Best New Way to Waste Time

This one's courtesy of Kam:

http://www.isketch.net/isketch.shtml

It's totally awesome and addicting, of course. If you're too lazy to click, it's like online pictionary. You can either play with random strangers, each of you taking a turn to draw, or you can create your own private room and play with friends. Last night Kam and I got hooked. We found out the key is to make your private room but to limit the number of players who can join, because in the middle of our game we were joined by a few random strangers which took the fun out of it. "Gl@mourG!rl$$" (or some otherwise annoying teenybopper variation) came into our room and just started guessing away at our drawings and then skipping all of her drawing turns (I don't think she was too bright). In any case, it's a super fun game. Click away and see for yourself!


Current Music: The Ascent of Stan, by Ben Folds
Current Mood: delightful

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time...

(One must sing it aloud for proper effect)

Christmas was a good ol' time. We had a low-key, mostly uneventful gathering here at my house. It felt basically like Thanksgiving again. The usual difference when I was a kid was the heaping pile of presents I had waiting for me under the tree, but as it seems those days are long gone, it was just a big family get together with more delicious food-- hence, Thanksgiving all over again. Not that I mind, as Thanksgiving is the greatest of holidays. Highlights were Sonya's tomato-crab soup number, delicious rack of lamb, and a good glass of Merlot ("Did I NOT ask for Merlot???" -- my Martha Stewart shout-out for the Holidays). I also enjoyed breaking in Auddie's new DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) game, which was part of my X-mas gift to her.

Today was an unusual day-after-Christmas for me. After initially declining, I decided last moment that I would help Three Way & Co. (Three Way=Bac Diep=my aunt who owns a florist) with the flowers for a wedding today. Ok, to be fair, it was the offer of "make some money" that enticed me most. Surely, the waking up at 7 am was not what convinced me to do this. Auddie decided to join in (not knowing what she was getting into!) and we headed out to a hotel somewhere in Chantilly/Centreville/who really knows or cares? where the wedding was. For the first hour or so I got my hands dirty by cleaning dozens of dozens of roses. Then when the real flower crew got there (Kam [Tuti], Three Way [Bac Diep], Sonya [Co Huong], and Bac Anh) I actually started to learn some things.

As this was a completely last-minute wedding and the always wonderful Great Falls Florist was pulling a "lifesaver" task by covering for another florist who bailed on the wedding, time was short and perfection was not in the cards. Thus, they let me handle some flowers and even arrange them, too! By the end of the day, I was creating centerpieces of my own without supervision. Word of this probably shouldn't get out for the sake of the florist, but it's actually okay to talk about because I wasn't totally horrible. (Awaiting Kam's blog comment...) In fact, I was quite proud to be junior designer of the day and express my creative self through flora. The important part was, we got all the arrangements done by 6 pm for the reception and I was happy to have contributed. It was totally exhausting and stressful at times, but it was a fun experience and I learned a lot. A future in flower design? Perhaps, after some more instruction (some of the centerpieces were a wee lopsided...). If nothing else, I have totally newfound respect for wedding flowers and all the work and people that are behind them. Whew!

Oh, as for the wedding. It was a traditional arranged Indian wedding. Whoa! I know, right. Even crazier, the bride was a girl who had gone to Langley and graduated in '97. Whoda thunk it? You always hear about these things, but to know of people who could be your friend participating in an arranged marriage-- it's like, some type of weird culture shock, really. It was particularly interesting after having recently finished reading The Namesake, this really incredible novel by Jhumpa Lahiri about an Indian family and their experiences about immigration and subsequent acculturation in America. Quite a good read-- I recommend it (It was especially relevant to me because the theme of the whole book was centered around one character and his struggle with identity through his name... sound familiar?) Anyway, seeing the whole wedding thing unfold today was just really eye-opening. It always provokes some thought about your world view when you see how culture and traditions that seem so dated, at least to you, are still very relevant and significant for some people.

In other unrelated news, I cannot BELIEVE the earthquake/tsunami madness in Asia. It's just totally unbelievable. I can't even begin to comprehend the amount of death and devastation that took place over such an unexpected event. It freaked me out even more because it would not be uncommon for my family to be over in Asia, even in Thailand, at this time of the year. To see some of the photos of the damage and the people-- no words for it at all. What's worse, as my mom and I were discussing, is the fact that many of these countries and areas that were wiped out were already some of the poorest places in the world, and now this. Wow oh wow. Some Christmas for those folks. Must once again figure out a way to be grateful and thankful for my health and good fortune.

On that note, hope everyone had a holly jolly Christmas/Holiday. Many cheers.


Current Music: Chin Up, Cheer Up, by Ryan Adams
Current Mood: simply pooped

Merry Christmas!

Auddie and I just finished up our first sib Gingerbread house! Not bad for a first try, eh? After posting this I must lie down though because I think I have a sugar headache. Too much licking the frosting off my fingers. (And to think, I don't even have a sweet tooth...!)








Current Music: Faded From the Winter, by Iron & Wine
Current Mood: tired

Good Holiday Fun.

Happy winter everybody!! It's official, although judging by the weather yesterday we didn't need the official "ok." Let's hope yesterday was as cold as it will get. We DC-metro area folks can't handle anything much worse.

I can't believe X-mas is only 4 days away. It always seems to creep up like that, but this year in particular it seemed to just happen. Tis been nice actually catching up with the folks I missed over Thanksgiving, though. So far, so good!

Here's a fun and cute little number to keep you busy and get you in the spirit!

SnowCraft


Current Music: Pipe Dreams, by Travis
Current Mood: "Harry!! your hands are freeeezing!!"

VN school, etc...

So we just wrapped our first semester today. I crushed the final exam, but likely because I'm probably the only student who freaks out about it the night before and actually studies. The youngins probably think I'm crazy for it, but I can't let them show me up! I was so proud that I was able to memorize a poem to recite for the oral portion of the exam. (I'm such a fob!!) Anyway, after the exam came the "party" in the auditorium, where thank goodness Kam (Tuti/Sao Mai) and I managed to get out of the group presentations on front and center stage. (Phew! My group was really terrible. Our restaurant skit, which we briefly rehearsed, was the worst thing I've ever seen. No insult to the kids-- they all agreed that it was just bad.)

I was mildly disappointed that when certain kids in each grade were picked to go up to the stage and receive a gift, my name wasn't called. Kam was called up, and so was another kid who is a total misfit. Maybe they just... made a mistake... I felt a bit better after Kam opened her gift and it was some weird combination of items surely purchased from the dollar store or a similar venue. She even got some '80s style hair ties (you know which kind I'm talking about-- not scrunchies, but the kind that are kind of wooly and can thread apart if you pull on one piece... classic!) Another redeeming part of the day was when the older sister of a girl in my group came up to me, for no particular reason, and quietly said, "My sister thinks you're nice!" and then proceeded to walk away. It was so the awesomest moment of my day. It felt good to get a small dose of popularity from the kids, especially since Kam is usually the kiddies' favorite (boo!).

During the party, Kam, Auddie, and I kind of stood around and ate the weird combination of food available (cheese puffs, pate-chaud, fried chicken, banh bao, etc...) and talked about all the VN school characters. This one 8th grade girl in Auddie's class who was clearly in her glamour-shot phase (she always looked like she was posing for something, even when she was just standing there!) asked auddie for her "Cell," so she could call her. Doubt it!! Girl's only 11 years old. And then there was another girl in Kam and my class, who actually was in her glamour-shot phase, because apparently she and her friends "hang out" at Springfield Mall and go to Hollywood Shots (or something?) and take portraits together all the time (weird.).


