on. I cross Crenshaw, then Imperial Highway, impatient that the lights take so long to turn. All the while I'm glancing at the sky. I see a couple planes land; neither of which are his.

I run to the terminal. As I pass the runway I see his plane parked in front. He must have landed after I got off the train but before I reached the bottom of the stairwell.

The two guys who were working the desk last week are still there, and recognize me. I guess they don't have too many passengers fly out of Hawthorne. Or at least pilots who pick up their dates there.

Pretty soon he strolls into the terminal and we hug. We head to the pilot's lounge so he can call the briefer and check on the weather. Before I know it we're heading out onto the tarmac and he's telling me to get into the plane first. He does his pre-flight inspection, checking the flaps, making sure everything is good to go.

It's a beautiful day, but he cautions me that there is a lot of turbulence and take off would most likely be bumpy.

He climbs in, buckles up and we close the canopy. He rattles off the take-off checklist from memory (the first time he took me up he pulled it out and went over each step very methodically). "Cle-ar Prop!" he calls before he starts the engine. He contacts the tower and we get permission to take off.

He pushes the throttle forward and when we get enough speed he pulls up on the stick ever so delicately. And then we're airborne. Free.

Movie Review - (500) Days of Summer

I saw this delightful romantic comedy a few weeks ago and have been slacking on blogging about it.

Here's a link to the trailer.

The film bounces around to different days in the relationship. You'll see Tom and Summer (played to perfection by Joesph Gordon-Leavitt and Zooey Deschanel) share an in-joke together, and then you'll see how the in-joke got started, for example. I'd love to see this film again and take notes, just to reorganize the days in order and see if the relationship becomes even more clear to me.

Tom is a true romantic, who believes he can never be happy until he finds The One girl for him. Summer is the delightful free spirit who becomes Tom's muse. She's independent, funny, charming, and doesn't believe in love. You can already see the disaster in the making, but like a car accident, can't tear your gaze away. Tom loves without reserve, and it's refreshing to see this in a film (as opposed to the woman-who-loves-without-reserve, which is more common).

Tom and Summer meet at work, but it doesn't seem there's a corporate fraternization policy in place at the greeting card company. Tom is bored to tears over his job (he quit following his calling to be an architect) and Summer has just been hired as the boss' new assistant. Tom falls in love immediately.

The song-and-dance number is fantastic and fits the film's quirky style perfectly. For Tom, on that morning, it's only natural that the sun will be shining, bluebirds will be singing, and the rest of Los Angeles will want to take part in his joy.

I think this is a romantic film for those who have already had some disappointments in love. Many of the behaviors remind us of similar crazy (or stupid) things we have all done or can relate to in relationships, and it's nice to see characters who actually grow in this film.

There is one fantastic scene which juxtaposes reality with Tom's expectations, and this was one of the most brilliant pieces of film I've seen all year.

Once the viewer can accept that Summer will definitely not end up with Tom in the film (it's hard to believe even though we're told the film is not a love story, and we're as blind as Tom when it comes to looking at Summer), the story becomes a font of possibilities. At a certain point I wanted to start pushing Tom to forget about her and go do his own thing, which he does, admirably. But only after several days of living in his bathrobe and going down to the convenience store in his slippers to buy bourbon and twinkies.

The film does toss the viewer one romantic bone at the end, and while it caps the film nicely it does seem to be overly predictable and disappointing compared to the 90 minutes that precede it.

Overall, this was a refreshing, funny, and very enjoyable film. It's probably not necessary to catch it in theaters, but there is a scene which highlights some of L.A.'s architecture that is nice to see on the big screen.

San Francisco Half Marathon 2009 Race Report

I know this is a little late, but I was waiting for official photos. I'm getting super skinny (I've dropped a few pounds since this race as well) and my parents have been bugging me for running photos. . . so I might as well get ones where I'm looking damn good if I'm going to pay through the nose for them. . . .

Wow. This was an awesome experience. I'd never run a race out-of-driving-distance from my home before, and I was pretty ambitious in my goal setting (2:30:00 was my goal time). This was the most challenging half marathon I've ever run, yet the most satisfying and the one with the best recovery. I was energized when I finished the race, and wasn't even sore or tired. I was a bit stiff afterwards, but the next day I went to yoga and was just fine. I also PR'd (personal record) on this race: 2:37:07. So I was very satisfied with my performance.

I drove up a couple days before the race, and my good friend Krista ran it with me. We split up a mile or so into it because my leg was nagging me (it tends to do that the first few miles, and then after I'm warmed up it's fine and I really start to pick up the pace).

