College Slide Show

This is a slide show I made for my college friends in my spare time, which is actually all of my time these days. I got impatient waiting for the e-mail attachment to load, so I thought I'd try to upload it here and see if it was any faster. Enjoy, dear friends. Hope this makes you bawl like a baby.

***Update: So I watched it. Van Morrison sounds like he's coming out of $5 speakers and a poorly burned CD and the picture quality leaves something to be desired, but you get the idea. I'm not sure if it would be any better if I e-mailed it, but I might just try, considering I have nothing better to do. You still get the idea. Right? Right?

A Picture of Election Day in Los Angeles...

As I walked down York Blvd to the Pyong Kang Korean Church to cast my ballot for Barack Obama and against CA Props 8 and 4 (among other things), it seemed like any other November day in Los Angeles. Clouds gave way to sun every few minutes, sirens and car alarms in the distance, dogs barked, cars zipped up and down the street...but squinting my eyes and gazing further down the block, I saw an American flag waving in the wind just above the heads of a group of people in a line. As I approached the group and took my place in line, I looked at the people surrounding me. I was one of about three white people in the whole group, and almost no one was speaking English. It was truly magical. For perhaps the first time in my adult life, I truly appreciated democracy.

As I punched in the bubbles on my ballot with my ink blotter mechanism, the click-clacking noises of the other ink blotter pens around me sounded like the pitter-pattering footsteps down the path toward history, the path toward change.

A friend told me this story:
At another polling place a few miles away, a woman had fallen and was bleeding. As the people around her helped her and called paramedics, in a timid but unwavering voice she said, "I'd like to vote first, please."

Driving to the grocery store with my roommate, political signs decorated lawns and sidewalks and billboards and anything to which they could be stapled, taped, hung. I honked and gave a thumbs up to people walking down the street wearing Obama tees or standing on the street corner with "No on Prop 8" signs. I smiled at everyone wearing an "I Voted" sticker because we shared a bond, a bond we'll probably never share again unless we both have dreadlocks or drive next to each other on the freeway in the same rare car.

Seriously, magical.

I'm saving my ballot stub. Someday I'll tell my great nieces and nephews about the historic 2008 election. Hopefully the rest of the story will be a happy one.

Voting Matters

I had a fight with my housemate the other day. He says he's not going to vote. I think he should. Here are the top 10 reasons I think Cameron should vote.

1. It's our civic duty, and blah blah blah.

2. The president. Yes, it is unlikely that the California electoral votes will go McCain, but if you want Obama to be president, you should vote for him! (Or McCain, I guess...)

3. Prop 4. (Parental notification 48 hours before a minor under age 18 can get an abortion.) This is a terrible prop that has appeared on the ballot numerous times in various forms. This matters. It needs to be shot down and it could be decided by one single vote...you never know.

4. Prop 8. (Amends the CA constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman, outlawing gay marriage.) This is a terrible prop. It creates second-class citizens. It is absolutely absurd. It needs to be shot down and it could be decided by one single vote...you never know.

5. History. Your own personal history. You don't want to tell your grandchildren that you didn't vote in the historic 2008 election, do you? You want to be able to get one of those hip bumper stickers that says "don't blame me, I voted for Obama" if McCain wins, don't you?

6. Hot poll workers. You never know.

7. Apathy breeds apathy. Apathy is bad.

8. Cameron is relatively educated about the issues. If you're educated, you should vote! At least you're canceling out the uneducated votes.

9. Karma. Think about it.

10. You get a cool sticker.

Home is where all your crap is?

That's a picture of my house.

HA! Yeah right.

Actually, this is me in my living room--


I know, I know. Not bad. I actually love my house. But that's beside the point.

This year has been different at school because my friends and I moved off-campus. Now that we have a house, it has become home. When we call each other and say, "Yo, where you at bro?" If we say "home" that doesn't mean Minnesota or New York or Concord, California. It means we're at our house in LA. Our new home.

I can no longer call the place I grew up "home" because I only spend a couple of weeks a year there. My parents turned my old room into an office, so now when I visit, I sleep on the floor, the couch, or in my brother's room. When people ask me what I'm doing this summer, I tell them I'm staying here in LA and going to visit my parents for a week or so before I start work here. Then I ask them, and they say, "I'm going home...I mean, to my parents' house." It is a transition period for everyone.

I'm not "homeless" in the normal sense of the word. I am lucky to have a warm bed and a roof over my head every night, but is it really "home" when I know I'm only going to be there for another year or so? All my crap is there, sure, but really I'm just squatting until I get out in the real world. I don't have a permanent address. Hopefully someday I will....eek! Until then, I'll just call my house in LA "home."

"Cali"

If I hear someone say "Cali" one more time, I'm going to drop kick the ugly, annoying chihuahua that chases me down my alley into that person's face.

"Cali" is what you name your calico cat or call your baby who's real name is Callista or something. Cali does not mean California. At least not in California it doesn't.