Anyway. I just got back from the gym and as I was massaging/rolling my leg out on the big styrofoam roll thing, I got into another "gym" convo with some guy. He was like "Oh, you've got the IT band thing too?" and I said, "Yeah" (not really knowing if I did, just assuming he must know). Then he came over to me, said something about how rolling it out is only going to do so much... then the next thing I know he says, "Mind if I try this actually?" And he steals the tool I'm using and starts using it and making "ooh" and "aah" stretching sounds. I'm thinking, "ooook, give it back, there are others.." But then he continued to talk my ear off (most of it actually helpful in diagnosing what's wrong with my leg), and even admitted to me that he's usually not this "garrulous," but he knows what I'm going through because he did the same.
So yeah, I'm just becoming friendly with everyone at the gym, I suppose. I think I've got a problem with my IT band. I hope I can fix it. Maybe my new shoes, which Huan is supplying me for Christmas, will do the trick. I sure hope they do, because this week I signed up for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in April (gasp! Am I crazy?), and I'll need all the time I can get to prepare. Updates on that to follow. Happy pre-xmas weekend to all!


Current Music: Magic in the Air, by Badly Drawn Boy
Current Mood: spirited

A mish-mash of things

This post will be a bit all over the place, but that's what you all get when you get pushy! It's funny how I kind of forget about my blog when things aren't terribly interesting, and then suddenly, as if all on the same day, I'll get some clear reminder than other people are counting on my consistent posts and that it allows people to pass the time wherever they may be. ("Dude what's the deal, it's been like 3 days.")

I'm starting to love the voicemails/e-mails/conversations that go something like this (today's was courtesy of Lo): "Hey, how are you? What's going on with you? I mean, I read your blog so I kind of know, but I thought I'd call anyway..." It's like as long as I have this blog going you don't feel so bad about not really contacting me. I'm not bitter either; I completely understand how it goes. The whole concept is just very amusing to me. How you don't really know how far your blog goes and who reads it, and then you find out about some really random person who does, and you're like, "weird." But it's cool. It's nice to have readership. That's why people do these things at all, isn't it? Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.



I will now post about my daily gym experiences. It is not difficult for my day to revolve around my gym time, as this is the one and only thing that is fairly routine for me these days. I usually like to go around 11 am, and before I do, I'll turn on our TV at home and check the guide to see what the lineup is for both Ellen DeGeneres and The View. If both of them look terrible, I can always fall back on the Price is Right. Then I'll have a solid hour to keep me entertained on the treadmill or other cardio machine. It really does make the time go by quickly, especially when it's a good show. Eleven o'clock is prime time, you see. It also falls under "unemployment hour" at the gym, when it is more or less deserted, save a few regular folks who come to work out on their lunch break. Even better is 2-3 pm, but rarely do I make that time. Ideally I would like to go at 4 pm, because I could count on Oprah to get me through the workout, but unfortunately I like to get it out of the way in the morning.

Today was an Ellen day. She's taking lessons from Oprah and doing "12 days of giveaway," which is kind of cool, and tomorrow she is revealing which celebrity has been disguising him/herself for 12 days as the giant gingerbread man. Must tune in for that one. Lindsay Lohan performed today on the show. She was awful. I think all these new school teenybopper chicks want to prove they can really sing (especially after the Ashlee Simpson fiasco), but Lindsay was just downright bad. Oh well, at least she tried and at least she sang live. Though to be truthful, I'd rather hear you lip-synch to a studio cut than make my ears bleed (That was way harsh, Tai!). On second thought, just stick to acting.

[In other quasi-teenybopper news, did anyone knows Mandy Moore is dating Zach Braff? Zach Braff (of "Garden State" fame) is like your prototypical popular geek. You know the type (think Adam Brody as another example)-- in a "normal" world he would be a skinny geek who got picked on by the "jocks," but in today's celebrity world this translates to total coolness, because everyone knows chicks dig the scrawny underdog. So now these guys are completely idolized and it's all because they're like "Me? girls? no way!" which is totally attractive in their modest, I-definitely-don't-consider-myself-cool-which-makes-me-very-cool way. But now they know they're cool for being geekish, so it's kind of annoying. Both "The OC" and "Scrubs" are excellent television shows, however, and "Garden State" was equally mesmerizing (as was its soundtrack, which everyone has undoubtedly heard by now).]

This is turning into a very bad and lengthy post.

Back to the gym... We've got our series of characters at the gym, ranging from the new young personal trainer (former gym goer turned employee), to the lady who comes in during lunch hour, and of course the older Spanish-speaking woman with a 6-pack.

I've had interesting run-ins with all of them. First was the lunch break lady. She comes in and puts in some good cardio time and then some weights, on occasion. She's kind of like this Shania Twain type, but a bit larger (by that I mean taller, more muscular). My run-in with her unfortunately was of the locker-room type. Yeah, you betcha, she was one of those "free" and "comfortable" locker room types. Very bizarre, I tell you. So unexpected, too. Honestly, would you think Shania Twain would be that type? (See, this is what you get when you demand I update. Most sincere apologies.)

Yesterday was the Spanish-speaking woman who is almost always there, and always there before I get there and still there when I leave. She kinda just hangs around, working on her guns and her six-pack. She must be in her mid-to-late 40's, maybe even 50, who knows. I guess every gym has one of those types, though. Kinda badass. She's like totally intimidating but also the nicest person ever. She started talking to me in the locker room about the weather, and how I was underdressed for it. I usually don't like to (actually, I hate it) socialize with people at the gym, particularly strangers, so I usually avoid eye contact if at all possible. But I was caught! Then she asked me about UVa, and what I was studying, and after I told her I had graduated she said she thought I was 18. That was about all. Oh, I almost forgot. She thought I was Korean, too, and then I corrected her.

Today's run-in completely initiated by me. I've had this nagging injury in my leg for the past few weeks, and I didn't know how the heck to stretch it properly, so after my short run today I decided I had to ask this new personal trainer guy. I'd seen him for a while just as a regular guy at the gym, except he was pretty hardcore-- always doing those really fancy exercises that only people who know what they're doing do. And once when he was doing this thing that made his shirt come up, I saw that he had one of those ridiculous John Basedow 6-packs. Anyway, I got to thinking he kind of knew what was going on. Next thing I know he has a job there and is a personal trainer. I think he's kind of popular with the 30+ type ladies, because he's a young guy, he's alright looking, and he's got a good body and whatever. Today one of his clients was all into him; she had burned some CDs for him and was very excited about it. I saw her drop them into his treadmill cubby thing. One of them was Maroon 5, which was totally amusing to me. But what always bothered me was that it appears his legs are shaved! Now I know if you've even gotten this far in the post, you already think I'm crazy, but really-- his legs always look smooth as silk, I can't ever spot a single hair, so it's not like he has the random Asian spotting or thin leg-hair thing happening. And he's dark-haired and light skinned, too, so it's not like I'm missing it. Could be a swimmer? Possibly, but doubtful. Even swimmers let it grow back, unless they're Michael Phelps or something. Anyway, this always made me a little wary of the guy.

Today I was desperate, though. After my run he was over on the mats reading up on his WSC manual. I was like "Excuse me, can I ask you a question?" which had to totally massage his newfound personal trainer ego. And then I proceeded to tell him where my leg hurt, and then he was totally responsive and helpful, and showed me what I should do (after throwing a bunch of technical personal trainer jargon at me, of course). So then it was cool, and I finally met him, but now it'll be one of those things where every time I see him he'll have to be like "Hey! How's the leg?!" And I'll tell him "Oh, better, great, thanks!" This should continue for some time, I figure. It already happened twice during the same gym trip today. Again, why I try to avoid conversations with strangers at the gym. I really ought to work on this antisocial thing. Maybe today was a start.