It was really cold that morning and if I had known better I would have brought warmer clothes overall. The race also started earlier than the other two half marathons I've run. By the time we were shuttled back to downtown it had turned into a nice day.

As far as races go, it was very well organized and well run. The recovery goodies were great and I really liked the Cytomax energy drink they used. The flavor is light and not too sweet.

I distinctly remember either missing some of the mile markers or they just weren't there. . . .however, there were witty sayings put up along parts of the route, which provided lots of amusement to the crowd of runners (Such as Confucious' saying "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step").

The best part of the race was going over the Golden Gate Bridge. Man, what a beautiful memory. The bridge was wreathed in fog, and three lanes had been closed off for us (two for running, the other to provide a buffer between us and traffic). Sometimes cars would honk at us in support, which was nice. But mostly the only sound you could hear was the sound of cars whizzing past and runners' shuffling feet.

After getting over the bridge and back, the race dropped us down to Golden Gate Park. I knew there were hills in San Francisco, but the big hills were nothing compared to the little rolling hills. Talk about demoralizing. I ended up having to walk part of this section just because I was so sad about getting so close to the finish and having to run up and down these little rollers. Also the mile markers were getting spotty in the park and I would see a lot of finishers walking around, so for the last mile I was wondering where the hell the finish line was. Not necessarily a problem with the race, but it was frustrating to round yet another turn and see nothing.

The line to get my California Dreamin' Medal and Jacket was pretty long - I waited over an hour. I saw my friend Krista finish a few minutes after me (I had passed her after the bridge, and she opted to walk up the big hill after the bridge. I was still feeling strong enough to keep going) and we ended up meeting back at the hotel.

The line to the shuttles was pretty long too; another 45 minute wait. A few runners and myself were amused at one runner who was taking a smoking break in the park. Wow. Just wow.

Overall I had a great experience and definitely recommend this race. You see a great deal of San Francisco and there's nothing quite like the achievement of running over the Golden Gate Bridge twice in one day to make you feel like you've accomplished something rare and fantastic.

Signals

One of the reasons I've kind of dropped off the blogging map is that I've taken up Argentine Tango. I've had a lot of fun and I'm learning a lot.

One thing about social dance is you learn a whole new way of communication with your partner. All of the things in Argentine Tango, all of the fancy stuff you see, is all communicated through signals the lead gives the follower. It's not magic, it's a very complicated bit of non-verbal communication going on there.

I think the lessons I've learned on the dance floor can definitely be applied to real life in general and relationships specifically. If the follower doesn't know what a signal means, the message will be lost and the lead will have to give up executing whatever he/she had in mind. (Yes, a woman can lead in Tango) At milognas I've definitely been inept enough to miss a signal or two. And I can instantly tell who the good leads are after a dance or two with them. Or at least if I like the way they lead me. :)

I've heard of some ballroom dancers who are good enough to "carry" their partners and disguise any skill deficiencies. Not so in Tango. In Tango, you can only be as good as the weakest partner. Good thing I follow well.

Coincidence or Fate?

I definitely think people look for patterns in their lives. After all, with so much chaos, isn't it only logical that we would want to find some sense in all that muck?

I've recently met someone, who, at this point, I think our stars were aligned to meet.

God that sounds so hokey.

He lives not far from one of my favorite places in Los Angeles, in a city that I dearly enjoy to hang out in. He used to work just a hop across the street from where I currently work, and I'm certain we frequented the same Coffee Bean and fast food "grill" for coffee/lunch on occasion. We both knew, not to mention have similar fond memories of a certain burger shack in Playa Del Ray. While we don't work in the same industry, we do have similar degrees and similar skills. Not to mention unparalleled chemistry on all fronts.

The whole experience of meeting this fellow just over a week ago has upturned my exciting single girl's life upside its head. And left me thoroughly confused. I never thought meeting someone new who was also compatible would be easy. I also thought I would be bored to tears by many more dates before I found someone I actually liked.

I don't often talk about my personal life on here, but I wanted to comment on how . . .spooky this whole situation seems. I was just talking to a coworker recently who mentioned how much Life seems to depend on "blind, dumb luck". If this just happens to be a cosmic fizzle in the grand scheme of the universe, then so be it. I have to say I've enjoyed the time I've spent with this fellow so far. But if it turns out to be something more, then I don't know what to call it.