I don't mean to sound like a snob and I am not trying to pretend to be native to CA or anything...but seriously. Give me a BREAK.

Please. If you decide to come to California, do not call it Cali. If you do, you will sound like an idiot. And you SHOULD come to California! California is wonderful! It is a great place!

Besides, if you're coming to California chances are you're coming to Los Angeles or going to the Bay Area (San Francisco.) So, to avoid any confusion, just say "I'm going to LA." or "I'm going to the Bay Area/San Francisco." This way you don't run the risk of sounding like an idiot.

Anyway, that's my rant for the day. I hope you learned something.

Go Dodgers!

PS: Just because Hollister says Cali doesn't mean squat. Do you know where Hollister, CA is?? Yes, it's a real city. It is in the Central Valley, aka the middle of nowhere. They have lots of gangs in Hollister.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY for a ball game
A balllll game today.
My friends are out to get a ticket or two
From Walla Walla Washington to Kalamazoo
IT'S a beautiful day for a ball game
A ballllll game today.


Yes, friends. It's finally here. The season. The only season that matters. Baseball season.

Most teams opened their seasons Monday and Tuesday. The Twins opened at home against former team member Torii Hunter and his new team the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They won! 3-2. The Dodgers had three exhibition games this past weekend against the Red Sox. I went on Friday night. The Dodgers won! It's their 50th year in Los Angeles so that's the main schtick for the season. On Saturday the Dodgers played the Sox in the old Coliseum in LA, which turned out to be the most-watched baseball game in history. Unfortunately, Boston won. But the Dodgers have won both of their regular-season games so far against the San Francisco Giants (sans Barry Bonds). So, yay!

Johan Santana also kicked some major Marlins butt in Florida in his Mets debut, allowing just 2 runs over 7 innings. Mets, those lucky dogs. Leaving the Twins behind with Boof Bonser to lose the second game to the Angels 9-1. Grr.

So there's my little FYI wrap-up of the first two days of the regular season. Expect more in-depth analysis etc etc as the season progresses. Until then, think SPRING!!!

Earthquake in Los Angeles!

IT FINALLY HAPPENED. EARTHQUAKE IN LA. MASS DESTRUCTION. GIANT HOLE IN EARTH ALONG THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT. NO GAS. NO WATER. NO ELECTRICITY. IN MORTAL DANGER. SEND GIRL SCOUT COOKIES AND POWER BARS.





HAPPENED AROUND 12:01 AM ON APRIL 1, 2008, A DATE THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY. KONKED IN HEAD BY PICTURE FRAME. LUCKILY, EARTHQUAKE WATER JUGS REMAINED INTACT.



WE ARE SUFFERING. WE CAN ONLY WATCH NETFLIX MOVIES AND FRIENDS SEASONS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, AND 10. SOON WE WILL RUN OUT OF MOVIES AND TV SHOWS TO WATCH. SEND HOUSE AND BOY MEETS WORLD.

ICE CREAM TRUCK NOT MAKING REGULAR ROUTE!!!!!! MAJOR PROBLEM!!!!!!

ALMOST OUT OF LIQUOR. SEND MARGARITA MIX, TEQUILA, GIN, TONIC, AND CHAMPAGNE. THIRSTY. WATER NOT DOING THE TRICK.

SCHOOL NOT IN SESSION. HEARTBROKEN.

HOPE THE CELEBRITIES ARE OK.

LEO'S TACO TRUCK NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!!!!!! MAJOR PROBLEM!!!!! REFUSE TO EAT RAMBO'S!!!!

NO CONTACT WITH OUTSIDE WORLD. SEND BARACK OBAMA.




happy april fool's day!

Who Wants to Date a Celebrity?

Oh man.

On Monday I took my friends to West Hollywood because they are visiting from Minnesota and they wanted to see Hollywood. Ugh. Hollywood is such a pain in the ass. But that's a different story.

So we decided to see a movie at Grauman's Chinese Theater. It's very beautiful I've never actually seen a movie there before (probably because it costs $11.25). We saw "10,000 BC." It was...pretty bad. As a history major I was minorly disgusted. But that is also a different story.

The point is...the leading man in the film, Steven Strait, is HOT.


HOLY CRAP. And look at those LOCKS!

Naturally, I immediately looked him up on IMDB when I got home. He's 21! He's my age!! He turns 22 next week! Even better! I am used to Googling hot actors and finding out that they are 30-something and being crushed. (See Adrien Grenier, James McAvoy, James Franco.) Or worse, hotties that are YOUNGER! (See Daniel Radcliffe, Corbin Bleu.)

So I was very happy to discover this hott-ay Steven Strait. No word on his 'ship status.

Lately I've been kind of depressed about Zac Efron because he's dating that stupid chick from High School Musical Vanessa Hudgens. He's 20 and he's beautiful. I may have an unnatural crush on him. Every time I watch High School Musical (which isn't that often....but probably more than a 21-year-old should...) I just want to date him so badly!!! So I'm working on that, but we'll see...

