Life is going well. Im at work... Duane isn't here today and left me a list of things to do. I've done everything on the list... and am not aware of anything else that needs to be done... and its only 10. Only SIX more hours to go. Dang.
So, I quit my job in January because it was a big piece. I went to Spain in March with Lucy which was rad. We went to Madrid and Barcellona and then to Paris and then Amsterdam. Barcellona was definitely my favorite, it was gorgeous and full of things to do and everything was open until midnight or later! Paris was cool but expensive. Amsterdam was fun although snowy and unpleasant.
I started a new job at Cemex (a cement factory) which is a million times better than my last job with Sequoia. The factory is 10 minutes from my house up the highway along the coast. My last job had an hour commute so I'm totally stoked about that. Mostly my job is to call my coworkers at the various departments and pester them to find numbers they often don't have to finish the million environmental reports that the EPA, air district, county, etc etc needs to make sure we aren't breaking laws. It's pleasant because I like everyone so far, but often frustrating because, like I said, they don't have said numbers and also have a million other things to do. Anyway, they also pay me like twice as much as my last job did, which is mad tight yo.
It's Lucy's birthday today, and was Michael's birthday on Friday! Happy 21st guys!Current Mood:  content Current Music: The haul trucks outside and finish mill |
So Spaz is going to die soon. :-( She had a stroke about two weeks ago and another just recently. Lame.
Have a midterm tomorrow in astrophysics. Also lame.
Its nearly 1 am and I havent studied for said midterm. Also lame.
I have a bunch of things due that I need to do that I havent started really. Seriously lame.
AND, my car has a slowly leaking flat. BAH.Current Mood:  irritated Current Music: Various Doors Stuff. |
So the art exhibit was awesome (I know its been a while, Im a flake). It was just as cool as I thought, and just about as gross as I thought too. It was also cool to see my dad, and Carl. I may go down to LA again in a few weeks, possibly to see Mr. Jagd and Carl again, but I dont know if Im going to visit my parents. I have really really had enough of my mom. She called me the other day to nag at me about a parking ticket that I had forgotten to pay and that she was mailed about, and to look for a job. Then she called me again 15 minutes later to say the exact same things and to tell me that I had upset my dad about not going to the career center yet. Then when I said I wanted to try to stay in Santa Cruz she started telling me what a horrible child I was for not using the fancy education that they paid for without my asking that they basically forced me to get. Really, I think that it was less effort to get a bachelor's degree in chemistry than to deal with my mom's yammering at me about not going to college. GOD. Anyway, I screamed at her for telling me that Im a terrible person and that Im not listening to her anymore about it. I also let my dad know what happened and said that Im not talking to her anymore. I have nothing to say to her at this point if shes still going to treat me like shit. So she called the other day and said "We need to talk." I havent, and I dont think Im going to call her back. Ive had enough, and shes only slowing down the process of my doing anything by screaming at me and making me angry and sad.
So what else... weve had a few great parties at Lucy's house. Nothing of particular note, but theyve been a lot of fun and I have many great new pictures. I discovered at one of these parties that someone left a juice drink under the passenger seat in the car which fermented and exploded, releasing some evil jank spirits into my vehicle. So I took the passenger seat out of my car and scrubbed the carpet. it came out and now the inside of my car looks huge and everything smells much nicer. I also had to sweep (shovel) the leaves off the driveway cuz I kept tracking composted plant matter into the car as I cleaned. Big job for an odwalla drink. I love my car. The art exhibit showing the interior of human bodies did not give me any confidence in my life depending on the functioning of a bag of meat and protein based organs... However, taking apart my car in the ways that I have so far gives me confidence in that machine. Its very well put together.
Also, I had no idea this could happen: The end of Becka's ear ring was consumed by her ear, such there wasnt even a bump! The skin was totally smooth, but you could feel the metal in there. It was the damndest thing. So apparently no one would get it out for her and she asked me to do it. Im a little weird, so I was more than happy to. I did it right before a party so I had an audience of about eight people watching the whole process with utter fascination. Towards the end, Cory had to go buy me a pair of needle nosed tweezers to get it out. The exacto blade wasnt doing the job well enough. Becka was super awesome about the whole thing, she hardly even flinched. Im a puss when it comes to pain so I would have been pissing and moaning about the whole thing. After I was done the rest of the party showed up and saw bloody paper towels all over the table, and the audience was quick to let everyone else know what had happened. People were impressed. It was fun. Later that night Becka went to go look at her ear and was super impressed with how small the cut was, and insisted that I consider becoming a surgeon. Quite an ego boost!Current Mood:  hungry Current Music: Yeah (Yeah yeah, I know) Usher! |
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Home!
