Day 8: Cozy on Halloween

Happy Halloween! While the rest of the world partied and got dressed up, I attended a kids party at possibly one of the most horrible places on earth, Chuck E. Cheese, co-hosted a baby shower for my sis-in-law and of course studied. Am I bitter? A little.

My festive Halloween beer cozy that I decided to dress up with a mustache.

And for some relief, I went shopping. Here's a bonus photo of a great find. Oddly enough, I found this lovely necklace at a store where the clothes are borderline street walker. I'm talking studded, glittered, bedazzled, over-frayed everything. I don't know and will never know what it's like to be a hot girl, but maybe if I were a hot girl with a hot bod, sequence tank tops, bedazzled daisy dukes and hooker boots would appeal to me.

Day 7: Enlightenment

I think this photo project just might reveal how uneventful and unexciting my life is.
I know what you're thinking, it's amazing that I have captured enlightenment in a photo. I think some might agree beer just might be it.

This photo is from when I spent happy hour studying at this bar/restaurant Capitol Garage.
I think the bar may just be the new library. I may have started a new trend. Let's see if the hipsters take it up.

(P.S. I'm spending the next 3 weeks studying philosophy and critical theorists, so forgive me if I start rambling on about modernity and post-modernists, etc.)

Day 6: Travis

Before I begin to explain the significance of this photo, I would first like to make clear that I am not a creeper, obsessed or a stalker.


This is Travis. He is infamous. He doesn't know me, but I know of him. He is a bar tender at this really cool 1930s themed bar called The Shady Lady. Travis is my friend "A's" neighbor and according to my friend, Travis gets laid A LOT. He has cost A many sleepless nights. No, she's not partaking in any of the action, she just happens to share a wall with him.

Out of all of the times my group of friends have spent at A's house, we never saw Travis -- not even a glimpse. He was elusive. Some of us (in a drunken state) have even blurted out his name at the bar where he works not knowing what he looked like or whether or not he was even there. Months passed and still no Travis sighting. Who was the man behind all this bed rocking? We were curious. Well, I eventually saw him this one day I decided to go to lunch at A's house and never went back to work.

Here he is last night in a different kind action at The Shady Lady where I enjoyed my favorite drink from that bar, the Hemingway Daiquiri. I know some of you might think Ernest Hemingway is a douche, but I think he's alright. Don't be such a hater.



Day 5: Hide-a-Bottle

It's only Day 5 of this photo project and I am already starting to falter. I am having difficulty finding interesting things to photograph. I was very close to posting a photo of a hole in my favorite denim jacket.

Instead, here is a snapshot I took after work near where my car is parked in the garage. It is not unusual for one to stumble upon empty cans of cheap beer littered on the ground in this garage, especially on a Friday morning (remember, Thursday is the new Friday) -- but this bottle is special. This bottle sits high above the parked cars up in the rafters, waiting for its owner. Someone has taken the time and care to stash away this bottle and what's little left of  what I presume is vodka. 

On a more serious note, I am certain this bottle belongs to a homeless man who sleeps in the garage. 

For those of you disappointed that I didn't post the "hole in the denim jacket" photo, I want you to know that I am very excited about this hole because it means the jacket's age is starting to show. That jacket and I go way back.

Day 4: The Commute

This is a photo of I-5 somewhere between Sacramento and Stockton. For the past two years, about once or twice a week, I make this 40-50 minute drive to school and back. The drive feels faster as each semester plows along, and feels much longer whenever I come back from a break.

I have come to really appreciate this drive. The drive is not scenic, unless you enjoy looking at cows and manure. The drive is very easy, but it's not easiness that I appreciate, it's the time I spend alone in the car -- just me, my thoughts and the iPod. I particularly enjoy the drive home because less cars are on the road and I can decompress. I have done some major thinking and self-reflecting during this drive. Somedays I spend the entire drive singing along unabashedly to the fist pumping tunes of Bon Jovi. Most of the time the "pod" is on random.

