We kind of wanted to go, because we live so close and because we both know that this is going to be a huge deal and we would have loved to say to future generations that we were there.
But I will say "okay but it is also strange and morbid to enter a raffle to go to someone's funeral." (and then I remember the strange relationship that Michael Jackson had with the public and this kind of also makes sense.)
So we aren't going but we are really really close to the whole circus.
1. I think it is adorable that my husband toasted a tortilla in our toaster oven because we didn't have tortilla chips for dinner tonight (I ate them in yet another mindless example of how I am incapable of following a truly diabetic diet...)
2. I'm going to Wisconsin this weekend with my Aunt, for a family reunion. I need to get some photos printed to show our family. Should I bring my bathing suit. Should I check in some luggage? I wouldn't except that I hate the rules about liquids. I don't even wear makeup, but I don't want to stress out about whether or not I can put it in a carry on. I just hate that you have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for carry-ons now.
3. Which reminds me that I need to find my mp3 charger...
4. I'm getting obsessed with Twitter. People who read this blog know I've had twitter for awhile (I got it after I saw it on Cindy's Blog) but the days pop culture events revised my twitter interest.
5. Chilean News article about Michael Jackson. My aunt and I talked about it earlier this evening- we weren't "shocked", just sad for his family.
Last year, I had time to live blog the American Idol finale and thought Archuletta was going to win until oh snap! David Cook totally won!
And then I heard David Cook on the radio a few times and then totally didn't ever really buy his album or anything.
This year was the first year that my husband and I actually watched AI from beginning to end. Cause there was nothing else on. I liked both of the final 2 guys but in the end, just felt like Glambert was too "jazz hands" meets "glam rock hair band". The dude can sing. He can hit notes that I will never in my life hit, and he has skill. And he is perfectly suited for a Vegas show.
But Kris Allen totally deserved it, if only for his easy appeal. Come on, people. He totally is like every other guy you hear all the time on the radio. And I know that isn't necessarily innovative or anything but if it's already on the radio, it means that people like me (aka the masses) are more likely to buy it. And he did have some great covers.
So, almost 2 hours later, I'm obviously not live blogging this. But I thought I should keep the tradition alive by at least saying "WTG America for voting for the dude who we actually will probably hear on the radio maybe".
Small complaints:
-don't make the entire idol cast wear white ever again. it is not a good color for anyone. I can't find a screen cap/photo so let's see how long this youtube vid of poor quality stays up...
-don't let Kara back. That song was lame and the bikini girl showdown was lame.
We did Karaoke in Los Angeles's Koreatown tonight to celebrate Dennis's birthday! Some 80's classics and a few Disney songs and even some Spanish and Chinese songs were sung (I have videos that Dennis doesn't want on youtube....we shall see...) one note regarding Korean food- we had some really good noodles and the guys approved of the Soju but the kimchi... I think it's just too strong. Just say no to Kimchi....
Back to blogging (oh how I missed you!) by saying some things:
1. I like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
I think he's funny and cute, even though he laughs at his own jokes. There, I've said it.
2. My husband is in Florida, trying to find a job and to take an exam for a second graduate degree. He's only been gone for one night and he's coming back tomorrow, but I think I'd like another night alone. It's quiet and I can eat whatever I want and I don't have to watch Spanish news (even though I do). I wish he would stay one more night. Things have been so stressful with school and lack of full-time employment, and we have been bouncing anxiety and panic attacks off of each other. So, I really miss not having someone to talk to but I also really enjoy the alone time. There, I've said it.
3. I think Steven Tyler looks like a lady. The aerosmith classic song has come full circle. There, I've said it.
(I will try to get Dennis singing Karaoke of "Living on a Prayer"- he's pretty good!)
Anyway, I am blogging. Just not really well. Because I have some mega papers to write. But they are do very soon. And then I want to blog regularly again! And hilarity will ensue!!
I'm pretty tired. I think I just poured out all of my leftover energy into the semester and then as soon as school was done, I just turned into a zombie. I've been sick since Christmas, so I am actually really tired. But tired in general. I think there must be a certain amount of energy points that you get in a year and by the end of the year, you just need to be refilled.