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Jan. 6th, 2005 @ 06:40 pm
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Its good to be home. I had a wonderful coming back. I made it to Lucy's before new years by about fifteen minutes, and apparently everyone was all worried that I wasnt going to make it in time. It was so wonderful to walk in the door and have everyone in the house who knew me scream "CARLA!!!!" and give me a huge hug and tell me that they missed me. Yay. Im loved. I had a great time staying at Lucys for like.. god, six days or something. I so live there.... I hope I dont end up overstaying my welcome.
The last day in Dublin was fabulous. Mikey and I went to our first bar and got drunk one last time. We met these two guys and hung out with them the whole night and went to this sort of lame sort of cool club and danced the night away. Before we left we went into their room so that the one dude could change into more flattering clothes. I tossed my jacket onto the desk... right into their little pile of cocaine that I totally didnt see. It was fine, I didnt like, blow it away or anything, but that was sort of silly and very freaky. Drugs freak me out. Im a total pansy when it comes to anything harder than like.. pot. At the club they played dragostea din tei which was AWESOME. Thats totally our song from the trip. It was the best thing ever. That and "Yeah" by Usher. Its a crappy song, but goddamn if they didnt play it at EVERY SINGLE place we went. Wed be in a club for ten minutes and theyd play that song. Or it was on the radio. Or playing in the pub. Or playing in department stores. EVERYWHERE. Damndest thing.
So I have rainbow hair now. Its rad. Its green at the roots and fades to purple at the ends. I couldnt get blue in it because there was so much red in the base, but oh well. My fingernails are blue. That counts, sort of. Hannah rules.
All my classes seem really cool, which Im super stoked on. Theyre all Tu Th which means I get four day weekends every week. So thats tight as hell. Dare I say it... w00t. Theyre also back to back which means one, I dont get breaks (sorta lame) but two, that I dont have any dead time. I think I like it best this way. Im taking bioinorganic chemistry which is fucking rad, a science teaching course which is VERY interesting to say the least, and a macroastronomy class. The teaching class will be weird. There are only 7 people in it, and the teacher is unusual to say the least. Astronomy will be vaguely interesting, but an easy A, because Im brilliant. Hahaha.
A bunch of us are driving to LA to see this CRAZY ass art exhibit of all these people preserved in injection moulded plastic. That sort of sums it up... different parts of them are preserved, so you have a guy throwing a basketball with no skin. Or a guy who only has his nervous system and bones, or a pregnant woman and you can see her fetus. Its SO crazy and fascinating and beautiful. Theres even a guy riding a horse and a guy fencing whos split into three parts at his arm, of bones muscle and skin. SO weird! Anyway, Im going to finish cleaning my car.Current Mood: good Current Music: Around the World |
Went shopping with Becky and Kate that day, really hectic what with all the post Christmas shoppers. Then that night we went clubbing which was awesome. Mikey and I got really drunk and danced for hours on this little platform thing on stage. Tried some interesting blue and red drinks that tasted exactly the same. Mikey found a lovely young lady to hit on that only talked to him because she thought he was on cocaine. (due to the fact that he was dancing like a crackhead and having tons of fun) She had some LEGS on her, which was rad. I think she was a bitch though, one because she wouldnt dance with Mikey when he asked, and two, when she joined us on the platform with her friends, this other guy came up to dance with us and she told him to go away. He wasnt even invading anyones space, just dancing by himself sorta, and she was like, 'youre in the way, we dont want you up here.' Ho.
Woke up the next morning and Becky was all cracked out. Not sure why. Said goodbye and her dad drove us to the bus station and we spent the whole day on the way back to Dublin. Becky's dad is awesome by the way. We loved him a lot and were sad to leave that house. Her parents fed us a lot of really good food, and gave us lots of booze, all for free. They were rad. Even their dog, Georgia, was really tight. Little white mop dog. Friendly and not hyper or obnoxious. Becky and Kate are totally cool too. It was great to see them on their own turf. Theyre coming back (hopefully) to Santa Cruz soon, so we'll be able to return the favor of their awesome hospitality. By the way, Becky and Neil should get married and have lots of babies.
