On to 2009

Seeing I'll be somewhere besides this lovely keyboard in the next few days, I'm going to wish you a Happy New Year's a little early.

I've never really made a New Year's Resolution before and right now I can't put proper thought into formulating one.  If I think up one, I'll let you know.  I like to think I'll say "like" less, but we'll see how that goes.  I'm much more eloquent when I type ^_~

In 2008 I read a lot of great books, saw a lot of great movies, went to a couple concerts, and finally cracked out of my anti-social shell some.  I saw Colorado and spent most of my summer hopping around buses and walking with sandy feet.  So much happened.  It's impossible to even begin pick out the highlights.  In all, I love my family, I love my friends, and I love where I live.  In the year to come, I hope to continue expanding myself and my horizons.  But the late hour is getting me sentimental. 

Where ever you may be, I wish you a New Year filled with much peace, love, and happiness!

A couple of kooks

This makes me feel all warm, like a hug.

So today we got the Christmas tree.  It has yet to make it into the house and be decorated, but it's still here.  We decorated the house with the usual things we've been putting up since the dawn of time: the garland with mittens and hats, the Christmas tree mug, the little Santa, the snowman sled, the Merry Christmas candle holder, etc.  The Christmas music is on.  I think Carol of the Bells and Judy Garland singing Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas are some of my favorites.  And, of course, Little Drummer Boy.  Ah, so many ^_^

My mom used to have this cassette of Nat King Cole singing Christmas songs.  We used to drive around, running errands, and we'd listen to that cassette over and over.  Even when it wasn't Christmastime; the cassette was an all-year affair.  I most vividly remember listening to Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire while driving up Graham Hill, tracing the car upholstery with my fingers.  For some reason, different stretches of road remind me of different songs.  But that's another blog.

Ah, now the tree is in the kitchen!  It looks lovely.

I wonder when we'll get the menorah down.  Probably soon, to touch it up and such.  I do love Hanukkah! (or Hanukah or Chanukah, if you prefer ^_~)

So-- on that note-- I wish you a joyful holiday season, whatever you may celebrate.

Gee, my life's a funny thing

You know when you can't quite make out the lyrics to a song, so you have this version of what the person is saying in your head?  And then you go to look it up, and it's completely different?  

When I was little I thought this line in Led Zeppelin's Misty Mountain Hop was: "Gods are people seated on the grass with flowers in their headset."  (It's actually: "Crowds of people sittin' on the grass with flowers in their hair said, 'Hey boy, do you wanna score?'" But that comes later.)  So for the longest, I kept singing my line about the gods in the grass, flowers in their headsets.  You know what?  To me, gods still are people seated on the grass with flowers in their headsets.  It's the loveliest mental picture.  Same one I had when I was a little kid.

I tend to see things in my mind's eye when I listen to songs.  Sometimes, it's not even an actual image, just a color or a mood or an indescribable feeling.

When vocal artists sing really, really fast they always seem to sing slower once you know the lyrics.  

I was rather delighted that I understood most of the lyrics to David Bowie's Velvet Goldmine the other day. ^_^ Now, for Young Americans...

Una ardilla se baña. (A squirrel bathes.)

When I come home, I have all these resolutions as to what I'm going to do with my time.  I'm going to write, I'm going to ride the bike, I'm going to research topics for stories, I'm going to start homework early, etc.  As you may have guessed, this seldom gets done.  

I'm on the computer, bouncing between websites like a pinball.  One "oh, let me check this site really quick," lead to another, thus commences downward spiral.  Before I know it, it's dark and I have heaps of homework to do.  As a result, I work sluggishly due to lack of motivation, eat dinner, maybe watch Jeopardy!, take a late shower, do more homework, and go to bed feeling awful.  

I've really got to be more constructive with my time.  I mean honestly.  This is ridiculous how much time I'm wasting.  I hate not riding the bike; I miss swimming.  I feel awful.

Snippets

Lunch today was very zen.

It was a good day for people watching.

We've got wax paper made out of soy in the house now.

I hung Maxine's drawing on my bulletin board.

Spanish class makes me want to scream.

Before I die, I'm going to Heddon Street in London and taking a picture just like Ziggy Stardust.

I hope Time this week has got a Joel Stein article in it. 

My book came in at the library.  I'm looking forward to picking it up.

There's a hefty list of movies I want to see.

Collette wrote me a sonnet last night ^_^

We've got this Trader Joe's trail mix that's quite addictive.

There are beautiful red flowers in a vase next to me.

I can't believe it's December already.

Cali is all curled up in her bed, looking not unlike a cinnamon roll.