Living in LA you'd think I'd have a really easy time dating a celeb. What's wrong with this city!!??!?!

Maybe if the guys at my school weren't such idiots my life would be easier. Alas. I'll just search for Steven Strait. And Zac Efron too.

+


=

Ethics and Pressure in American Schools

The cheating scandal at the prestigious North Hollywood private school Harvard-Westlake has my mind ticking. Six students were expelled from H-W for stealing world history and Spanish exams. Dozens of more students face punishment for looking at the exams.

What has become of our nation's youth?



While so many kids fall behind at inadequate schools, the lucky ones who get a top-notch private education cheat. Isn't this country supposed to be moving towards a more liberal, ethical, and educated future? Shouldn't kids be valuing what they're learning and upholding the highest ethical principles?

Either these kids haven't developed a sense of ethical responsibility or they're choosing to ignore it.

It's called....pressure.

I could write a dissertation on the absurd amount of pressure put on today's youth. From sports to grades to extracurriculars to standardized tests, these kids are getting crushed!

College is everything. If these students don't get accepted to a top-tier school, they can essentially kiss their lives goodbye. (Not really, but that's how they see it.) The college admissions process has become increasingly intense and competitive. In order to stand out to the admissions committee at a "good" school, students have to be involved in every area possible with the best grades and the best recommendations and the best GPA and the best test scores.

So really, it's no wonder students feel like they need to steal tests! It's for their own success! Failure isn't an option and they're willing to do whatever it takes to succeed, including abandoning all ethical principles.

While this is just one of the many problems with education in the US, it is still important to address. We need serious reform in K-12 education as well as in higher education. I don't necessarily have the answers.

Maybe Barack Obama does.

The Oscars: Best and Worst Dressed

I know, I know. I'm probably the ten gazillionth blogger to write about some aspect of the Oscars today, but it's the most interesting thing going on in my life right now. It's the most interesting thing going on in most people's lives right now. Can't wait for People magazine to come out.

Here are my picks and pics for best and worst dressed at the 80th Academy Awards!

Katherine Heigl in Escada:

Katherine Heigl is stunning in this one-shoulder column gown and old-Hollywood hair and makeup.

Calista Flockhart in vintage Valentino:

I love this dress. I love Valentino and I love vintage. Perfect. Although I'm not so sure about her hair.

Saoirse Ronan in Alberta Ferretti:

A future fashion icon? This dress is beautiful and just right for the 13-year-old. She looks wonderful, not at all terrifying or horrible like her character in Atonement. (Note: She plays Susie Salmon in the forthcoming The Lovely Bones. Can't wait!)

Heidi Klum (sans Seal) in John Galliano:

I know it's Heidi Klum. If it were anyone else it would be 100 times worse. But in my humble opinion, it's just TOO MUCH! Her hair is awesome though.

Penelope Cruz in Chanel Couture:

This is not cool. The drape-thing in front is totally wierd and I have no idea what's going on with the fur/hair/tinsel.

Jennifer Garner in Oscar de la Renta:

She looks like a curtain rod. With ugly curtains. In an ugly room.

Pinkberry: Yogurt of the Present

I love Pinkberry. I mean, I love Pinkberry.


For those not living in Southern California or parts of New York City, a description of Pinkberry is in order.

Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt "reinvented" (according to the website). There is one original flavor, a green tea flavor, and a brand new coffee flavor. I really only like the original flavor. A medium with three toppings costs $4.95 and it is delicious. Pinkberry offers many toppings including...
-Kiwi
-Raspberry
-Strawberry
-Coconut
-Captain Crunch
-Fruity Pebbles
-Chestnuts
-Chocolate chips
-Banana
-Yogurt chips
-Granola
-Blueberry
-Mango
-Pineapple
-Cookies 'n Creme (Oreo)

and more!! Sometimes they have seasonal toppings as well. This fall they had pomegranate. Delish.

Usually my Pinkberry toppings of choice are strawberry, raspberry, and chocolate chips. The key to creating the most delectable Pinkberry possible is in the mixing. If you simply eat your Pinkberry the way they give it to you, you'll eat all the toppings first and when you get to the bottom you are left with plain yogurt which is not nearly as yummy. So you MUST mix up your Pinkberry!! It's tricky at first as you are trying not to let any toppings fall. (It's quite upsetting if they do.) But with some practice and skill, you'll be able to mix your Pinkberry to its utmost potential with few flicks of the wrist.

Whether the celebrities know the secret to the best Pinkberry, I cannot be sure. Yes, celebrities LOVE Pinkberry and many have been photographed outside of Pinkberrys all over LA. Kate Bosworth is a fan, and even Mike Tyson!!



If you are lucky enough to live in the Southland and you have not had Pinkberry yet, I pity you and I will pray for your soul. If you venture to Los Angeles or New York, seek one out! And beware of the slew of imitation yogurt shops that have appeared since the birth of Pinkberry. They are not as good!!