So I got a Nook...

Excuse me while I go bury my nose in a computer screen.

www.nook.com

Weekend at Home

So this past weekend, I decided it had been too long since I'd seen my parents, so I went home for the weekend. And it was just as awesome as expected. There's nothing more comforting than spending time in your family home, especially when your family is there! And your dog, Blue!

But anyways, I got home Saturday night. We went to Firehouse Subs for dinner, and then to Walmart, where we proceeded to buy nothing but junk food and New Moon on DVD. Then we went home and were about to watch the movie, when Dad asked that we wait for him so he could shower. My dad actually wanted us to wait so he could see the movie. I'm not quite sure he enjoyed it though... Next day we went to see Avatar and then laid around watching TV. It was awesome.

Usually, when I leave after being home for a while, I get a severe case of home-sickness. But something about this trip was different. Don't get me wrong, Mom (I know you're reading this), I really did regret having to leave you guys and go back to the real world. But it wasn't quite as profound a feeling of loss as it usually is. I think I'm getting the hang of this living-alone business and it's making me feel more assured. I feel more independent and in control of my emotions, which is quite liberating. Feelings like this help me have optimism about my future, about going to grad-school, about even living outside of Texas.

So I no longer seem to miss my family home. But I always have and always will miss my family. Particularly this little guy.

My latest obsession

So, since the three of you that read this watch/like SYTYCD, I'm sure you all might remember a group called the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers performed last season. Lil C was a member. If not, here's a clip:

Well, it turns out Legacy, who was my favorite contestant from season 6, is also a member! But naturally, he didn't get to dance with them on the show.

This group was started by Jon Chu, who directed Step Up 2. He thought dancing was awesome and a great way to tell stories, so he got together a group of really awesome street dancers. And their launching an online show that will mix dance, superhero-esqe stories, and movie-quality cinematography. They're supported and sponsored by Paramount, Agility Studios, and Puma. It looks awesome! Here's a trailer:

You may have noticed in the trailer a familiar face. It's Harry Shum Jr., the "Other Asian" from Glee! He's a performer and choreographer with the LXD.

So, yeah, this is supposedly coming out sometime this year and I'm super excited! It looks awesome! And lots of media/news sources are freaking out over it too, mainly saying how ground-breaking it could be for both dance and online shows.

So I won't bore you with anymore about it, but if you are interested, here are some more clips:

The LXD (with other SYTYCD stars) on the Oscars

LXD Teaser Trailer with introduction by Jon Chu

LXD's performance at YouTubeLive (Legacy is in this one)

The LXD on Ellen DeGeneres Show

LXD at the TED performance (Really long, but informative, and the only time I've liked Krump)

So, Jon Chu and another guy named Adam from Step Up 2 had a dance group that was the forerunner for LXD, called Adam Chu Dance Crew, or ACDC. Many of their members are LXD members, like Legacy, but they had some others, like the Jabbawockez (sp?). The challenged Miley Cyrus to an online dance battle, and here's some of their stuff:

ACDC responding to Miley Cyrus' group

ACDC at the Teen Choice Awards. Stop watching at 2:30 if you don't want to see Miley Cyrus.

ACDC at the Step Up 2 release party

ACDC Republican vs. Democrat Dance Off

And because it makes me laugh:

Out of Sync

Ever have those days/weeks were everything seems out of whack? Your sleep schedule gets off, you're not hungry at meal times and starving at other inopportune times? Where you feel clumsy and uncoordinated, at least, more than you usually are? Where social interactions tend to be awkward, you make silly mistakes at work, and all errands and chores seem to be done so inefficiently? Also tend to impulse buy, or not think through money decisions very well during this time?

That's how this week feels for me. I usually am able to "reset" over the weekend. But I have to work on Sunday, so I'll only have Monday to myself. And that's just one day to get in good sleep, get my eating schedule back on track, and complete all those errands that I half-assed during the week.

Oh, and taxes. Must do taxes...


Also, can I go back here? Pretty please?

Well, at least I got half a day off work...

All that anxiety and build up about going to court? The freaking out about evidence, and testifying, and getting time off work, hell, even what I was going to wear? Yep, all useless.