Our across-the-street neighbor has gone way overboard on the Christmas decorations.  Still, it's fun to look at.

I love my lipstick.  Jen likes lipstick as well, and it makes me smile.

I wonder what it'd be like to witness fall in a place where all the trees turn colors.  Here, it's mostly evergreens.

I love reading what other people post online.

Tomorrow is Friday.

This sweatshirt is so comfy.

I'm so thankful for all of my friends.  I love you all!

Andy Warhol is such an interesting man.

I rather want to see Australia.  Anyone seen it?  Good, bad, meh?

Meh is now officially in the dictionary.  I approve; my mother does not.

I'm very disappointed my Ziggy CD lacks the famous instruction: To be played at maximum volume.  It may be remastered, but grrr...

I'm pretty zen right now.

I love you, and I'm going to the library.

Until next time, I bid thee adieu.

-Kat

Facebook?

I had a very nice Thanksgiving.

The day started out rather ick (i.e. leaving an hour earlier than I anticipated, my dad periodically singing Space Oddity [complete with his atrocious imitation of Bowie's accent], having to change out of pajamas, etc.)

Once we arrived it was a tad awkward, at least for me.  I never know what to say to people or what to do with myself in those situations.  Eventually, we all warmed up to one another.

I've forgotten how much I love my cousins there ^_^ Can you believe they're 21 and 18?  It was very fun catching up with them.  We played Boggle (a game I haven't playing in ages).  I was pretty rusty, but it was fun, challenging.  

A couple other families were there.  I was talking to one woman who was good friends with my Biology teacher!  Fancy that!  Such a small world, no?

My cousin, my mom, another man there, and I had a discussion about Facebook (which led to a discussion about Livejournal, Myspace, Twitter, Blogspot, etc.)  It was a good conversation.  Why use all those sites when you can just email?  What are the advantages?  How are these affecting our society, and communication in general?  We also talked about microfinancing.  You know, today I read an article in Time (a Joel Stein article, no less!) about that same topic.

Grandpa was there, and it was good to see him again ^_^ Hopefully I'll see him tomorrow, as well; one last time before he flies home.

Near the end of the evening we watched part of a James Taylor concert and talked about then music and now music.  Then music won.

I'm pleased to report everyone at the gathering was an Obama supporter (and everyone I talked to was a No on 8er, too!)

Overall, a lovely evening.  I know a lot of people dread the annual Thanksgiving get-together, but I enjoyed it very much this year : )

Hope

I've just watched Barack Obama be elected the next President of the United States of America!  The first black man has just been elected President and I am here to see it.  I am here to see it. I've seen the turn of the millennium, I've seen the Twin Towers go up in smoke, I've seen the rise of technology, I've seen gay marriage become legal in my own state, I've seen an intelligent, capable woman nearly be elected president, I've seen so many things, and now I've just seen Obama get elected President.

Right now, I'm reading The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, and I love these quotes dearly:

"Am I black or white?"

"You're a human being," she snapped. "Educate yourself of you'll be a nobody!"

and

When he asks his mother whether God is black or white: "God is the color of water."

I remember watching this Obama speech and getting chills (he's such a powerful speaker):

That's what kept some of our parents and grandparents going when times were tough.  Which led them to say, "Maybe I can't go to college, but if I save a little bit each week, my child can.  Maybe I can't have my own business but if I work really hard my child can open up one of her own."  It's what led those who could not vote to say, "If I march and organize, maybe my child or grandchild can run for President someday."

I'm so full of hope right now.

See me, feel me, touch me, heal me

I listened to Tommy again, after having not listened to it in ages.  Boy, is it something.

The Who was among those bands I listened to as a little kid.  It was interesting to get the full story about Tommy and listen to it now.  Thinking back, as a kid, I probably only knew that Tommy was a blind, deaf, and dumb boy who was a pinball wizard and eventually regained his senses in the end.  I had no idea about the rest of the story.

How do people come up with such wildly brilliant ideas like Tommy?  It blows my mind.

I haven't seen the movie (since you asked) but I'd like to see it one day.  Until then, I'm absolutely content to listen to the album.  When I was little, I had favorite songs (i.e. Pinball Wizard, Tommy's Holiday Camp (my brother and I got such a kick out of that), Smash the Mirror, I'm Free, We're Not Gonna Take It) but now, if you asked me, I couldn't say.  They're all part of something larger.

Anyways, just thought I'd give a shout.  If you haven't listened to Tommy, I highly recommend you do so.

What is happening in his head?  Ooooooh, I wish I knew....