Dublin has been fun too, but hideously expensive. We went to see St Patrick's cathedral, Dublin Castle (briefly), and the Christ Church Cathedral. All were rad, but we got pulled into this crappy tourist trap called Dublinia. (looking back on it, the name should have given that away, but we wanted in the gift shop at the end. Though, because getting into a gift shop is an awful reason for doing anything, we really deserved the tourist trap, so, tough shit. It was a crappy gift shop anyway.) Then Mikey spent the whole day shopping for gifts for his family, which totally sucked... again, hideously expensive. But at least its done. Just to let you all know, I didnt get you shit. Its expensive, and I cant think of anything to get any of you. That and I really hate you guys. You can all suck someone else's balls. I dont have any, and Mikey's all touchy about that sort of thing. Really, Itd be worse for him if that actually happened. So yeah, someone else's. (We had a whole indepth debate about the ball sucking, and that's the conclusion we reached.) I dont want to come home at all. Youre all terrible people, and I hope you die. Please. PS people in Ireland are way hotter than you. WTF is up with that. Get your shit together. And they smell better too. Goddamn dirty hippies. You all suck. When I get back, Im going to kill all of you in the face. FYI, Ive had a shitload of caffeine, and intend to stay up all night. Mikey thinks Im retarded... and Im not sure why Im typing that. So were going to go get really trashed and make fun of you at the first pub we arrived at. You know, complete the cycle and all that shit. I hate you. You are totally lame, and superweak. Screw you guys-- were going home.Current Mood:  bitchy Current Music: Where is My Mind |
So weve left Bath. That was actually quite sad, I was getting attached to Sara, her mom, and that adorable little house. When I grow up I want a ridiculously tiny, adorable little house thats really posh on the inside. Sara's mum gave us an invitation to stay there whenever we found ourselves in England again, which I will very likely take her up on. I had some great conversations with her, and I really appreciated talking to an older person who has her head on so straight. She apparently loved having us there and was really sad to see us leave. Snif. Oh well, such is travel. We left early on the morning of the 27th. Sara left at like 7am to make it up to Gatwick, and we left for the bus stop a few hours later. We found however that the busses werent running and we were going to miss our train. However, one of Sara's friend's (Patrick) mums was nice enough to give us a ride to the bus station. We made it with MINUTES to spare. There was no space on the train so we and about a half dozen other people crammed ourselves into the walkway between the rail cars right next to the toilet. That sort of sucked, but it was quite fun at the same time to talk to all of them and commiserate on being trod upon by those seeking to get snacks from the other car, or to use the loo.
Were in Birmingham right now with Becky and Kate, staying with the former's parents. This house is really impressive. Its also on the smaller side, very quaint, but each of the rooms is decorated in extremely decadent baroque style detail. Since weve arrived, I swear we must have eaten 4000 calories worth of food so far. We had this amazing lamb dinner last night that I ate tons of, and then for the rest of the night Becky's parents continually offered us more and more food or drinks, all of which were fantastic, and so very difficult to turn down. Mikey had tons to drink, and got to perform his standard 'America Sucks' rant, that I didnt have to listen to cuz I was in the den. Woo! Then we watched this really weird tv show which was a bit like a sit com, but all the characters were real lions who were made to talk using computers. It was utterly bizarre.
Today I believe we are going to go see some castles, which Im looking forward to. That or were going to go shopping and take advantage of the after christmas sales. Perhaps Ill pick up some more clothes. Ive only brought two shirts with me, and I must say, Im quite tired of wearing both of them.
Ian, if youre reading this, I gave Sara her t-shirt. She was very touched and really loved it and sends many thanks.
So Lucy, I keep meaning to ask... and Im a little afraid to... have you been feeding my rats, or did you forget about them? If youve forgotten... Im sure its too late now, so I wouldnt bother going in there to investigate the carnage. If you havent forgotten, then yay. No worries. Also, my hair is looking particularly unimpressive. I have a long stripe of roots across the centre of my head, and the colour is looking quite drab. I also want to incorporate purple into the redone fade, so if you would, pass the word along to Hannah so shell have dyes and bleach ready for when I come home.
Were leaving tomorrow to go back to Dublin to make absolutely sure that we dont miss the flight home. That would be superweak. One thing Ive noticed which was really odd: since Im not that good with faces, and am very ADD, so it feels like Ive been away from home for ages. I cant really picture anyone's face clearly so you all feel like distant memories of people that Im not going to see again. (Itd be sad except I know its not true) At this point, as far as my subconscious is concerned, Mikey is the only person who exists in the world. All other people last for like 3 days and then dissappear. Itll be strange to, one, stop moving around so much, and two, not see Mikey every waking moment of every day. Im suprised he and I havent been at each other's throats more, although weve enjoyed countless rounds of non-serious bickering about every possible stupid subject, which has been quite fun.
I had such a wonderful Christmas over here. It was really refreshing to do something else than get nagged at by my mom. It was especially nice to get trashed with a group of great people, and then go roaring around town at three in the morning on Christmas Day, singing carols at the top of our lungs and (at least Mikey and I were) quoting long sections of Lord of the Rings.