As I've gotten older, the strange giddy excitement of meeting someone new feels the same, yet has also changed into something more nuanced and complex. I feel more cautious now if I really like someone, but I also hold a deep hope that this person might be my match. I've become more cynical with relationships, but still hold out the romantic hope that maybe one day I'll find someone (or he'll find me) who will be my loving companion on this great adventure called Life.

Conan, Are You Trying To Tell Me Something?

This is way more than I usually expose about my personal life on here, but let's say things are coming to a head and Diane 2.0 has had enough. (Diane 2.0 is what I've been calling the revamped "me" I've been working on since my breakup)

I usually watch The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien online while I eat dinner a few days after they air. Usually, I don't pay attention to the musical guests and just let the episode play out while I do something more interesting.

The musical guest for the episode I watched last night was Demi Lovato's "Here We Go Again", and Kate Voegele's "99 Times" for the episode I watched tonight.

I know it's just a coincidence, but I feel Conan is trying to tell me something very particular about a certain person in my life, who I can't seem to get rid of. No, not my ex-boyfriend. He's long gone, and good riddance. But someone else who I thought I was over with and now I'm in a recursive loop saying to myself, "expecting something different to happen, given the exact same input over a multitude of iterations, is insanity". I hope this makes sense and can help someone else out there.

Let's say, my ex-boyfriend dumped me, and this guy wants to get me back in the loop of saying "Here We Go Again", and each time we have an interaction I think to myself "99 Times".

Hey. At least Diane 1.0 would have texted or called him by now, just to figure out WTF is his problem and to be disappointed with the answer. I haven't done either, and I won't. I already know his answer.

I need to get to the point where I can apply P!nk's U + Ur Hand with this fellow, and I'll really be done.

Yes, my friend. I think saying "Don't talk to me anymore" is a great line. I might even have the guts to use it tomorrow when the lout comes back for another round.

Recipe - Just Oatmeal

I've come to respect a decent oatmeal. Not the mushy, gummy instant stuff. But something hearty, like Silver Palate's Thick and Rough (that's what she said?) Oatmeal. It's pretty expensive compared to the tub of Quaker Oats, but it's so worth it. It holds its own against fruits, nuts, and other oatmeal additions.

Here's how I've been making mine recently:

1 c. water
1/3 c. oatmeal
2 TB dried blueberries
2 TB dried cranberries
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 TB brown sugar (I have no honey, otherwise I'd use that. But it probably doesn't need any additional sweetener.)

I eyeball the amount of dried berries; it's a small palmful each. I also eyeball the amount of cinnamon (just sprinkle enough in to look good) and sugar (one heaping spoonful).

Boil the water, then sprinkle in the oatmeal and berries. Turn the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Add the cinnamon and sugar, then consume!

Movie Review - Public Enemies

Public Enemies is the kind of film where the fantasy of cinema is supposed to uphold the fantasy of the viewer and eclipse reality. At least the trailers give one that impression. I found the film almost free of cliche, and that was refreshing to see.

While there are elements of the John Dillinger mythos in the film, Michael Mann's collaboration with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale appears almost sterile at times. There's no clear-cut protagonist or antagonist in this picture, as it's obvious both Dillinger and Purvis are not nice men. However, most of the film does focus on what Dillinger is doing; apparently Purvis doesn't have much of a life outside the Bureau. Bale plays Purvis as a cold and completely uninteresting character.

I enjoyed watching Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard together. I wish there was more of an intimate, emotional heart to this movie, because I would have loved to see more scenes between Dillinger and Billie Frechette. When Dillinger breaks out of prison, he calls Billie and says, "I love you". It is the only instance where either character acknowleges his/her feelings for the other, and Depp delivers the line so powerfully the viewer is compelled to believe Dillinger's drive to be near Billie and protect her must be love, no matter how messed up and unhealthy their relationship must be.

There is a lot of action and a lot of gun fights in this film, and while I suppose that is to be expected, I was under the impression Dillinger preferred the quick and sneaky getaway as opposed to fighting it out with the cops. The scenes where Dillinger escapes from jail were more exciting for me to watch, most especially his escape with the fake gun.

One big problem I did have with the film is that it never establishes who is who outside of Hoover, Purvis, Dillinger, Frechette, and Anna Sage. There would be a scene involving some big names in 30's crime and I would have no clue which of the suits-and-hats in the frame was the guy who's supposed to be such a big deal. This aspect is especially frustrating in war movies and I was surprised to have to deal with it in Public Enemies. By the end of it I just didn't care which random dude was Baby Face Nelson.