I wish I knew.

We're Forever Young

Went to see The Academy Is... in San Francisco 10.19.08.  Rocking concert!  It was a small, pretty venue (general admission only) and it was awesome to be so close to the band.  Before the concert, a friend and I shopped around Union Square and went into all the neat, chic shops.  Very fun.  I saw that store called fcuk again.  Nice, nice.... I looked it up and it actually stands for French Connections of the United Kingdom.  Guess what?  David Bowie's son helped with one of their ad campaigns ^_^ Next time we'll have to go inside.

Next came pizza (omm nomm nomm) and we ran around like maniacs through a parking garage.  I saw Michael Guy Chislett poke his head outside the tour bus!  I made a total fool of myself, but he didn't notice me anyway.  My friend saw Jack the Camera Guy by the merch table, but I somehow missed him, as I was preoccupied with buying a bottle of water.

The starter bands were: Hey Monday, Carolina Liar, and We The Kings.  

All the pictures were on my friend's camera, but I did take that picture on the top with my cell phone.

Over all, GREAT concert, I highly recommend them live!

Santi.

Freak out in a moonage daydream.

We've been craving a revolution, and I'm completely swept off my feet in the fantastic world of space.

What if.... another Space Age.

That whole period in time when the US and the Soviet Union were racing to get a rocket into space, and then a man on the moon was simply mind-blowing. The lunar landing aired on TV really must have been something to watch.

This sudden passion for a Space Age does has something to do with (a) my friend frequently pondering the enormity of the universe (b) virtually only listening to the album Ziggy Stardust for months (c) reading Stranger in a Strange Land (d) repeatedly swooning over the trailer for The Man Who Fell To Earth, and (e) having a portion  of my history class dedicated to watching 2001: A Space Odyssey nearly every Friday.  

Even so, my parent are Trekkies (which ensured the taping of what I can safely say is most of the Star Trek: TNG episodes).  There was a time when 'family time' was defined as watching the entire Star Wars saga multiple times in one month.  And I still can't get over the pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.  I never will.

I remember when I was little, I went to a museum with a whole display of pictures of other galaxies.  It had that ambient space music playing, and I remember being totally transfixed.  Then, at the exit, there was a picture of Earth from space and the Wizard Of Oz quote: "There's no place like home."

Musings

If you were to rebel against rebelling would it still be rebelling?

I like to watch the second hand on the clock when it makes a peace sign with the other two hands.

I wonder if you can buy a pant.  Not a pair of pants, just a pant.   Then, you could mix and match individual pants to make a unique pair of pants.  Does that make sense?  It does to me....

There ought to be a company that puts it on a t-shirt for every time someone says, "I want that on a t-shirt!"  They'd strike it rich.

Have you ever wanted a pair of glasses that answers a yes/no question about the people around you?  For example, everyone with green underwear or Led Zeppelin on their iPod would turn red or have a star over their head or something.  I think about that all the time.  Goes to show how morbidly curious I can be.

I just typed 'something' as 'somwthing' twice back there.  Sort of like how I always type in 'photobucker' instead of 'photobucket'. (<-- I just did it there, too.  Yay for the delete key.)  And then the peppy Did you mean...? feature comes up and saves us all.  Every time.

Even when the public is exposed to raw hard facts they fail to listen.  Skin cancer and wrinkles?  I'd rather have a nice tan.  Lung cancer?  But cigarettes are so glamourous when smoked just so.  The same goes for lots of things.  I wonder if in the future people will be able to grasp the long-term effects of things and act upon it.

Ah, the future...

It's pretty entertaining to look at what people back in the day thought the future would be.  A completely robotic kitchen.  Nutrition pills for dinner.  Nifty jet packs.  All the 'futuristic' fashions.  Vacations to the moon.  All that jazz.  But here we are at the drive-thru, sporting Levi's, packed into the Suburban.  Who would have thunk it.

I bet there are aliens watching us right now, but not making their presence know.  I have to say, in the current state of things, the human race wouldn't look too impressing.  Putting murderers to death while paying our people to blow up their people over seas.  Exploiting the resources, yet still driving Hummers penalty-free.  Children starving a couple cities away, while we pick up a $675 Gucci clutch online (I'm not joking about that price, by the way).  The way the world is rigged is pretty mind-blowing.  

Then, there's the utopia vs. dystopia factor.  Will we have a peaceful world where all are equal, or one full of dark violence and book-burning?  Or maybe, we won't hit either extreme but just continue to squirm in the middle.

Blogging along...

The concept of blogging is really pretty cool, so I thought I'd give it a go.