Well, on that note, I'm wrapping this one up. Look for more interesting and enlightening experiences to come. As always, thanks for reading.


Current Music: What Katie Did, by The Libertines
Current Mood: sleepy and off to bed

Springfield Sunset

It's no National Geographic exotic location shot (I'll save that one for another post--haha), but it's not bad for stepping outside my front door on a Thursday evening.




Current Music: Jesus on the Radio, by Guster
Current Mood: achy (that doesn't quite describe a mood so much as a physical state, though, huh?)

Good Fortune

Yesterday we celebrated the wedding of Bao Ngoc and her husband, Chris. Let's just say it was a memorable experience all-around. I was up around 7 am (earlier than if I'd shown up for our Vietnamese school presentations! Tuti and I skipped out on those; I hope the 7-10 year olds didn't blow it for our group, because they'll probably blame me.) and at Bao Ngoc's house for the morning part of the ceremony. I was one of five bridesmaid-cousins, all dolled up in our yellow ao dais for this uber-traditional Vietnamese wedding.

Throughout the day, we all remembered to thank Bao Ngoc and Chris for "taking one for the team," knowing (or at least hoping) that the rest of us might not have to go through the traditional experience like they so bravely did. But as the eldest daughter to the eldest son in the family, she let Ông run away with this one and throw a big bash for some 220 people, most of whom Bao Ngoc had never seen before. The newlyweds told us today that some of the checks were written out "Bao Ngoc & Husband," and even some others to Ông (my grandpa)!

The morning ceremony was rather brief and low-key, and we all enjoyed some downtime before the evening festivities at Fortune in Reston. For those of you who don't know, Fortune is a chinese restaurant that represents whatever kind of tackiness you might be able to imagine. Only a week ago Bao Ngoc let us in on her fear of dancing the Cha-Cha in front of the lobster tank as her first wedding dance. (We weren't far off. She managed to avoid this, although the tank was there in all its glory.) All the kids had a laugh, though, as we seated the many guests of our very popular grandfather and waited to be introduced as members of the bridal party. One of Bao Ngoc and Chris's fondest memories undoubtedly had to be the blasting Polka music through the speakers as the new couple was introduced to all the guests to kick off the night. This was only a hint of things to come. We had to ask management to remove the special wedding archway they usually had setup (imagine the backdrop for all those studio prom photos... the white garden archway with fake flowers and ivy hanging all over it). When they said they didn't have room to put it away (we wanted it out of sight), they told us, almost in disbelief: "Everyone usually wants it, so we don't know where to put it!"

After a very heartfelt and genuine speech from my gramps, we were finally seated and began the dinner portion of the night. You know how it goes-- 7 dishes or so, each spaced out at intervals of about 10 minutes. So you're eating some jellyfish and cucumbers . . . then a big shrimp ball . . . then a piece of chicken . . . etc. By the end of it, it's taken you a couple hours and you can't even remember what you've eaten and aren't sure if you're supposed to be full. The dessert oranges are always consistent, though, and for that you cannot help but be pleased. During dinner, we were also treated to the vocal stylings of some of the best, most-sequined Vietnamese singers around, as well as my grandpa's good friend who is very passionate about his harmonica. (A few of us were lucky enough to have seen him perform last weekend, at the Falls Church fortune, for a different event hosted by my grandpa.)

After dinner & cake, they set the stage for dancing by sprinkling baby powder all over it. I guess I don't go out enough to know that this is the appropriate way to prepare a dancefloor...
Anyhow, there were more Karaoke-style performances that we enjoyed, ranging from waltzes to the tango to the cha-cha (My dad dragged me on the dancefloor for this one. I guess that's what I get for asking him how to dance.). The one-man band (a guy on a keyboard) even did a great version of "I Just Called to say I Love you," which we all know is "my song," so I pleased all the parents by smiling and singing along. (The story goes that when I was a small tot, I gave many a moving performance of this song to any and all who would listen.) The personal highlight for the kids was when they played (CD versions, thank goodness) of "(Everything I Do) I Do it For You," a Bryan Adams classic, as well as the moving "Power of Love," by Celine Dion. No sarcasm here-- we were all singing along, it was a great moment.

All in all, a long but memorable day and night, amusing and entertaining us in so many different ways. Again, my congratulations to Bao Ngoc and Chris, not only for surviving the experience, but on their marriage. My conclusion after last night (and after Kim's wedding a couple months ago) is that I'm definitely leaning toward a barefoot wedding. This 4" heel thing is just not for me.


Current Music: Greensleeves, by Kenny G
(I'm serious- my mom is blasting Kenny G Christmas music throughout the house)
Current Mood: relaxed

Season's Greetings

Here are some fun pics of the 4 ft. tall tree and more over-the-top holiday decor! For a bunch of Buddhists, we sure know how to get into the Christmas spirit!


If I recall, Huan actually put 0 to maybe 1 ornament on his own tree. He was taking a nice little nap on his couch while his new Sinatra CD played in the background. I had to remind him that as much as he wanted it to be so, we were not actually characters in a Pottery Barn catalog.





And just for some perspective, I made Huan pose with the mini tree after it was all done!!





Last night we finished decorating the inside of our house, complete with items from the Hallmark window display that my mom entirely bought out a few years ago(seriously).

These elves dangle over the upstairs catwalk and greet you as you walk into the house. Now tell me, scary or not? I finally compromised with my mom and decided that these guys were "cute in the daytime, scary at night."




Here is the staircase crew:



And a close-up because they are so cute:




This is my favorite guy, the wise old sage of Christmastime (or some random wizard, not sure):




Enjoy! Happy Holidays.

Announcements and Observations

-First of all, let's celebrate this amazing unseasonal weather. It's almost mid-December and today I was outside in shorts and driving with the windows down! It feels more like early fall, which we all know is perfectly ideal. It looks like weather.com is showing me a dip in temps coming up soon, though. I guess it's just too much to ask for 60°+ days for the Holidays, huh? Well, at least it's not blustery yet. Let's hope for a comfortable winter.

-Gas prices are dropping, which is a pleasant holiday treat. I've seen it as low as $2.01 for premium around here. As an aside, does anyone else ever get bothered by the inconsistency in the arrangement of the fuel types? Some places it's Regular, Plus, Premium, from left to right, then the next place is Regular, Super (or even V-Power!!! or some other name), Plus. I can't keep it straight. One of these days I'm going to grab and pump the wrong one and then we'll all be in big trouble, won't we? (Clearly no, there will be no trouble at all. It isn't rocket science to read the labels for your proper octane preference, but in any case, this bothers me anyway.)

-Cinnamon Toast Crunch is on sale at Giant for half price. They also have Honey Nut Cheerios (It's a General Mills sale). Since we all know cereal is one of those oddly expensive items (regular price for this particular box was $6.50!), half price is a huge deal. In fact, I think I must go back and stock up. I hadn't eaten CTC in ages, and I'm kicking myself for it right now because it really is the best cereal around. You can get any kid to drink milk if you just dunk a handful of Cinnamon Toast Crunchies in there and get it all sugared up!

-And for an actual significant news update (for a change), I got an internship! Ah, non-rejection feels nice. I'll start working in January for the Public Education Center, which is an organization that researches and investigates news stories (either National Security News or Natural Resources News) and tries to break them into commercial media (20/20, 60 Minutes, Dateline, Post, Times, etc.) It should be a great way to get my journalistic feet wet again and possibly see if this is what I want to do with my life.