Not knowing much historical detail re: Dillinger and his bank robberies, I would have liked some sort of extra visual clue of the timeframe and location of events. The film starts out that way, but forgets the average viewer probably isn't intimately familiar with the timeline after that.

The cinematography and set dressing is excellent; I've read that filming locations include the actual street the Biograph theater sits on as well as the Little Bohemia Lodge. It's a neat little thrill to see something as it might have been on the big screen like that.

Overall, the film is enjoyable and is the kind of historical action-drama one would want to see in the theaters. But do keep in mind that it feels more like a documentary and less like a big gangster flick.

Restaurant Review - 85C

A friend recently introduced me to sea salt coffee at 85 C in Irvine. I've kicked my coffee habit, but whenever I'm in Orange County I want to go there to pick one up. (They've also recently started selling them in a large size . . .I guess even Taiwanese stores are not immune to the Supersize Me problem)

85 C also sells Asian breads/pastries and cakes which are of very high quality. It's worth it to pick up several different breads to take home and eat the next day. But high quality breads are pretty easy to find; to my knowledge 85 C is the only place in the U.S. selling sea salt coffee.

Sea Salt Coffee is an iced, slightly sweetened coffee enhanced by a topping of foamed sea salt. The salty foam is supposed to enhance the sweetness of the coffee. Try it! It's fascinating.

If you're in the area, I recommend checking 85 C out for their specialty sea salt coffee. They are open until at least 10 PM all nights of the week.

85 C
2700 Alton Parkway #123
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 553-8585

What Victory Feels Like

I really appreciate Dilbert, but I super-appreciate Scott Adams when he comes up with stuff like this:

Race Report - Village Runner 4th of July 5K

This is the second year I ran Village Runner's 4th of July 5K, and I had a blast this year!

I arrived super early (6:30 AM) to get a parking spot. Last year I think I arrived around 7:00 or 7:30 and had to drive a mile or so away for parking. Not bad, but not ideal either.

The pre-race festivities didn't seem as big as last year's, but that's OK.

I had a lot of trouble breaking away from the pack. I decided I was going to try my best and see if I could break my PR that I set in April (33:30). When I started off races walking, I tried to get into the back of the pack! Why were all these walkers starting up front? Arg!

The sole hill is a mean one. It tricks you into thinking that you're doing good, but you're only halfway up.

I hope I ran consistent or negative splits this time, so yay for me! My first mile was something like 12 or so minutes, and my time at the 2nd mile was 22-something. The guy before the finish line yelled 32:40 before I ran past him, and I just pushed it because I really wanted to beat my time. Because it took me a couple minutes to get across the line, I think I got a 31:00 or 32:00. If I got a 30-something that would just be pure icing for me.

They always have great post-race recovery treats at this race. I grabbed an apple and a banana with peanut butter. Yummy breakfast!

I hope next year they start doing corrals, because it's just frustrating trying to move past all the walkers at the beginning.

Update: My time was 31:25.

Dudes. . . .

Here's a head's up for you. If you want to take a girl out, do not do these things (especially in combination):

1 - Ask a girl out the night-of. She's busy. She has plans. She's executing those plans. Even if she's not, she should be. So don't fuck it up with your head-game of "I'd like to take you out tonight and my time-management skills suck so badly I can't plan this three days in advance."

2 - Don't give her a hard time for not calling you. That's your job. Remember? She's out living Life.

3 - Don't tell her that because you couldn't get a hold of her that you:

• are going out to do something she's said to you multiple times that she'd like to do (in my case, club dancing)
• reject her when she asks if she can come along
• then tell her you made plans with other people

To do any one of these things, but especially all of these things in this order, surely puts you into the realm of douchbaggery. Most especially if you flaked on doing something with her earlier in the week.

Yes, I'm pissed. But I'm more pissed I can't find my visor for my 5K in the morning. :)

Fun With Speed Dating

I decided to jump back into dating with trying out speed dating. The premise is that you pay a company some money (I've seen some as expensive as $50, but the one I went to was $36) and you go to a restaurant or club. Everyone is given a card and a number. Typically the girls will sit at the tables or booths and the guys will rotate around every 5 or so minutes. At the end of the event you write down the names of people you would like to see again, and if they want to see you then the organizer of the event will e-mail you later with their contact info.

I've been to a couple of these events and they're really fun. I don't believe I'll actually meet someone there - the point for me is to meet some people, learn a little bit about human behavior, have ridiculous amounts of fun, and go home without having to worry about if any of those dudes will call later.