It wasn't the worst year of my life. I had a lot of family drama etc. but nothing that doesn't usually happen. And my cousin's witchy wedding was actually a good week because I was able to reconnect with my family. School is a blur, but I know I learned some things. My language skills have certainly expanded as I finished the required Greek and Hebrew classes this year and then took on Japanese. One of the best moments of this year has to be the day I figured out concretely that I am done with classes next December. It's scary and liberating at the same time.
My marriage this year was also pretty awesome. Going to Japan with Dennis was amazing, and I love seeing him serve others. I love how we have grown and evolved together. I was thinking about New Year's, which is mainly his traditions from Chile with the ball dropping on TV. I typically blog about this as "Chilean New Year's" as if I'm a tourist in my own home for this holiday. But really, these have become our traditions. And my husband is, if anything, a traditionalist which makes me love him so much more. I love our Christmas tree, I love our discussions, and things are good.
My faith isn't the strongest it has ever been but it isn't the weakest either. I saw God do good things for me and for others in 2008. Just looking at how many people generously gave for our mission trip to Japan, was an experience in faith enough. To say that Japan had an impact on my faith is an understatement. We didn't visit a third world country but I loved the people in Japan, who are so giving and kind and patient and humble (even to a fault) and who really are not that different from people here. I loved showing them my faith honestly. I loved moments like talking with one woman about how hard marriage really is, especially on days when you come home and are just too exhausted to even talk. It was important for me to show that I am a Christian but that I am also a real person who isn't perfect. The friendships are really what they have given to me, as I really love the email and cards and the continued conversations.
My New Year's resolution last year was to get better about my health, and I think I've pretty much kept that one. And I gave up celebrity gossip for Lent so I actually ended up not even returning really fully to celeb gossip. And I am a better diabetic.
So this year, on a faith related side, I am going to keep praying at night with my husband and I resolve to add "not hating" to my resolution list. I have become a major hater and it has really affected my faith. I hate certain things about my community, for example, and then I can't get past them to find any room to give out any love. But really, I've almost become one of those people who are just really apathetic. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. But it's hard to be graceful to people who are so clueless that you want to just quit trying altogether. Here's to 2009. May I lose some more pounds, get some better blood sugars, a few more A's in school, and some money. And more grace in my heart.
In other news, the air in Malibu smells like BBQ again. There are two to three fires within 30 min. of our home and so the air quality has been horrible for 2 days. The good news is that I'm drinking water to stay hydrated. The bad news is that it smells like BBQ, it's hot, and my allergies are acting up.
Also, on a side rant, my little brother- God Bless Him- has decided to make his facebook profile a photo of him smoking out of a bong. That's a marijuana pipe, FYI. I told him that this was definitely not sexy but maybe he isn't going for sexy. Maybe he's going for Seth Rogan/Pineapple Express/Knocked Up/lazy and never going to work cool. It's endearing in the movies and less so in real life. He's a really good kid, I swear. It's just so funny how different we are sometimes. (He can't believe that I have never smoked anything or that I only have one glass of wine just to relax.) It's cute because today he asked if he could come over to visit and then said "I don't have to go to church do I?" Nope. You are 23 years old. Church is not required for you because you have to work things like that on your own. If I was going to try to influence my little brother, it would be by being responsible and stuff.
Add This: Plus This: And you, delightfully, get this:
The website doesn't work, BTW but I think this is a real church choir. If it isn't, it is at least cheap Thursday entertainment. Could at least SOME of what they sing work and not conflict with the idea of worship? (I mean, you can't sing Nelly in church, obvs, but maybe you could work with the Eminem song??)
I've stolen an idea from Sarah and decided to do more Wordles. I picked this song because it's the kind of piano-y romanticky music I'm in the mood for.
Dear Madonna: Please go away. Just go away and retire and stop showing up in public with Justin Timberlake. These shoes are ridiculous, you will only wear them once, and they probably cost as much a month of rent in Los Angeles. Just stop. Guns? Really?