Current Music: Blame it on the Tetons, by Modest Mouse
Current Mood: weird, distracted

Think on the Bright Side

A friend of mine forwarded this to me today, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was compiled by a UVa professor, too, so that's a nice little bonus. Read on, fellow citizens.

THINK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

With the Blue States in hand, the Democrats have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, over 90% of our pineapple and lettuce, 92% of all fresh fruit production, 93% of the artichoke production, 95% of America's export quality wines, 90% of all cheese production, 90% of the high tech industry, most of the US low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Amherst, Stanford, Berkeley, CalTech and MIT. We can live simply but well.

The Red States, on the other hand, now have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans (and their projected health care cost spike), 92% of all US mosquitoes, 90+% of all tornadoes (sorry about that, you'all in Kansas), 90% of all hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, 100% of all Televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, and Bob Jones University, Clemson, and the University of Georgia. A high price to pay for controlling the presidency.

Additionally, 38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually eaten by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% believe that evolution is just a theory, 53% that Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11, and 61% believe that Bush is a person of moral conviction.


G. Carleton Ray, Research Professor
Department of Environmental Sciences
University of Virginia
291 McCormick Road
Charlottesville, VA 22904 USA
Tel: (1-434) 924-0551
Fax: (1-434) 982-2137
Email: cr@virginia.edu

Laguna Beach finale...

Well, I must say, I was disappointed by the absence of Trey in the last episode, as he had become one of my favorite Laguna Beach boys by the end of the season. But I guess he was already in New York trying to get used to rude and fast-moving east coasters. Otherwise, it was actually cute/sad to see all our hottie Laguna Beach friends pack up for college and say their goodbyes. It was hard to watch this episode and not reminisce about that time in our life between high school and college. If only for a short time, it kind of made me want to be 18 again. There's nothing like feeling old when you're only 22.

The uplifting part about all this is that there will be a second season! I actually had no idea it was coming; I assumed there was no way they could stalk/pseudo-script these kids' lives for another year. But I guess it is so! And apparently Kristin is now a celebrity, or so it appeared when she walked into the MTV studio. It's so bizarre that these kids are/will be idolized in the same way the actors of, say, "The OC" are. I can't quite wrap my brain around it. It's kind of a strange phenomenon all-around. (Clearly I have partially bought into it...)

One final observation: Why didn't the parents escort their kids to college? Is that the way in Laguna Beach, to just drop them off at the airport or send them off in their pick-up? Why didn't LC have more stuff with her? I'm just guessing that MTV whispered to them, "Parents aren't cool for the show, why don't you just come up to visit in a few weeks?" Silly MTV, if they learned anything from "The OC," they would know that parents are very cool indeed.

Current Music: Nightswimming, by R.E.M.
Current Mood: a bit nostalgic

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.
The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago,
Turned around backwards so the windshield shows.
Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse.
Still, it’s so much clearer.
I forgot my shirt at the water’s edge.
The moon is low tonight.

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.
I’m not sure all these people understand.
It’s not like years ago,
The fear of getting caught,
Of recklessness and water.
They cannot see me naked.
These things, they go away,
Replaced by everyday.

Nightswimming, remembering that night.
September’s coming soon,
I’m pining for the moon.
And what if there were two
Side by side in orbit
Around the fairest sun?
That bright, tight forever drum
Could not describe nightswimming.

You, I thought I knew you.
You I cannot judge.
You, I thought you knew me,
This one laughing quietly underneath my breath.
Nightswimming.

The photograph reflects,
Every streetlight a reminder.
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night, deserves a quiet night.

Adorable Pic

Here is a pic of my pops, grandma, and aunt taken on Thanksgiving. Too cute! No one can resist Bà's love!

Top 10 Albums of 2004

Suddenly and without warning, December is upon us, so I find no better time than now to post my top 10 albums of 2004 (all released within the year). Now that I look at the list, there should be something for almost everyone in there, so these are great ideas for stocking stuffers!! (I actually don't know anybody who "stuffs stockings," but it's fun to say and puts me in the holiday spirit).


1. Elliott Smith :: From a Basement on the Hill



2. Rufus Wainwright :: Want Two



3. Interpol :: Antics



4. Ambulance, Ltd :: LP



5. A.C. Newman :: Slow Wonder



6. Arcade Fire :: Funeral



7. The Killers :: Hot Fuss



8. Ray LaMontagne :: Trouble



9. Patty Griffin :: Impossible Dream



10. Keane :: Hopes and Fears





And because ten just isn't enough, the honorable mentions are:



U2 :: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb



The Libertines :: The Libertines



Iron & Wine :: Our Endless Numbered Days




Time to iTune in, people (ha-ha-ha)! And to all my loyal readers, Happy Holidays!

Because of Winn-Dixie

As a little tribute to the man who planted so many important musical-loving seeds in me (Dave Matthews), here is a trailer to the upcoming movie he's starring in, coming to a theater near you in February '05.

Because of Winn-Dixie

What a big goof, eh?


While I'm at it, a tribute to the Wainwright family (Rufus, Martha and Loudon), who will all star alongside Leo, Kate Beckinsale, Gwen Stefani, and so many others. Should be a great one!

The Aviator

And let's face it, you have to love Leo. He's done some really great films. He's like Justin Timberlake, having successfully enjoyed cheesy teenybopper status but then ascending the ranks to become truly respected in his field.


Current Music: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, by U2
Current Mood: quite good

Gobble Gobble

At long last, here is my Thanksgiving weekend wrap-up...

My favorite holiday began a little differently this year. I was up before 7 am on Thanksgiving morning with Huan, Natty, Skelbs, and CGrumms to run in the annual Turkey Trot 5k in Centreville. Along with about 2500 others, we braved the oncoming storm clouds that suddenly made the sky blacken right before race time. Shortly after being drenched under the downpour (how very hardcore of us), we were en route. It was a nice leisurely run (i.e., I definitely did not run for time), and it was nice to see how far I had come from the days of my 10th grade P.E. final, in which I conquered the seemingly impossible task of running 3 miles under 30 minutes with the help of one of my running mentors, Caroline (CGrumms). We were running buddies again this time, except that I could actually converse with her the whole time, and it was very nice to catch up. You see, in the olden days, I would refuse to respond to or acknowledge any of her stories, not for lack of respect but for lack of breath. I'm not so bad anymore. Post-race, it was time to have a truly guilt-free Thanksgiving gorge fest since we had the exercise out of the way.

Dinner was delicious as always, and there seemed to be more food than ever. This year's highlights: butternut squash soup, delightfully juicy turkey, mashed potatoes (because you can never go wrong), and Huan's pumpkin profiterole dessert, which I devoured even after 3 or 4 plates of food in me.

Friday we finally took Auddie to go see "The Incredibles," which I enjoyed even more the second time around. Great film, definitely right up there with "Finding Nemo." Bravo Pixar, you've done it yet again.

That night Kim wanted to watch her wedding video that my dad had recorded, and I soon found out there are few things more awkward than this activity. The ceremony part and all that were fine, but once we got to the dancing portion of the evening and the camera was still rolling, it was like having to watch yourself at a club or a party. To think, when it's actually happening, you've consumed just the right amount to get yourself out there dancing in the first place, and here you are now watching it again but with sober eyes. Very strange sensation. And then there was watching my speech. I mean, I hate to hear my voice on voicemail, let alone in a lengthy speech with bad jokes and a ridiculous amount of nerves on top of it! I guess this is why I did not ever pursue acting as a career, eh? Definitely don't love that spotlight.