The downside to commuting, besides the time, mileage on the car, the gas, harming the environment, etc, is when you have to use the ladies room and you are no where near an exit that leads to a place with some decent lighting (if you are driving alone at night).

Another downfall to commuting is fast food. Let's just say being on the road is not conducive to my goal of finding some rich man who will marry me for my good looks.

Day 3: The Family Portrait circa 1990

This is a photo of a family photo I believe was taken when my family just moved to America (around 1990). I think I am 8-years-old in this picture and this was taken at my aunt's house in Vallejo. We were all dressed up to take family photos. All the girls wore the black and white dress I'm wearing, which now that I am looking at it kind of resembles Brenda Walsh's prom dress. You know, the same one that Kelly Taylor wore? I think that was the night Brenda finally slept with Dylan... anyway... back to the photo.

Most people say I look just like my mother. I think I am a pretty good hybrid of both my dad and mom. I don't know who my brother looks like. He has been saying his entire life that he thinks he is adopted.

I will have to share a better photo of my mom when I get a chance to go find one.

Day 2: The Ball and Chain

Today I celebrated the nuptial of two of my very good friends, Justin and Jennifer. This is a photo of a ball and chain the groom's friends gave him as a gag wedding gift.

I have attended 3 weddings this year and I find myself asking, why do people get married? From a religious point of view, I know why people get married, but what about the people who don't have a religious background? Do they marry because of tradition? Economic? My friends had been together for a very long time (I believe about 10 years) and have been living together for a very long time. Why marry now? They seemed completely happy and content with the way things were. I guess marriage is still seen as progress -- taking the next step. The next step to what? I have no idea.

Also, I don't know who came up with the metaphor of the "old ball and chain." I bet it was some angry dude whose wife wouldn't let him play cards with his buddies, or whatever it is they did for fun back in the 19th century. (I googled the saying "the old ball and chain" to see where it originated from and according to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, the saying dates back to the 1800s.)

Anyway, cheers to the bride and groom! May they have wedded bliss and plenty of wine for when they don't ;).

Congratulations Justin and Jen.

Photo Project Day 1: The Pashmina

There's this photo project that seems to be fairly popular in the blogosphere called 100 photos in 100 days. I thought I'd be a conformist and do what all the other bloggers are doing by taking on this project. However, there is no way I can commit to 100 days. I can barely do Weight Watchers (you know, relentlessly counting points and staying within your limits) for two weeks straight! You'll eventually start to see a lot of food and shoe pics from me. Don't fret, I'll try to keep photos of that nature at a minimum.

My project is 30 photographs in 30 days.

Day 1: The Pashmina

Fall has arrived and we're at that stage where the weather is unpredictable. Today is scarf weather. This particular scarf was gifted to me by my co-worker/friend who got it while visiting her family in India last November. I initially had asked her to bring me back a yellow sari scarf like the one the girl is wearing at the end of the movie Slumdog Millionare. However, in true third-world-country-fashion, the towns people where she stayed decided to rebel against the government so she was too afraid to leave their house. The mini-rebellion cut into some major shopping time and she was not able to go to certain shops. Instead, she brought me back this pastel orange pashmina. I love it.

I want to steal a street sign

I love lists. Here's one you never see people post.
I know, it's a little twisted, but fun. I feel like I have to lay down some rules though. For instance, murder is not allowed on this list.

Ten Crimes I would Commit if I Could Get Away With It

1.) Hack into Social Security Office and mess with people's identities. Hack the planet!
2.) Override a TV station and play whatever shows I want all day.
3.) Steal a very very fast car, like a super car.
4.) Drive my really fast car, very very fast on the freeway (while talking on the cell phone)
5.) Spray paint the word "Douche" on every hummer.
6.) Rob a bank. Preferably without the use of a gun only because it is much cooler to rob a bank without a weapon.
7.) Touch (with my greasy hands) every single painting at a Museum (maybe the Louvre, or wherever they have the most valuable paintings).
8.) Sneak on a plane.
9.) Teepee the Capitol.
10.) Steal a street sign. Maybe Madison Avenue (only because I am obsessed with Mad Men). There's also an Aquino Street somewhere in my city and I have always wanted to steal it.