Women, according to Dennis, cannot sing Serenades to the loves of their life. But if I could sing a song to Dennis, I would sing this one. Preferably with a big sombrero and a fake guitar. I am pretty sure I can pull the chorus off quite well. (The song is basically about how a really great love is better than anything in the world, and how the most important thing is that the guy singing loves the woman he is singing to and that she loves him back.)
I'm typically very not into traditional Mexican music, but I make allowances for awesome and legendary songs.
I'm trying to ease back into blogging. I realize I have left loads of unanswered questions in posts lately and that my posts are sporadic. I am taking some ridiculous classes right now, ridiculous in part because of the amazing amount that is required for reading. It's easy for me to forget how important blogging is to me, because of the therapeutic sides to being online and having friends you've never met comment on your life and to have them totally validate you by knowing exactly what you are trying to say.
Any way, in the attempt to ease back in, I thought I'd go back to what I think I do best, which is essentially bitching about life. I really became self-critical as far as blogging and thought "I am just too negative and there are already too many people on the internet to be negative." Somethings cannot be ignored. (Like the ANTM clip of Jay Manuel kissing Tyra Banks on the lips tonight whilst being dressed as a silver haired plasticy prince charming, in a scene that was awkward and nauseating... or Tyra in the entire makeover episode this season as a dumb fairy godmother with a dumb fairy godmother voice. Honestly this show needs more models and less judges...) It was pretty ridiculous.
This is also on the list of ridiculous: This is Ivy Queen and her ridiculous nails. Ivy Queen is a pretty big deal in the spanish-speaking world, and specifically as a Reggaeton artist but she always has these RIDICULOUS dragon lady nails that I thought only existed in the dark world of the 1980's. She's on "Don Francisco Presenta" right now talking about her life and stuff and I can't concentrate, in part because of her ridiculous nails.
Finally, this car is ridiculous. I've seen it around campus for about a year now, and I've been meaning to take a photo for months. It's one of many ridiculous vehicles (someone has a European car that is like smaller than my kitchen table and gets into the smallest parallel parking spots, which is also ridiculous but a little smart...) It's ridiculous because it shows the wealth at Pepperdine. I'm assuming that the owner is a girl. Probably a girly girl. And I know that I really like the pink wheel-cap for her mercedes benz SUV, even despite it's Barbie color. I wish I had such a glamorous car. And the ridiculous part is that this is probably a student. I'd bet money it's an undergrad student who is younger than 23. And that is ridiculous. I am jealous, that this is even possible and that this isn't the only great car. It makes sense- we live in Malibu and I see so many great cars that I'm desensitized. Hummer Limos? Eh. Over it. The frustrating part is knowing the difference between THEIR bank accounts and MINE.
I got an email from my Hebrew Prof saying he is sick tomorrow and class is canceled. (He even put in a "NO FOOLING" clause because tomorrow is the day for playing pranks.)
I am thankful for this holy grail of emails that gives me the chance to sleep an hour longer.
I would like to add that I'm slightly in fear of April Fool's Day, because Dennis is merciless. I would like to go on record to say that if I have no eyebrows this time tomorrow, it is because tomorrow is April Fool's Day. I actually thought today was April Fool's Day and thought "oh I'm so clever! I will totally surprise Dennis!!" I went to him in the morning with breakfast and said "Oh Honey! What's on your head??!!!" (To give the impression he had something on his forehead). He "had to get up anyway" and so he DID go to the bathroom mirror to check, giving ME opportunity to say "April Fool's!!!"
And then giving HIM opportunity to say "It's March 31st!!"
So giving up celebrity gossip has been a challenge. I cannot understate this. I have not only officially given up the websites but also the TV shows. So I have NO IDEA what is going on with britney spears. I won't even look at the magazines.
It's like a bizarro world or something because at the same time that I'm being forced to spend less time online, Dennis is suddenly addicted to youtube. He figured out that he can find videos and music from the 80's (mainly) and he just does not stop. Unless Deal or No Deal is on TV. I'm trying to record him because it's so cute when he starts singing, and so dorky at the same time.