Saturday evening was the bridal shower dinner/drinks event in Georgetown for my cousin Bao Ngoc. It actually ended up being a really great time. It was one of those nights when you have no expectations, and it turns out to be a ton of fun. For the first time since I can actually remember, I was catching up with and really getting to know my cousins with whom I have never been very close. It was a very refreshing moment where I think we kind of saw each other in a different way, and definitely for the better. It's always nice when that happens.

Today was a fun way to end the long weekend. I headed to SportRock in Alexandria with Huan and Tin, a family friend. This place is a massive indoor climbing arena with a ton of walls of different skills that go up to over 40 feet. Huan and I decided it'd be a good idea to start with the Basic Skills class to learn how to harness ourselves up, tie our knots, and master the art of "belaying." There was so much fun terminology to learn. After the remedial stuff, we actually started climbing, and it was so exciting! I, of course, managed to let my thumb pinch in the device during my first real belaying experience, so I have a nice beginner's battle wound to show for my first-time out. Other than that, though, it was really awesome, and I think Huan and I were instantly hooked to this new hobby (if we ever make it outdoors, that will be a different story...). Actually, I'll have to update my thoughts again tomorrow if I am actually able to fully operate my arms and legs. Good times, though. I definitely recommend you give climbing a try.

Now I am snuggling up with some Haagen Dazs Strawberry ice cream as the finale to this very indulgent weekend. Twas a lovely Thanksgiving. Only regrets are that I didn't get to see or hang out with everyone I would have liked. Alas, that is what Christmas is for.

Here's to thankfulness. In brief, this year I am thankful for my family, but not in the cheesy "of course you are thankful for your family" kind of way, but in a truly genuine way, for unconditionally supporting me in this "lost soul" portion of my post-graduate search for some stability. Cheers.


Current Music: Vincent O'Brien, by M. Ward
Current Mood: satisfied

Oprah forever.

Today was that wonderful episode that makes you squeal and love Oprah and hate her and want to be her at the same time. Oprah's favorite things! Oprah had a studio audience full of teachers from around the country who thought they were there for a show on education. They soon found out they had earned the "hottest ticket of the season" for the favorite things show, and everyone proceeded to scream and cry like babies (I'd probably do the same, and so would you).

Then, for the next hour, one box after the next, Oprah would uncover these ridiculous gifts and before she could even talk about what they were, the crowd would start crying and screaming again. While mildly annoying, it was actually pretty awesome. From Burberry scarves to flat screen TVs, to a Maytag Washer/Dryer and a trip to a weekend spa getaway... Oprah sure knows the way into the hearts of Americans. But seriously, aside from all the sweet gifts she gave away to each and every person in the audience, it was pretty awe-inspiring to sit back and watch her in her element. She has so much pull, so much influence, and however you feel about her as a person, it's great to see her as one of the few ridiculously wealthy people (net worth: $1 billion+) out there who is so visible when it comes to her giving and using her status for the well-being of others. For that, Oprah is just badass! (And the companies that participated in her favorite things show are just brilliant, because it's clear anything she touches or talks about basically turns into gold. There's no better marketing than through Oprah herself!)

Ok, out with it, I love Oprah, even if she loves to name-drop and act like she's best friends with every celebrity in the world. It's ok! Because she's really admirable, and she's done some amazing things to change people's lives, whether here or around the world. I remember some time last year, how I was sitting in front of the TV with tears streaming down my cheeks and a bunch of used tissues surrounding me after I watched the show about her South Africa trip. That whole thing was just incredible and very, very inspiring. Go Oprah! Wow, never thought my blog would see the day that I'd openly kiss Oprah's butt in a post. But there I went. Deep down I'm just jealous I didn't get all those fun toys she gave away today, and I hope that she will read this and invite me to her show.


Current Music: Only Got One, by Frou Frou

Back online (phew!)

Oh, to be back online. After a digging mishap in our neighborhood on Friday by some contractor dudes, our Internet and phone line were cut off and not reconnected until late this afternoon. Whoa! It was a mere 4 days, but Internet withdrawal was odd and painful. I, among other family members, found myself antsy and pacing around at various moments of the day that would ordinarily be occupied by standard Internet and computer time. It was bizarre! We reminded ourselves, and I informed Auddie for perhaps the first time, that indeed there was a time when people enjoyed the comforts of home and the company of others without the soothing hum of the computer and the ease of googling at our disposal. In fact, it was only less than a decade ago. As soon as I realized this fact, it was actually nice to act like a "normal" person and figure out what I would do with the time I usually spent on the computer... I finished a book, started another one, got back on the piano, organized all our photo CDs, etc. After the first day, it was like I really was over it, I just needed to check my e-mail every couple days, but other than that I could deal. Of course, now that it's back, I have to update my blog, catch up on my "e-news" and all the rest... So the little addiction begins again.


Current Music: Jolene, by Ray LaMontagne

Only in America

So this is my second food bizarre posting in a row, but this one is too good to pass up. While this is completely old news, I looked at it again today and for some reason it made me happy. Where else can you find people bidding thousands of dollars for a 10-year-old sandwich? What a crazy world we live in. It's amazing! And really, it's even more amazing that there is no mold on that thing. I remember some sandwiches from college that were unrecognizable after a few weeks of being wrapped up under a couch or some other mysterious place (ew, gross memories).

Virgin Mary in Grilled Cheese





Current Music: Useless Desires, by Patty Griffin

Fat Attack

Whoa! And I thought that over this past year, we as a Fast Food Nation were trying to downsize... Guess not! Who is going to eat this? I mean, I'll share it with you... and your friend. Makes my heart kind of tighten up just thinking about it, though.

Hardee's Monster Thickburger




mmm...1420 calories and 107 grams of fat just waiting to be consumed.



Current Music: Better than Most, by A.C. Newman
Current Mood: hungry (not for the Monster burger, though-- Cha Gio instead!)

A few announcements

-First of all, I was just in my car and had to do a double-take as my lovely radio data alert system, which scrolls song & artist, was telling me that I was listening to Nelly and Tim McGraw on "Over and Over." Well, call me out of the loop, but I had no idea! That's something though, huh? I kind of like it... the crossover, that is. Kudos for making more music we will find difficult to simply "label."

-Thank god for Patrick Ramsey getting a chance to start next week for the Skins. It might be too little, too late, but at least we've got something to look forward to, and the hope of more than 6 yards from the QB... (sorry Brunell, but let's face it, you suck)

-The Amazing Race 6 season premiere is tomorrow night at 9 PM. If you have not ever seen this show, start tuning in now. It's the best reality show on TV, and one that has gone (mostly) unnoticed until recently. Hell, I didn't even tune in until Season 4 and I'm a TV junkie! You don't know what you're missing! Trust me, it's a must-watch. At the least, it's better for your brain than "The Swan."

-Rufus Wainwright's "Want Two," his very highly anticipated follow-up to the wonderfully addicting "Want One," will hit your local record stores tomorrow. It comes with a 20-track DVD bonus, so who can resist? I've already heard some tracks off this one, and it's amazing. It combines Rufus's beautifully unique voice and simple songwriting with his quirky and truly brilliant musical side. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.



Current Music: "his goal in life was to be an echo..." -Hummingbird, by Wilco

Marathon Pics

Sorry for the delay (remember what it was like to actually use film with your camera and actually wait for it to be processed?), but here is a healthy sampling of my photos from the Marathon Weekend in NYC:

Here is the man of the hour, Natty Glasser:




Devoted fans, Kim & Huan, roadside in Queens:




A nice shot of the boys of FDNY in Brooklyn cheering on some runners:




Who doesn't love a true patriot in costume?




