2008

In the past year, I have: totaled my car, bought a new car, went to Hawaii, jumped in some water, made some new friends, lost some old ones, rode in an ambulance, went to Texas, saw some cowboys, turned 23, paid off all my debt, got back into debt, graduated from college, broke some rules, climbed some mountains, became a nomad, left the country, found Nemo, climbed some more mountains, overcame some fears, jumped in more water, lied and cheated, learned my lesson, took many road trips, learned to let go, left the country again, learned to hold hands, loved, hated, laughed, cried, and said my goodbyes.  

Many bumps and bruises later... here I am, right where I started.

Same Same, but Different

I got back from Vietnam 6 days ago and I am finally back in the right time zone, maybe... we'll see how tonight goes. Everyone should take a trip to Southeast Asia just to experience the scooters, life will flash before your eyes numerous times. Everyone kind of just goes at the intersections and we all mix in the middle and somehow make it out alive.

Update: I would write more about the trip, but a well-written, detailed, day-by-day synopsis already exists in the blogosphere.

thnks fr th mmrs

It's only been three days and I'm losing my year-round tan for the first time in over 5 years.

Good bye, San Diego. Thanks for the memories.

Winter Preview

Winter on the East Coast will not be pleasant.  I am currently accepting donations of all winter accessories, including but not limited to: gloves, hats, beanies, scarfs, parkas, long underwear, igloos, anything thick and furry.  I learned that text messaging with gloves on is very difficult.  I'm also having second thoughts about being anti-fur.  

The Society for Neuroscience decided to meet in Washington DC this year.  Not as cool as INS in Hawaii, but it gave me a chance to fly over to NYC for a day to get things set up.  DC was exactly like it was the last time I was there; mean cab drivers, cold, and political.  Although I did get to buy an Obama '08 tshirt for only 3 dollars.  I'm going to wear it in Vietnam and be THAT American.  

New York looks just like it does on TV, except bigger, and the skyline is prettier than I anticipated.  It really makes a girl feel small.  I thought I was prepared for cold weather, but I don't think any amount of clothing is going to keep my butt warm next month... and does your nose ever stop running?  ...cause that part kind of sucks.  The naked cowboy is still naked in the winter.  Wtf?

My adventure back to California might just be the most awful thing I have ever experienced. The shuttle decides to pick me up at 2:30 in the morning for my 6am flight back to Dulles. From there I had a noon flight back to San Diego. I almost snuck onto the 8am flight, but they have this policy about you being on the same flight as your luggage now. Stupid. So I sit at the airport, exhausted, for over 4 hours waiting for my flight. At this point, I have been up since the night before and I'm still in my pajamas. Then, a lady on the plane has some sort of reaction and we have one of those "is there a doctor in the house" situations. Luckily, everyone on the plane was coming from the Society for Neuroscience meeting so she had plenty of doctors to choose from. Poor lady sat with the oxygen tank for the entire flight and got rushed off the plane as soon as we land. By the time I get back to Poway, it was 5pm and I have now been up for over 36 hours. I envy the people who can sleep on planes.  

Baseball

Not my PostSecret. I just like it.

On the road again.

I've recently discovered my love for road trips. The emptiness of it all is quite liberating. Not to mention singing gangster rap from the 90s and still knowing all the lyrics.

A couple weeks ago, my Canadian and I took my free rental car (hooray for car accidents) and drove east... through the desert and into Arizona. We stopped at a hole in the ground we like to call El Centro. This is pretty much a place that shouldn't exist, but if it didn't, where would all the illegal immigrants go? Besides, there's a Sonic there and who could resist an Orange Cream Slush with fried Mac 'n Cheese? We continued into Tuba City, where we met a Navajo Indian and looked for dinosaur tracks. This is where I inadvertently stole his soul, but don't you worry, I mailed it back to him last week. After bowling in Flagstaff and hiking through the Grand Canyon in a thunderstorm, we called it quits and came back home, but not after eating at Sonic for the 5th time in 3 days.

This past weekend I had to sacrifice one of my favorite holidays for yet another road trip. This time, Savannah and I headed north... through California and into Nevada. Ten hours in a VW Beetle and I've decided that I love my SUV. Reno was a lot smaller than I remember. It also seems to be turning into a ghost town. If you're under 21 and want to gamble or buy alcohol, I highly recommend going to Reno. After making my 10 dollars last 5 hours on penny slots and accidently stumbling into a bowling tournament, we headed over to the event center for some rockin' in the free world.