*I reserve the right to change my mind about some things on this list.

Bikes, bikes and more bikes

I'm just bloggin' like Mo'Fo'... that's because I have sitting in front of my laptop a lot lately trying to motivate myself to work on my research project.

Here's a couple of photos I took from this Rat Bike Rodeo I went to. There were some pretty kick-ass bikes that people built themselves or customized, etc. The Rat Bike culture is very much Rock-a-Billy meets Low-Rider drivers. There really is no other way of explaining it. I think I might be too square or straight-edge for this group of people, but it was a fun event and the people were cool.

Cruisers galore! There were classic Schwinn cruisers everywhere.

This one is similar to my Schwinn. I love this bike, minus the streamers and the flowers on the baskets. A little too girly for me.

I really liked this bike because it was old and rusty, which I thought was pretty cool compared to all of the shiny new bikes.

Two things I am thinking about getting for my bike: The Schwinn two-toned "S" Seat (pictured on the green bike) and a little license plate (pictured on the red bike).

Here is something strange and cool. The seat of this bike is an upside down shovel. I can't imagine it would be comfortable to ride.

This was my most favorite thing at the rodeo. This old rusty bell. I love it. I want it. I just put a retro-style bell on my bike, but it is not nearly this cool.

Check out Rat Rod Bikes (http://www.ratrodbikes.com/ ) to view more photos of rat bikes. I am more into the cutesy girly type bikes, but the rat rods are quite impressive.

Never volunteer to do something yourself, when you can get someone else to do it for you

Call it karma, the one time I decide to be responsible for myself and take my car in to get serviced, turns out to be one of those "big services." Here I am, two hours have passed and one more to go. I usually manipulate my dad or brother into taking my car in for me, but today, I thought I'd feel like an independent woman by taking care of my own business. Well, it turns out independence has a price.

I have a checklist of things to do and when I think about it, I am overwhelmed, especially when I think about all the stuff I have to do for school.  Three semesters of putting things off is all catching up with me this semester. For a majority of my time in graduate school I have made it so I don't have to sacrifice any of my fun time, and now I think I may have to compromise, however the great about me is that I am stubborn and determined to keep things the way they are.

Anyway, some of the important things on my list (besides homework) are, catching up on dexter, sending out invitations for my sis-in-law's baby shower (lesson here is never volunteer even if you think it is an easy task. it never is that simple), clean bathrooms and work on my bike, and... probably catch up more on movies and shows.

The most likely outcome for this weekend will be that I end up watching a marathon of ridiculously awesome movies on SyFy as I attempt to clean unsuccessfully.

Ten things I hate about you and how you can redeem yourself

If God created man from the liking of his own image, I am going to take the term image in its most basic and literal form, which is physical appearance. I cannot imagine that mankind's behavior would be the same as God's behavior. I certainly would hope not. Human beings are generally stupid. Even if you do not believe in God or some higher power, I am certain you would agree that us humans, however we have come to exist, are stupid, but yet complex. I guess that is the dichotomy of human kind. We are selfish/self-less, stupid/brilliant, ugly/beautiful and so forth.

I will forever be fascinated, mostly annoyed, by our behavior. I have decided to make a list of things that bother me about certain types of people. No, I am not arrogant and think that I am better than everyone, I just think that I am better than some.

I hate...

1.) People who are always feeling sorry for themselves and expect everyone else to feel sorry for them.
We all have lived through some sort of tragedy, and I know they are not all equal, but there is nothing more annoying than people who wallow and mope around in their sadness so that other people can feel sorry for them. Stop talking about how your life sucks and do something to make it better.