Can you imagine doing this for 26.2 miles?




I love the cop's shadow in this shot (Nathaniel is approaching in the very center):




And finally...because who doesn't love some doggies, especially a dachshund?




Current Music: Red Right Ankle, by The Decemberists
Current Mood: distracted

Happy Veteran's Day

I just came back from Orange Hunt's very special (and I believe their first, at least since Auddie's been there) Veteran's Day assembly. My only regret is that I did not bring my camera, because there is nothing like seeing hundreds of K-3 kids singing "America the Beautiful," "This Land is Your Land," and "God Bless the USA" in unison. Too cute!!! Seriously, I don't know how I'll react when it's my own kids doing these types of things. We even had seats good enough to see Max and Mira (the twinsies) joining in. This girl sitting next to Mira was that one hilarious child-- you know, she thinks no one is watching as she sings, and every single word she would sing with this jaw-dropping intensity. Oh, so much to take away from an elementary school assembly. It brought me right back. The way the SCA reps/officers rule the school and get to do important things like introduce the program; the way the kids in band think they are badasses (I mean, they are though, kind of-- at least the drummers) but somehow within 5 years they'll just be geeks; and the way so many of the teachers have not changed a bit since I was in school, yet somehow everything else has changed so much (rock climbing walls in the gymnasium!).

As a tribute on this Veteran's Day, Nov. 11, 2004, below I have published one of my favorite poems written by my grandpa. It's an oldie but always a goodie. Enjoy!


The Wall

It's not the wall of fear of the Kremlin,
It's not the wall of shame of East Berlin.
Neither the 10-thousand-mile Chinese Great Wall
Nor the Wall of Lamentation at all.
A Common black marble wall of fame
Filled with fifty-eight thousand names.
Fifty-eight thousand knights of Democracy,
Fifty-eight thousand fighters against tyranny,
Crossing all over jungles, rice-fields and towns
For the "No-win policy" they had fallen down,
Everyday flowers are offered to the undaunted heroes
Who are remembered even by their foes.
Their names shine in the Capital murk,
Their remains rest in the inner earth.
The sun shines and reflects on their soul,
Immortal and brave, and worshipped by all.


D.C. 1988
The Viet-Nam Memorial

by Ha Binh Trung

Totino's Party Pizza

Tonight's blog is dedicated to the most underrated (not to mention ridiculously affordable) item in the frozen food section. Just make sure you put it directly on the center rack in order to ensure optimal crispness. (Don't forget to clean the oven rack of cheesy/crusty residue after you are done.) In 8-10 minutes you have a satisfying meal. Go ahead, stop into your grocer's freezer and pick one up today.

Marathon Weekend (no pun intended)

...and what a fun weekend it was! Huan and I headed up to NYC on Friday evening, which is to say, I drove him there and he had a nice 4-hour car nap ("some people just aren't cut out for life on the road...").

The purpose of the weekend excursion was to be up there to cheer on Natty in the New York City Marathon on Sunday morning [photos to come]. It turned out to be a little marathon even for us spectators! We basically did, by train, what these 35,000 amazing people were doing by foot. Our first post was in Brooklyn, at mile 7, when everyone still had smiles on their faces and that bounce in their step. We were able to see the lead group of men run by us, running at a pace I would never be able to consider for a single mile (somewhere in the range of 5-minute miles, I'd say? Superhuman, that's all.) As soon as we saw Nathaniel pass us, we had to haul booty back to the train to make it to the next meeting point-- we had designated times to be at the posts, based on his expected pace. It was quite efficient if you could make it work, but if you couldn't, and something didn't fall into place as expected, it could get a little crazy and confusing, not knowing whether you've missed your runner, or whether he's behind or ahead or what! That said, it was totally fun and like a mini amazing race experience-- at one point we were literally sprinting through Queens trying to catch up. Anyway, Nathaniel finished the marathon like a trooper and was definitely our hero of the day!!

So, I got to experience almost all 5 boroughs in one day (Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Manhattan..just missed out on the starting line, in Staten Island) and cheer on all these runners. It felt like a nice New York moment. I think I would like to run it myself someday. The thought of it is terrifying, especially after you actually see people do it in person, but that's also what makes me want to do it even more. I think it would be such a great mental and physical challenge! Not to mention totally badass. Besides, I keep reminding myself that Oprah did it when she was 40, so it's totally a possibility! For now, baby steps.. I just registered for the Turkey Trot 5k in Centreville on Thanksgiving Day. Should be a fun to kick off the long Holiday weekend!

Post-Marathon spectating, I hopped in the car, picked up John and we were en route to Philly to catch the Interpol show that evening. After a couple minor navigating issues (we did pass by a "Super Video and Super Water Ice" store... what??) we made it to Philly and enjoyed a delicious Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) dinner, courtesy of John's friend.

Onto the show...

The Electric Factory is a pretty cool venue. It actually seemed quite a bit larger than the 9:30 club, but with a strange closed-off bar area where they isolate the "wild" drinkers, I suppose. (That's where you could find me and John.)

They didn't let me bring in my bottle of water, which I could deal with, obviously. But then they made me throw away my pen. I said, "It's a PEN!" She said, "I know, but you can come get it after the show, it will be in that box.." (points to nondescript cardboard box with probably 100 pens in it) "..it will probably be near the top, too!" Um, no thanks lady, it's just a pen with the name of some drug on it, I don't want to fish through the box for it, I just want to keep it now. Weird.

John and I suddenly got pumped because we realized we were seeing Interpol in a few moments. The rest of the day had been so hectic trying to bounce around the City for the marathon, meet up and go to Philly, that we'd forgotten what we were doing. The show was good-- my only disappointment was that it seemed quite brief, probably about an hour? That wasn't too bad when we saw them in Richmond two years ago for the bargain price of $7, because at that point they'd only had their one album out so pretty much played that through. But I thought that since they've blown up and prices were jacked up, we'd at least get a longer treat and a few extra songs on the set since they have two albums to work with. But apparently not, so we pretty much got a half and half split between old and new material. But the second encore of "Stella..." was a pleasant surprise and made up for everything. I did realize, though, that the window of being able to see a band and have them play everything you want to hear is so very small! Seeing a band on their first tour, after their first album, is a unique and rare experience. Once it's over you will never be able to hear all those songs performed together live-- you instantly become a selfish and picky concertgoer! "Oh, but I wish they'd played ___!" It's inevitable disappointment over what could have been. Anyway, it was a great time-- a nice ending to a long day.

Missed out on my chance to have a delicious Geno's Cheesesteak while in Philly, though. Must make another trip back soon.

That concludes Marathon Weekend update. Look for Marathon pictures soon.


Current Music: Specialist, by Interpol
Current Mood: lil tired

If you thought the map looked red on Tuesday night...

Look again! County by county...



[for more details, here's the source]

"Welcome to the OC..."

Ah, what an exciting night. Like all the other diehard fans, I'd been counting down the days until tonight's season premiere of the show that renewed my faith in good ol' 90210-style television. Tonight did not disappoint, besides the fact that I had to pause every minute or so to explain to first Auddie, then later (multiple times) to my parents, who all the characters were and how they were connected. It all makes sense if you saw the first season, but when you're getting it all in one dose, it seems pretty crazy if you think about it...

("that brunette [Julie] married this old guy [Caleb], and he's this other woman's dad, and she's [Kirsten] that kid in the green shirt's [Seth] mom, and that kid used to date this girl [Summer], who is best friend's with the really skinny one [Marissa], who used to date the kid from the bad part of town [Ryan], who left the OC to go back to his pregnant girlfriend...")