I spent three dollars at a parking meter four blocks away and I'm in high-heels. I make it all the way to the courthouse, go through security, make it up to the court room, sit and wait on the judge. Then I find out that Mr. Caballero-Galan settled out of court. And no one bothered to let me know. I even checked the website about an hour before I was supposed to be there and it still said "Set for Court".
The prosecutor gave me some little talk about how thankful they are for civilian witnesses because otherwise they couldn't win cases like this one. I would be thankful for any sort of notification that I'm no longer needed.

But they already had my shift covered, so I got the rest of the day off work! I spent it sleeping, naturally.

I Hate Tom... Meaning My Car

I should've know. Right when we were buying my car, I get a call that my former boss died. Shouldn't it be some sort of omen that someone you know very well DIES when you buy your car?

My car is named Tom after my former boss, who as mentioned above, died on the very day I bought my car. A nice memoriam in my own way, or a stupid curse on my car.

Tom was great for a few weeks. Not really what I had in mind for my first car, but still, very nice. It didn't even take three weeks for the first "accident". While parked outside my sister's apartment, someone decided to ram their car into my driver-side door. Caused over $1000 of damage. Luckily, the girl left a note and paid for the repairs out of her pocket. All was well for a while.

Little things started messing up on my car as well. The handle to the hatch-back door broke. The windshield fluid dispenser lost pressure. Fan belts started cracking.

Then summer of 2008, I was rear-ended in rush hour traffic by a driver towing cars to Mexico. Naturally, being from Mexico, he didn't have insurance. Naturally, my car had scratches and a light ripped out, his truck had absolutely NOTHING wrong with it. The cops came and wrote him a ticket, but told me I was outta luck and shouldn't expect anything from him. So my dad bought a new light and installed it himself, and I left the scratches all over my bumper.

Then my hatch handle broke, again. Luckily we were still under warranty, so we could get that fixed without paying. Then there was debris in the road on I-35 one day and I ran over an 18-wheeler tire-tread at about 50 MPH. Messed up something in my wheel. I continued to drive on it that way, but it got to be ridiculously loud anytime I drove my car.

Then my car got towed while at a friend's apartment for a late movie. When I finally get out to the tow yard around 1AM, my debit card is rejected because someone had stolen the number earlier in the day. Two days after that I get a ticket for going 5 MPH over on the highway. That was also Nov. 1, 2008, which if you know me and my passion for Longhorn football, was possibly the worst day of the year.

I resolved the debit card stuff, took defensive driving, and got the ticket erased. I had my car back, but there were still scratches on the bumper from the rear-ending and a messed up front wheel from running over the tire-tread. Then my car was hit just a bit in the school parking lots one day. A hand-sized ding in the driver's side door. At this point I didn't even care.

And then, of all things, a bicyclist runs into my parked car. If only I could be making this up. They left a note, but no contact information, the irresponsible pathetic little bastard. It said,

PLEASE Forgive me
I wreked on my BIKe
When The Bike lane Ended
ABruptly.
Out oF work can't AFFord
TO MAKe Recompense.

(Capitalization, spelling, and punctuation are author's own.)

Yes, I kept the note. I like to read it when I'm feeling whiny. Anyways, this cyclist put a body-sized dent in my rear passenger door, left scratches down the back half of the car, pulled framing off of the window, and busted out a side window. My dad, being awesome, took my car to the shop and got the window replaced and we finally got the wheel problem from earlier fixed. Another $800 or so into fixing my car.

And then the gas tank cover on my car broke. That same day, my hatch handle broke, yet again.

And then... God, I'm saying that a lot.
A couple weeks ago, my car failed inspection because I needed two new tires. Of course there are only about two models of cars in the world that need my type of tires, so they're rare. After the third tire store and about $450, I had two new tires, and my car passed inspection.

To top it all off, last week I got a letter in the mail that they want me to be a State's witness in a case against a one Mr. Caballero-Galan, aka the Mexican driver who rear-ended me a year-and-a-half ago. Apparently he's hired a lawyer to contest the tickets he received for the wreck and not having insurance. I guess he thinks I won't show and he'll win the case and not have to pay. Guess again, a-hole.

So now, I'm going to court over my car. I've had this car for only 4 years, I'm still making payments on it. I don't feel like I should be getting this much trouble from it! It's a small car! Not that big of a target! How do people keep hitting it?! I honestly would not be surprised if I walked out from work one day and half of my car was missing. It's sad that I almost wish for that scenario because I feel like it would be a fresh start. I intend to finish the payments on my car and drive this one into the ground. I only hope that Tom can at least hold out until he's paid-in-full.