The worst are people who waste their energy and annoy everyone else around them by wallowing in their broken hearts. I'm sorry your girlfrien/boyfriend/wife/husband/pet/friend dumped you, but if you keep ruining everyone elses mood with your self-pity, I'm gonna have to punch you in the face.

If you are reading this, I am absolutely certain you did not wake up this morning worrying about where to get food for yourself and for your children or whether or not you will get killed in the crossfires of an insurgency. Your life does not suck that bad, so you are getting no sympathy from me.

2.) People who constantly play the role of "victim."
This is very similar to the first one because people who view themselves as victims also feel sorry for themselves and expects everyone else to feel sorry for them. People who continually see themselves as victims will never get over what happened to them. I do believe there are emotional and mental barriers that might make it difficult for someone to overcome the "victim" mentality. However, I also believe there are people who like playing the role of victim so they can use it as an excuse for making really crappy life choices, which brings us to number three on the list.

3.) People who blame everyone else for their problems except for themselves.
These are people who seem to blame everything on "The Man." Don't get me wrong, "The Man" sucks, but it's not "The Man's" fault you failed all of your high school classes and now you're stuck cleaning toilets at McDonald's at the age of 34. You need to blame your own lazy ass for that misfortune.


4.) People who feel like they are entitled to certain things in life or the world owes them something.
Yes, you have 10 kids to feed, but no, the government should not take more money from child-less, single hard working tax payers to help you feed your kids. You chose to have these kids.
(P.S. I also hate how Ikea has "Family Parking" close to the building while the rest of us single child-less people have to carry the heavy furniture further away. I know people who think they deserve this special privilage. Ugh.)

Also, these are people who think they deserve more money because they are doing something noble. Teachers are notorious for this. They complain about how they are underpaid. Getting paid a lot for a noble job defeats the purpose of it being noble. Besides, you get to not work for an entire summer. If you are unhappy about your pay, get a different job. (P.S. I do think there are good teachers that deserve good pay, but remember, not all teachers are good.)

5.) People who refer to themselves in the third person.
There are very few exceptions for this one. Unless you are The Rock or writing a novel about a character based on yourself, it is never ok to refer to yourself in the third person, both in spoken and written form.
"Sarah doesn't like people who talk in third person." Doesn't that just sound stupid?

6.) People who are fake.
I appreciate that you are civil with me, but do not pretend to be my friend.
I don't care if you don't like me, I have enough friends.

7.) People who think they are better than me, so I should be like them
Just because you are married with kids, own a home does not mean I should be just like you. I am not sad or lonely. Why would anyone be sad with having the freedom to go wherever you want to at any time, spending your money on yourself and having the option of making out with more than one person?

8.) People who are close-minded
The world is a very big place. Why would anyone want to spend their life living in a bubble? It drives me crazy when people are not willing to try new things. The worst is when they judge it, before they have even tried it. Curiosity and exploration is how we progress as human beings.

 9.) People who are cheap
I do not mind paying for friends, I do mind paying for people who are cheap. I understand if people do not make a lot of money, in fact, I don't make a lot of money, but if I notice that you have nice clothes, nice cars, nice shoes and never offer to pay for a round while everyone else does, you are cheap. If you are out of college and still splitting the food bill down to the penny, you are cheap.

There are many different ways to show generosity that does not involve money. Being generous by helping solve a problem or giving someone a ride or offering your home for a stay is plenty generous to me.

10.) People who are self-righteous 
Get off your high horse. I'm glad you recyle. I'm glad you use reusable bags, but stop bragging about it.
I also should add people who are judgemental. Religious people tend to toe the line at judgemental. I think sometimes people get so caught up in their beliefs, they shun people who are not exactly like them. That I cannot stand more than anything.

With that said, I have been a couple, maybe even all of these things on this list at one point in my life, but I work at trying not to be.

There are also the exceptional people in this world who are nothing like this list. I am lucky to know and continue to know these people. They entertain me and make life fun, mentally challenging, full and positive.

You guys rock and deserve a fist bump.