Which segways (segue?) into my next blog topic. Dennis and I are going to Japan! We've actually been working on it for a month and actually praying about it and starting the whole fundraising process in the past week. So we are actually officially going to Hachinohe, Japan. Hachinohe, according to google, is a small fishing town about an hour away from Tokyo. They have fish (so they live up to the town reputation I guess...) and a castle and a shopping mall. Today, we learned that we will have to wear slippers when we are indoors, and that they may not have diet coke.
So, we are going to Japan, for two weeks. We are going to stay in a church and help people learn English using the book of Luke. The goal is to help them with their English, not to baptize them. It's kind of an obvious point, but it is important because going to Japan based on my faith is kind of scary- am I Christian enough to do this? But when I think "but you aren't going to convert people! Just to form relationships! The words they read will affect them more than you!", I feel better. It's nothing I can do, on my own, but what God can do and in the experience and examples. I don't know if any of this makes sense but I am selfishly quite excited about being in the position of helping someone with his or her English, about getting to know people in a culture that I'm so unfamiliar with, and really what could I do in two weeks other than plant seeds. And probably, they will end up planting seeds in me. And I am dying to see Dennis do Karaoke.
(and why): Ten Songs That Bring Back Memories 1. "In The Air Tonight"- Phil Collins. I guess it's a dark song but allegedly my mom used to sing it to me when I was a baby. It is one of my favorite songs ever. 2. "Angel"- Sarah Mclachlan (or however you spell her name); what we played at my mom's memorial service. 3. "Wherever You Go"- sung acoustically by Alex Band (The Calling), at a tribute to my sister. 4. "Only Time"- Enya, another song played in tribute to my sister. 5. "Love Shack"- The B-52's; one of those songs I have always played at full blast, as well as a song that my sister and I sang to my mom when she was in a coma. It sounds sad but it was actually a good memory of the two of us trying to do all the parts. 6. "Entra en Mi Vida"- Sin Bandera; one of the songs that kept Dennis and I together when we were long distance; would have been played at our wedding if we had not gotten married in Vegas. 7. "Si Tu No Estas"- Roxanna; (covered recently by Sin Bandera); one of the songs that played during my first night with Dennis. Carries ALOT of meaning. 8. "Hotel California"- The Eagles; Reminds me of both of my parents and mainly my Dad. It's sacrilege to not sing this song. 9. "Easy Like Sunday Morning"- Lionel Richie; Because every little bar with a guy singing in Santiago, Chile, sings this song. 10. "Imagine"- not the John Lennon song but the song recently sung by the Christian band "Mercy Me" (Is the title "I Can Only Imagine"?) Anyway, better remembered as sung magnificently at my church and at my sister's memorial service. I almost always get choked up when I hear this one. *Honorable mention/tie with number 10- "There's A Stirring"; another church song that I associate with my church and with my sister. *Honorable Mention 2: "Gracias a la Vida" by Violetta Parra, a Chilean folk singer. It's one of those songs that I must learn the words to so that I can sing it to my own babies.
I'm bonding with Cristina, the youngest, over Kelly Clarkson (go figure.) She really likes the new album that has been so negatively received in the US. I bought us both a copy a few weeks ago on Amazon and now she is the first girl in her town to have this CD, which is not on sale in Chile yet. And that makes me feel so cool.
And I'm bonding with the oldest (pink scarve and lighter hair) if only because we both agree that her dad is kind of protective/hard.
At this point, I am excited to visit them. We may or may not go for 2 weeks in September. I am a tiny bit afraid because my waistline has grown in the four years since I've seen the girls. But I'm also afraid because my spanish is not nearly as good as I wish it was.
They don't want to be considered twins but my goodness, they are so cute!!
Ten Favorite Bands of All Time 1. The Dixie Chicks. 2. The Eagles 3. La Ley 4. The Rolling Stones 5. U2 6. Dave Matthews Band 7. The B-52's (are awesome live!!) 8. Counting Crows 9. Mana 10. Jet
I'm a type 1 diabetic who takes insulin, I am Christian and politically more liberal than you'd expect, a proud stepmother to Cristina and Camila, I speak english and spanish and want to learn portuguese, I am studying to become a chaplain, and I love living on the West Coast!
if you want to email me, leave a comment. it'll get to me.