Im up to three hundred pictures now. There will be TONS of stuff to look at when we get home. |
So, Christmas was lovely. The night before on Christmas Eve we went out to the bars. Sara took us to the Bell initially and we all had a jolly good time. It was sorta crazy in there though: standing room only, and broken pint glasses all over the floor. We had a few drinks there and then we all decided to break into the Roman Baths to go swimming. This sounded like a really fun idea except for the fact that you have to jump in from a ledge. This means theres no way to get back OUT of the baths except to get arrested. As American citizens, I felt it was very unwise to engage in an activity that requires getting arrested in a foreign country.
So instead we went to the Mole, which was a pub/rave sort of joint. That was great-- they were playing early 90's crappy dance music. That made me kinda homesick. Im definitely looking forward to the goth party. Patrick, one of Sara's friends, kept buying us shots of this godawful but really really tasty cough syrup like liquor. Cant remember what its called now. Anyway, we had a great time dancing there, and then walked across town to get to her friend Kai's house. He was sleeping and didnt answer the door though so that was kind of a bust. By this time though we were all very well plastered so we didnt really care. We then walked to this other party but never made it inside. Sara had quite a bit too much to drink and semi passed out in a park in front of the party. We stayed with her there for about twenty minutes and then walked home. Unfortunately home was ALL THE WAY ACROSS TOWN... so it took quite a while to get there, and we were walking really fucking fast. Despite the fact that she was sick and throwing up, Sara managed to keep up the 'canvasser covering lots of ground' pace. That sucked for me, cuz Im lazy and cant walk quite that fast, but it was probably better to get home ASAP. We got back, I was feeling fine, but then I sat down and the room started to whirl around. I counted what Id had and had just crossed the 5 drink limit where Im still ok. So... little barf, not too bad, then to sleep.
Christmas Day was quiet, because Sara wasnt in that great shape. We watched the two towers and eventually opened presents. It was fun, but everyone was pretty ADD about it and it took like an hour to get everything open. People kept getting up and wandering about before all the gifts were open.
At around sundown we went up to Salisbury Hill which is the site of an old iron age fort and what I would imagine is the highest peak in Bath. We watched a beautiful icy sunset and saw the lovely city all around below. That was a really beautiful experience. The moon was full and huge directly opposite the sun on the horizon, and a big portion of the sky was pink and purple and orange.
Then, that evening we watched Return of the King, but not the extended version. It was cool, good to see that movie again. I want to see the long version though, Im sure its much better.
Today is Mikey’s birthday: hes 20. I think were all going to do something fun for that but it doesn’t appear that weve cemented any plans quite yet. We might go take advantage of the Boxing Day sales, or go for a drive in the countryside. Tomorrow were off to Birmingham to visit Becky and Kate for a few days… and then I think thatll pretty much conclude our trip. Talk to you guys later, and thanks for commenting, its really fun to hear from the folks at home.Current Mood: content Current Music: Some Techno |
Hullo from Bath! Were having a lovely time here at Sara's mum's house. Its been wonderful so far to be staying at a real home rather than a youth hostle. Mikey and I slept until like 1 in the afternoon which was fabulous. Weve been getting up at like 7 am every day for the past two weeks. You have that to look forward to when we get home, Lucy. Hahaha. Our sickness seems to be subsiding. Mikeys still coughing but not nearly as bad, and doesnt look nearly so close to death as he did. My throat doesnt feel like a ball of hate and loathing anymore, and I can stay awake for more than eight hours at a time. Yay!
So the British Museum was great, like I said. The Tower of London was also really rad, though not nearly as gruesome as I was expecting, based on other people's reiterations of their experiences. There were quite a few people there, so it wasnt quite as mysterious and ominous and such-- though still quite enjoyable. We did go on a tour of the place, led by this totally awesome guy who worked there. Its hard to describe, but he was very well versed and enthusiastic and a great deal of fun to listen to.
So yesterday we saw the Roman Baths which were really really awesome. Go Romans for building stuff that still works after two thousand years without any maintanence. Sigh... So embarassing. Its also kinda embarassing to see all the proper efficient behavior of people in Europe when compared to us back in the states. However, even worse I think, is having to listen to Mikey rag on the inefficiency of the States... EVERY SINGLE DAY... quite often... MANY TIMES A DAY. Do you know how many times Ive heard about the issue of our crappy public transportation... oh my GOD. Anyway, its chill.. ugh.
So its christmas tomorrow... thats rad. It doesnt really feel like it though. Ive gotten a tiny bit of xmas shopping out of the way, but shit's expensive here, and I cant think of anything to get anyone. If you'd all write in to let me know what you want, that would help me out quite a bit. Ok dinners on, gotta go.Current Mood: happy Current Music: Sara's Country Bluegrass Stuff |
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