My first day of class! The scary thing is when you attend a class taught by two hippies. Or at least a class where an instructor giggles at almost anything.

24 today! I watched it along with other classmates in the great TIVOed glory. Now I have truly experienced how stressful it is to wait until the next episode. DVD box set, likely.

For some reason, I have been feeling incredibly uneasy back here. I don\’t say as much in social situations. Much more closed and introverted. All I want to do all day…is clean my room! Haha, never thought I would say that.

Tomorrow is my first day of class. I am slightly worried about the project course. Will it take a toll on my this semester? If everything goes through this semester, then the rest of my time here will be a breeze.

My goal of socializing less is beginning to take root. I really don\’t like being in smokey bars. I don\’t like the idea of spending my time trying to shout over the loud music. Then there\’s me struggling against the presence of alcohol.

I want to attend a date auction at cmu. Not for a date. But to find a maid! Looking at the first floor of my house, I just can\’t find the energy to clean anything. So I would like to bid on someone to CLEAN THE HOUSE. Or better yet, any takers? For a negotiable rate.

The other day, my dad ran into the family room, trying not to laugh. He led us to the piano room where we saw this on our clean white leather couches:

And then he started laughing. We called our mom down saying that it was important. \”WAAAAAAAAH!\” her face contorted in surprise. Two perfect black shapes certainly left by the huge Tare panda (long story behind how he came into my possession). In reality, they were just licorice covered marshmallows. Still sickening.

Crude potty humor does run in my family. Even the mature ones.

The winter break is coming to an end. And I did some things in the Bay Area that I should have or had wanted to do for a long time. Namely, I went to the Berkeley Bowl. I finally visited Citizen Cake (note: it was a mostly candlelit restaurant for those thinking that it was like Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego – whoops). I watched DVDs one right after another for 8 hours straight. I slept 12 hours. I named someone I used to know well Crisco.

And when I eat my mom\’s food, I eat less.

In other news, Welcome to Pittsburgh, Southwest!

On cell voicemail etiquette, I was offended today. I rarely leave messages with no content. So when I call someone and leave a message, I expect that person to listen to the message. If that person wants to save minutes for whatever reason, then do not leave a message in my voicemail saying that he or she noticed I called. At least politely hang up and listen to my message. Then call back.

Bottom line: I greatly dislike voicemail messages with absolutely no content.

I remember an incident 2 years ago when I called a friend and left a voicemail saying happy birthday. She called me the following day and left a message asking whether I had called.

Oh yeah another thing, if you can\’t access your voicemail, GO GET ACCESS. It\’s included in your plan. Please.

I had jury duty today, which I was not supposed to have.
1. I am \”not\” a resident of California. I am registered to vote in Pennsylvania.
2. The hearing wouldn\’t end before I had to leave.

But fortunately, they said I didn\’t have to go in. Instead of going to help my parents\’ insurance agent with data entry, I went with my mom to shop. Then I FINALLY went to Citizen Cake with Jeff. And pho. And an \”adventure\” to a sign in Oakland. I also got lost in Oakland again. Note to self: maybe I should really carry maps in the car.

Thanks to a google search for \”Ashlee Simpson booing Orange Bowl\”, I have been getting many hits in the last few days. Even though I didn\’t watch the game and thankfully not even the halftime show.

I went to Berkeley today to pick up my diploma. Groundskeepers were trimming the trees in the recently renovated Sproul Plaza. People milled about on Bancroft. And two punk kids had their Why lie? It\’s for pot. cardboard signs near Dwight and Telegraph. Nothing really changed. The city stays almost the same, but it endures a change of people every year. Bright-eyed kids who are afraid of stepping out on the street because they hear a rumor that you do get mugged at gunpoint. (Despite all my late night walks through the campus, I have never had any incidents. Not even close calls.)

Steve\’s Korean BBQ. I had intended to go there the other day, but it was closed for the night. It was a place of…mixed memories. Like the time I went there for a friend\’s birthday, but I was struggling with my own demons and bawled almost openly there. I met someone there that night…that was the start of an unpredictable up-and-down rollercoaster ride that summer. And then that same year, Alex and I ate there…and that\’s where he asked me as he ate his bbq pork plate whether I wanted to break up with him. I smiled and sheepishly said that I wasn\’t sure if things worked out. And a few minutes later, our awkwardness disappeared and we talked like friends again. Then I had my 21st birthday there after my last final with Japanese cheesecakes with several friends (Karen, of course). And with someone who influenced my entire upcoming summer. Steve\’s.

And then there were the things at Kip\’s and Blake\’s. Then the times at Fat Slice and Blondie\’s. Of course, Cafe Durant. And Sweetheart Cafe. And Top Dog and Bongo Burger. And La Burrita. Northside La Val\’s. Nann \’N Curry. Gypsy\’s. Thai Basil. Japanese Snacks. Cafe Milano. Sufficient Grounds. All still there but with other people.

24 and other dvds (along with all my mindless watching tv) has made my mind a little slow. Hey, what happened to my more witty posts? It\’s no wonder that they say tv is bad for your health. Then again, did I ever have witty comebacks or was that just my imagination when I was watching a well-scripted, contrived plot of a man talking on the small screen?

I admit it. I am a braggart and a show off. A few months ago, I added someone who I hadn\’t spoken to for awhile on facebook. Not to just increase my popularity, but to shamelessly promote that I was now in Carnegie Mellon. Four years ago, CMU was the idea of a technologically advanced school. Wireless internet dripping at your fingertips. Ok, enough of the self-centered ego trip.

I went on a donut hunt yesterday night with Jeff. We drove like rabid psychotic teenagers on a country road in the hills. Ok, we didn\’t due to my safety-first nature. And also because I couldn\’t figure out how to turn off the headlights in my 2004 Corolla.

Yesterday I finished 24. And so after gulping over 24 hours of episodes in a 4 day period, it is interesting how so many of us are so self-absorbed in our lives. Our only next destination is tomorrow. Getting to an appointment on time. Paying bills. Buying groceries. Little things like that seem so miniscule to the bigger picture. But ultimately, for some, it\’s a method of self-perservation. We don\’t want to be overwhelmed by grief, the endless anxiety, and our reasons for being in the universe.