I didn't even try to start on Luke and his dad! Whoo. Anyway, I love the show, and it's a guilt-free pleasure; I am not embarassed by it nor do I have any shame. I just love it! It's incredibly entertaining, and I love the music. You gotta give Josh Schwartz credit for being able to blend the "underground" or "indie" music scene with this ridiculously popular teenybopper show.

My Thursday night lineup is officially complete! (Quite the social life, eh?)


Current Music: Mr. Brightside, by The Killers
Current Mood: "amped" -- (Laguna Beach/OC language)

Don't mess with the Fortune Teller

It turns out the Redskins failed as an election predictor (guess it should have been a TD after all...), but the fortune tellers were right. I should have known. A couple days ago, my parents told me our personal Vietnamese fortune telling friend (the Thây Boí) was predicting Bush would win the election. Huan and I got a little upset and tried to ignore this fact, but it was always in the back of my mind. Could they be right? How do they really know? Do I believe them? I guess all was answered today. If I ever questioned their credibility, they redeemed themselves with this call. Am I starting to sound crazy? I used to think my parents were crazy, but now they've reeled me in.

On a related note, my dad showed me this article today. It should be particularly interesting to those of you who are lost right now, or are picturing Whoopi Goldberg in "Ghost" when I mention a fortune teller. This is the type of conversation you could hear around my house regarding the election-- and they're dead serious about it. Half the time, I actually believe it. Now, I'm even more convinced.

What Now?

The reality has hit me, and I'm pretty bummed out right now. After I woke up and saw that it was all official and Kerry had conceded to Bush, I was overwhelmed with a great sense of disappointment. As a Democrat and Kerry voter, you just sit and wonder- what could have been done differently? And why? The difficulty is trying to control your emotions and understand that more than half the voting public thought differently than you did, and in our democracy, Bush won fair and square. I applaud Kerry for conceding this morning and admitting that he didn't want this to go down the way Florida did in '00. But you have to commend Bush for his campaign; I think everyone on both sides was surprised at how it played out (or perhaps not, and those of us who were on the Kerry side were just clouded by our desperation), and in these final weeks we may have underestimated our President.

I understand why the sentiment now is that we all should unite and move on from this, because that is what our country needs most. But let's be honest- those of us who have believed in our candidate and the vision he had for America will have a difficult time dropping this and pressing on. When you believe so strongly in something and a given set of ideals--political, social, whatever-- it's so easy to say "What is wrong with everyone??" and have difficulty accepting the other side when your explanations seem so clear and rational. Even in the midst of war and all the other indictments against Bush, the fact that he ran away with a victory is telling. The Democratic party just was not strong enough. Even those who were so adamant about a change in the White House still were not completely comfortable with our candidate, and I think this was the overriding factor yesterday. The Republicans effectively played on the values of America (albeit "values" I mostly disagree with), and truth be told, that works for most of the voting public.

I was sad watching Kerry give his concession speech. I was with my mom at the World Bank cafeteria, and I was trying not to get emotional in a public place-- that would have been a weak showing for a defeated citizen! But, it was definitely a quiet and moving moment, and Kerry handled it well, still showing optimism and believing we have to continue to fight for the American people. Then on my drive home from DC around 3 PM I drove by the Reagan building and saw all the cop cars and motorcycles and droves of Bush/Cheney supporters looking so gleeful. That was also kind of moving.. in a different way, of course.

Last comments: The whole "I'm moving to Canada" thing following an election result is getting kind of played out. (Why always Canada? If you're going to say it, be bold! Go to Australia, or how about India!) I didn't see anyone go to Canada in '00, and my guess is, no one is really going to pack their bags this time. (I'm not calling anyone a sissy- challenge me, and if you want to move, by all means, do it!) It's not the end of the world. And at the end of the day, the U.S. is still a great country and I am still proud to be an American. (That doesn't mean I can't be bummed for a few days about a big election, though.) Now it's time for Bush to put on his game face because he has been given a mandate (buzzword #2) by the people who voted for his re-election, and he's definitely got something to prove. For now, "4 more years" til we can do this again, and I just can't wait to see who the Dems will have lined up. No predictions yet ;)


Current music: Politik, by Coldplay
(after all, there is a song for every story and mood)
Current mood: bummed out

Keeping the Faith

So I've moved from freak out mode, to mellow mode, past depressed mode, and now I'm in a very calm state. Ok, so my chest is constricting a bit, but that comes and goes. However, I have not lost all faith. I still believe in Ohio... there all those "provisional votes" (buzzword of the night) that are still outstanding (Why do they have to wait 11 days to count them? Why? Why not 22 days then? Or 1. Or 2?). We are definitely playing from behind, but at this point I have nothing left to do but hold onto my last ounce of hope!

One thing that seems clear is that this thing is going to drag on well past tonight (this morning). I hate for it to get ugly with all the lawsuits and courts, but I suppose that much is inevitable at this point.

Ok. Closing the book on tonight with Bush ahead 249-211, and a 100,000 vote margin separating the candidates in Ohio. I still believe!

Edit: Ok, it's almost 3 AM and I can't seem to turn off the TV. The electoral vote is now Bush 249 - Kerry 242 (could it be any closer?). But the latest shows Bush with a growing margin in Ohio, and those smug folk are practically celebrating at the White House. It's weird to think that's happening only a few blocks from where I am right now. Good ol' Kerry won't go down 'til the fat lady sings, though. Good for him. May the last vote be counted.

Ohio, Ohio, Ohio!

We need Ohio. Desperately.

Some people are still waiting in line to vote! Some people waited for 10+ hours! I thought my wait was bad. I should have moved to Ohio to vote there. Well, maybe not.

Hard to think this time 4 years ago I was sitting in my little dorm room with flourescent lighting, pretending to study for my History of Jazz exam (which I ultimately did not do well on), watching the returns on my little 12" TV, and finally going to bed thinking Bush had won decisively, before all the drama that followed.

I'm kind of mellowing out now, past the freak-out mode, just waiting for the final call.

Come on Ohioans, I'm counting on you!

Too Early To Call

Right now the vote difference between candidates in New Hampshire is 147. Holy cow! Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio are still too close to call, and we know they aren't going to say anything until they're damn sure. Not to mention all those absentee ballots that still have be registered... this could be a long little process.

I'm getting a bit nervous. I don't want to jinx anything, and I know it's not over til it's over, but you can't help but get that sinking feeling as you watch the Red show up on the map over and over again.

I'm at Huan's place and we're enjoying his delicious chili again. And some chips and peach salsa. And Halloween candy. I'm voting for a switch to Laguna Beach to ease some of this tension. The Daily Show Special at 10 definitely provided some much-needed laughs.

One thing I'm very excited about is that I got Auddie engaged in the process. We explained the Electoral College to her as best we could, and she had her Mini Page special about the Election to guide her. Last night we each printed out blank U.S. Maps and labeled them, and tonight she and I were following along and coloring the map as they announced them (It's kind of fun! Great excuse to get back into crayons). She would call me every now and then to make sure she got all of them, which was really cute. It's nice to feel like you have a role in teaching and raising your little sis and getting her interested in something important at a young age.

This IM exchange was particularly cute:

auddie5001: kerry's losing big time
auddie5001: come on
auddie5001: :(

Well, cute if you overlook the fact that she, too, had noticed the large Red blobs taking over the awesome ice rink U.S. Map up in Rockefeller Center.