The second event I went to was a lot more successful for me than the first. I think this was primarily because it was a combined event of older and younger people, and I just happened to be the youngest woman. Dirty old men! ;)

Anyway, I think I already have one date for next week lined up and several more tentatively planned within the next two weeks, so I don't think I'll need to go speed dating for a while. I'm trying to exercise this theory of dating two or three men at the same time to avoid getting to attached to any one particular dude. So hopefully my theory works in practice. I can't even claim that this theory is my own! I think I've read about it from several different authors. (OK, I've definitely heard of this theory from more than just one author, but Diana Kirschner is the only one who comes to mind right now)

Some of the people I've met at these seem all right, some of them I can tell right off that they are not right for me, and some of them are pretty interesting! (At least for those first five minutes)

If you're in L.A., single, and want to try something fun, I recommend SpeedLA Dating. It's a British import, the owner and hostesses I've met all seem very nice, ladies get a free makeup application, and they serve treats! They have events all over Los Angeles (the two I went to were in Hollywood, but they occasionally have events in Manhattan Beach).

Michael Jackson is Dead

LA Times Article

I think this comes as a shock to everyone.

I'm not a fan of Michael Jackson, but I think Los Angeles has always had a love affair for the star. When I moved here three years ago, you could still listen to his 20-year-old songs on the radio next to the top-ten of the week. Even now I'll hear "Billie Jean" or "Beat It" on the radio every now and then.

I Am Woman! Hear Me Roar!

I kill big spiders on my own. This is a major accomplishment. I am the queen of my domain.

Movie Review - Star Trek (revised)

Star Trek in IMAX with a couple drinks is so much better.

There. I said it.

The Happiest Girl To Ever Be Dumped

I highly recommend not moving twice in less than six weeks. It wrecks havoc on your stress levels. I also highly recommend not having another major life stressor happen in between moves that are six weeks apart. But I've done both of those things, and the Superwoman high I've been feeling throughout the last two weeks has skyrocketed. I can conquer anything Life throws at me. Life, dish it out!

I found a place close to work that is economically priced and I think I will be happy living there. I have returned to South Bay, and I think my quality of life will improve dramatically. One of my dear friends from before I left California came over and helped me unpack some of my things on Thursday.

"I've never seen a girl so happy to be dumped," she told me after dinner.

Is that so? Maybe. I personally theorize that I've reached my limit of stressful activities for the year, and just don't care anymore. If anyone or anything wants to weigh me down, I just don't need that person or thing in my life right now.

I only have vague ideas of where certain items are, and for someone who tries to be fairly organized, this bothers me greatly. Ditto for having a truly chaotic house.

But I am free. I don't have to check with anyone on plans I make for myself, I don't have to compromise on what time would be good to go to sleep or wake up, I can eat whatever I want without having to consult with someone else. . . .

My list extends to at least the other side of the Pacific.

I've never been happier to be single. Usually I feel like I need to be in a relationship, and that idea just doesn't feel palatable to me anymore. Dates are nice, but who needs a suffocating relationship when you can be free, and easily find attention from members of the opposite sex?

Movie Review - Moon

I've been craving some real, hard-core science fiction for a long time. It seems these days sci-fi skews closer to what I would consider fantasy, or is obscured by some action-packed, computer-graphics driven flick with a bad-to-really-bad plot and characters.

I had a lot of hope for Moon, the Duncan Jones-directed Sam Rockwell vehicle. The trailer makes it look a bit like 2001, with an isolated protagonist who keeps company with a supercomputer.

While there are aspects of Moon that I really enjoyed, I was also disappointed with several aspects of the film. The film doesn't confront the consequences of a major corporation being ethically corrupt, and the film doesn't give the audience much context on what might be considered acceptable in this futuristic society. What could have been a very interesting discussion of corporate ethics was left unexplored.

I felt the best parts of the film were when both the "past" Sam and the "present" Sam could be contrasted with each other, and I wished that the film explored this more. The reveal of how these multiple instances of characters come-to-be was a bit disappointing - I expected something truly fantastic like a time travel paradox or something like that.

The film does tell an interesting story and it is enjoyable overall. Sam Rockwell is compelling but not quite charismatic enough to pull off the role. By the end of the film you feel it doesn't matter if you care about all the Sam characters or not.

Kevin Spacey's voice fills in the role of Gerty, the HAL 9000 counterpart in this film. The emoticons are charming and provide comedic release.

If you are craving "real" science fiction, I would say to give this film a viewing, but don't expect to come away from the film having learned anything.