As I scheduled user studies last week for during the day, I wondered how most people made it. To a 11 am, a 1 pm, or a 3 pm user study. Did they work? Were they unemployed? Were they just students? Retired. Most of all, what are they doing that they have time to take a user study?

I don’t ask that question, but one guy did.

A friend said that when he turned 25, he figured out who his true friends were. The ones who would stay for awhile.

Which is interesting.

Being a bit oversensitive, I have always struggled with this definition. With a history of burning bridges and ease of making new bridges, what is it then? A former friend once said she would be there for anyone if they asked for help. But in reality, most people are too humble to ask for help. I would rather flounder and drown than to ask for help even at my weakest. And perhaps then a friend has the responsibilty to sense the drowning and not assume all is ok when one says “I am fine” when there are sounds of gasps of air.

“Be there” from me comes out passively as “Can you come?” And despite the passive aggression, I just don’t want to intrude or be an inconvenience. Because in some sense, I don’t need you to be there. I just want you to be there. And in this society, we can’t make requests for wants.

When I am running dual monitors from my powerbook, I have the external monitor set to a wallpaper of a purple jelly monster roaming a city of white stick people.

There were two job interviews where I presented accidentally displaying the purple jelly monster wallpaper on the projector when I plugged in my laptop. At one job interview, the people present were amused and laughed as I apologized for the wallpaper’s appearance. I got an offer. At the other job interview, nobody said anything and so I make a joke about how that wallpaper accidentally appeared. I didn’t get an offer.

Granted, there was probably more than the wallpaper that got me through the interview. But perhaps the purple jelly monster roaming the streets matched a whimiscal personality I seeked in my next opportunity. But ultimately, I still wonder if that one wallpaper determined my fate in those interviews. One for the better and one for the worse? First impressions.

Although I didn’t take that offer, I don’t think I would have been happy with a place that didn’t find a purple jelly monster incredibly amusing.

I am now no longer in my early twenties. They say it’s quite often an achievement to reach 25 years. After all, it’s a quarter of the century!

And now, I can actually rent a car without paying extra fees! Finally an extra age hurdle I can overcome!

One popular cancelled series was Freaks and Geeks. I loved it…but not as much as the fairly undiscovered Boomtown.

When I first remet Chris mid last year, we both discovered that we liked the series. It barely had a second season and was cancelled midway through. At the time, Boomtown was my first cop/law show. I never had watched Law and Order. Never had seen a single episode of CSI or NYPD Blue. And the originality struck at me. Perspectives. And the great title show theme with scenes of the real world.

And moreover, it had the old NKOTB. Donnie Wahlberg, fresh from a stint in the Sixth Sense.

Chris gave me the first season on DVD for xmas and I only started watching it on my grand old projector with stereo sound.

I joined the blue hats, walked more than 7.5 miles, woke up at 7:30 am, sanctioned various people (especially the nude), got nearly run over several times by various trucks, wore nerd glasses, detected radiation, called the attorney general on my phone, and basically observed…but not interfered.

All today.

After my tea party for my upcoming birthday (mmmm…tea), I went to the local thrift store with Chris and he was overcome with serendipitous discoveries.

As we wandered the upstairs, we came across the toy area preparing for our costume for Bay to Breakers Then we came across the book section where Chris came across a mint copy of Harry Potter for less than a $1. Then the board games…and then the artwork, the photos, the furniture.

And about an hour later, we struggled downstairs with our load. Spending less than $30 (including tax) and waddled our way back to my apartment. It’s cheaper than spending money at a garage sale where things may be priced at $10. But at this particular thrift store, new things come in all the time. And most of it is often high quality and clean.

But besides the ugly sweaters I bought there for my holiday party last year, I still have yet to convince myself to peruse the clothing selection.

And then I always think, the dishes, the cups and the silverware…I am ok with using it at restaurants why am I reluctant to have the same in my home? The fact of the matter is…we know the owners and we have trouble dealing with something when the ownership is almost..unclear.

Despite my hesitation, he went for it. Basically making a deliberate illegal manuever on the street. It was nearly 11 pm at night—the road desolate in the suburb.

The traffic light turned green when we were already halfway through the intersection. But suddenly, blue and red lights appeared silently urging us to stop.

I took a deep breath, thinking I should have been more obstinate. But less than 10 minutes later (and someone’s cool, calm, innocent behavior), we drove off with only a warning and the officer saying “Hot fudge ice cream? That’s my favorite too!”

It was my grandfather’s 90th birthday this past weekend and my relatives flew from all over the country for the celebration. And with any celebration such as this, we celebrated with food, the cultural togetherness.

At our table (the table my mom called the IT generation even though barely any of us worked in “real” engineering) where the young’uns sat, we got plates and plates of food. First, an appetizer—a sampler of Chinese delicacies of jelly fish, pork, squid and other things supposed to whet the palate. And soup. Then at least 6 different dishes of fish, duck, sea cucumber and mushrooms, fried rice, quail and more. Then 3 different desserts topped off with mango pudding shaped like koi, compliments of the server (the one that knew us for years and that we tipped graciously before the meal). More than once, my cousins exclaimed how they were full and couldn’t believe that yet another dish was coming.

However, unlike them, I had probably tried every single dish that was presented (except the dessert shaped like koi—it’s usually a circle) and I paced myself accordingly. Even still feeling hungry afterwards. After all, Chinese food despite my roots is not my favorite cuisine.

My sister and I got ice cream in San Francisco afterwards, daring to wait a long line at Mitchell’s. The following day with few relatives still in town, we repeated the same thing at a smaller scale. Because my parents and myself are local, we were both heaped with boxes of leftovers.

“From years of experience,” my aunt said with a characteristic after-giggle.

My aunt squeezed the air out of the ziploc bag and told me that it was good to put in the freezer.

Last night, I stayed overnight in Lafayette (to spend more time with my sister) and stumbled to work in the morning for the hourlong commute, carrying a Ranch 99 bag full of ziploc bags. A thought crossed my mind that I should share the food with my coworkers but in laziness, I slapped a post-it with my name and shoved the bag into the fridge.

My aunt gave my sister two pairs of earrings saying, “One is for you and one is for your sister.”

“But she doesn’t have pierced ears,” my sister responded.

I don’t. Even though I am reaching a quarter century old. And at dinner, my aunt gave me a hard time…noting that all the females in the room (except those who have sensitivity to earrings) already pierced their ears. Or that the parents forbade their daughters from piercing their ears until they were 18. Neither was the case for me. Firstly, I was afraid of needles. By the time I got over the fear, I just couldn’t justify the cost. And furthermore, why did I have to be like everyone else?

It’s interesting how pierced ears is a sign of beauty in our culture. A gift of jewelry is a symbol of I give you beauty because you are beautiful. Or at least it is an easy no-think present for females.

It’s awkward for me sometimes to…deviate from the norm. It’s like several weeks ago when a friend bought me a drink at a bar. I smiled and said thank you. And then as my friend turned away, I leaned over to Chris, Drink it without him noticing!

But it’s just like that bottle of wine given to an Asian family by an oblivious guest. The family graciously thanks the guest. The guest hopes it’s going to be opened during dinner, but it’s not. And they don’t know it will be placed in a display case of wine. And then at the next dinner party, the Asian family presents the same bottle of wine. And the host graciously accepts it thanking the family…