Again, we'll have to wait for those key "battleground" states to roll in...

I still have faith!

Proud to be an American

I just saw this on my run around the neighborhood and I had to go back and snap a photo. I usually bypass these kind of signs pretty quickly, but today it made me feel proud and happy!
The firemen were nice and turned on the sign light for me because by the time I made my way back to take a picture, it was starting to get dark out. Nice guys.




For now, still watching the TV, getting antsy, waiting for word on anything new, knowing it won't come for at least a few more hours... Tom Brokaw has just informed me that "Patience is the word tonight." Thanks, Tom.


JayTwoThe: yeah, it's all fun n games til the map is red!

I Voted!

I just returned from my first in-person voting experience. It was quite exciting, actually! (Definitely more thrilling than filling out an absentee ballot!) I could have waited until the middle of the day to go when it was much less crowded, but I wanted to do it with my mom and Huan, so I got up around 7 AM to go with them. We arrived at Sangster Elementary at about 8, and by the time we had queued into the first line, then another line, then finally voted, it was about 9:20! The place was a bit disorganized and some people were complaining about it, but I just went with the flow. It was worth whatever waiting we had to do because we should be thankful we have the chance to vote! I even wore my Democracy for Vietnam shirt to remind myself of this. Auddie got to stand behind me as I cast my electric vote on the fun little machine. She even got her own I Voted sticker-- lucky kid!

For some reason the A-K line was nonexistent, while the L-Z line was out the door and continuing to grow. This made some people mad. It was a little strange, for sure. Huan and I kept talking about voter intimidation and how many people might be turned away from polls because of the minor obstacles that present themselves.

Anyhow, now that I've done my part, I'll be tuning in later today for full coverage of the election. Hopefully it won't keep us up too late... though I have a feeling it may be a long while before we know the final results!

VOTE*VOTE*VOTE*VOTE*VOTE*VOTE*VOTE*VOTE*VOTE*VOTE*VOTE

Vote!

Google, you are too cool for words, so we'll let the logo do the talking as it always does so well:

Election Day Eve

We are less than an hour away from Election Day 2004, an event we have been anticipating for what seems like forever. After all the debates, arguments, newscasts, polls, name-calling, and so on... we can all breathe a sigh of relief because the day has finally arrived. We can quit our bickering, throw out our theories and predictions, and simply watch it all unfold (hopefully avoiding any Florida '00 scenarios). I'm getting antsy/excited/nervous, like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. The sense of adrenaline that this is giving me is something I cannot describe. Updates will follow as the day goes on...

Don't forget to vote tomorrow. I know I won't!

Halloween pics!

We have a ton of leftover candy. I bought the Reese's (Cups & Pieces!), Kit Kat, Hershey's Bar, and Almond Joy super pack. Kids don't really like Almond Joy, but I sure do! I also like other slightly weird Halloween treats (NOT Tootsie Rolls or Candy Corn), like Peanut Chews and Salted Peanuts. Once we came upon a house that had its bucket of candy outside since they weren't home, and it was all Peanut Chews! It was the best surprise ever. I don't think anyone gives those out anymore though... It feels like 10 years since I've had my last Peanut Chew. I could really go for one of those right about now.

Max got an IHOP mint in his candy stash tonight. Who does that? How weird/cheap/gross.

What else. Oh yeah, Kam and I (w/ Co Dung's help... and some convenient stencils and pumpkin-carving tools) carved the sweetest pumpkins ever. It was (I think) my first real pumpkin carving experience, from start to finish... turned out pretty well if you ask me! Don't mean to toot my own horn, but I don't think I saw any other pumpkins out there tonight as awesome as ours! You can judge for yourself below!

As promised, here are some photos from tonight's Halloween festivities with Auddie, Max, Mira, and Billie the wonderdog.

There were other doggies in costume tonight, but Billie was by far the cutest!
To Infinity and Beyond, he says!




The kids and Billie in front of the house. Auddie was Rizzo of the Pink Ladies, Mira was a fairy pixie princess (are those three the same? I don't really know), and Max was the Incredible Hulk:




This is pumpkin carving #1 -- it's a ghost!




This is the other one -- a spooky castle!




There's nothing that brings you into the heart of suburbia like walking around trick-or-treating on a balmy October night and seeing dogs, babies, parents, and everyone else get into the Halloween spirit!

For the last time, Happy Halloween everyone!


Current Music: I'm a Cuckoo, by Belle & Sebastian
Current Mood: sleepy (the "fall back" throws everything off, huh? It's only one hour yet your whole day seems transformed!)

Redskins lose! (Go Kerry!)

Well, the game is about over, and it was a bittersweet loss for the Skins. I had some trouble rooting against them for the first time, but I knew we had a big test of history before us. (If you are lost, see previous post re: Redskins & Presidential elections --10.15.04)

If the Redskins are going to continue to be a predictor of the Presidential election (as they have been since 1936), it looks like Kerry may be able to squeeze out a victory on Tuesday. And if the actual game is any prediction of how the day will go, it looks like Kerry may take a commanding lead early on, Bush will pull up right behind him... then, as Bush looks poised to take the lead as polls close, he will be denied (by a penalty? maybe) and Kerry will bring home the win. This is a bit scary how I've pinned my election hopes on what just happened in a football game. My heart was pounding as the Redskins had the TD called back by a penalty with a little over 2 minutes left in the game. I was like, YES!! NO!! Wait, YES!.. I think! In any case, it was win-win game for me all around. Sorry Skins, but unlike Kerry, you always have next week!

This is my last pitch-- Get your booty out and VOTE on Tuesday!
Read this interesting article from Washington Post Magazine about the typical nonvoter.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Well, I attended Alli's Halloween Party last night... It's always great when you give "grown-ups" an excuse to get dressed up in costumes and drink punch and have orange jello shooters, etc. I was in a bit of a panic before the party because Laura was supposed to meet me there with Austen's costume from last year which I was borrowing (inflatable sumo wrestler). But, as expected, Lo was running ever-so-slightly late...

Never one to show up at a Halloween party without a costume in fear of the harassment that follows, I had to think quickly. I spotted Auddie's patrol belt and her drug-free week bracelet (made exclusively for 6th graders) sitting on our kitchen counter, and , and I was on my way as a patrol/elementary school kid/6th grader...

This worked out even better when Alli threw me a baseball cap (ok, so it was a Grey Goose cap, but who really noticed?) which I threw on my head sideways. This costume carried me through the majority of my time at the party, until Lo showed up around... midnight.

Ok ok, enough with the talk, here are the photos:


Laura, the fat ballerina, with Alli, party host and dirty martini:




Austen, as "job search," summing up the experience of so many recent grads... (copies of résumés, applications, faxes, rejection letters... you know what I'm talking about):





This is Jess, in my favorite and definitely most creative costume of the evening: Boxed Wine (Nothing to remind you of your college days like some boxed wine! The best part was that her costume was fully functional with a spout coming out of the front- very popular with the party guests). I'm posing with her in my backup costume, which I also dubbed "party patrol" (ha ha ha...):




Here's a better view of the boxed wine:





Here is my debut as a sumo wrestler with my fat ballerina girlfriend (who knew?):




And in case you didn't realize how large and in charge I really was... this is me standing in the kitchen:




All in all, it was good to see some old friends, get dressed up, and scope out all the other interesting partygoers. Can't wait to escort Auddie & the twins around tomorrow night to see all the little kiddies! Oh, and Billie, too.

Happy Halloween to all!


Current Music: Shorty Wanna Be a Thug, by Tupac Shakur
Current Mood: exhausted! Time for a nap...