thanksgiving

Well, Thanksgiving break has been a lot of fun, here in Lancaster/Palmdale with one of my best friends, Jenni. It's been nice seeing the town right smack in the middle of the desert about an hour outside of Los Angeles, I finally have a setting for all the stories she tells me, as well as faces for the names of her friends. It's dry, here. Really dry. Sagebrush and joshua trees everywhere....covered up by development and suburbia--as if it's a disguise. It's a little strange to see an empty lot of beautiful desert....next to a shopping mall where oaks line the road.

Thanksgiving itself was decent...ate delicious food at Jenni's aunt's house...it was nice being with a family. I got into a political "discussion" with her grandma's husband and his brother--luckily I could hold my own and explain why I am liberal, being hounded from three sides about my ideology in politics. Aside from that, it was great.

We went to Disneyland, which was the highlight of the trip...it included Jenni, myself, Deirdra, Lauren, and another Sarah, and it was incredibly fun. SO many ugly and fantastic pictures...we went on Space Mountain four times.

Back to home in San Francisco in the morning...I have class at 3:30. Luckily, it's a field trip to MOMA. My skin is dried out....and I'm getting sick. Time to have some humidity.

happy november!

Oh goodness...November already? I'm a little freaked out about how fast this year and semester has gone.

I've been super busy with school...and now I have a job! I am a ~*~*seasonal associate*~*~ at Williams-Sonoma's flagship store in Union Square. I'm not going to be working much, but hey, it's something. I don't know if I'll get to stay on for the rest of the year, but here's to hoping.

School-wise, basically I have been drawing lots of naked men and ladies, and only barely a little bit of my own illustrations. But here is something to whet your appetite (beware of nerdiness, I'm making it into a profession, folks, so it's here to stay):

Also, remember to check out Nekked Bear Army for more art updates. Also, the first image is the rough draft painting of my full mandala I have to paint for color and design.

As for Thanksgiving plans, I'm sadly not going back to the 'Tah. Instead, I'll be going down to southern California to visit my roommate's hometown and family. I can't wait! I miss my family a bit though, so I am a little sad I am spending my third Thanksgiving away from home. It's alright though...I get to see them all in less than a month!

Some other fun things I've been up to the last few weeks.....hm.

• Lord of the Rings marathon with Jenni, Andrea, Rich, and Terrance (extended versions, of course)
• Went to my first concert by myself (Ben Gibbard!) and went to one of my other favorite bands with Jenni, Rich, and Andrea (Pinback)
• Helping friends with various projects
• Cooking and cleaning like it's nobody's business (Made my mom's famous enchiladas for Jenni...she wants me to make them again as soon as possible)
• Enjoying when our friends Kyle and Fran have been staying with us
• Watching oodles of TV and movies on Netflix
  
• Attempting not to strangle my cat
  
• Yesterday took Jenni to the California Academy of Sciences for the first time, then discovered a delicious Cajun restaurant on Haight
  

ohoo, nevermind. Guess I am not taking the sketch bus down to L.A.

Plans got cancelled, so now I get to spend the weekend in the bay. A lot less stressful. I might be meeting my parents over in Oakland to go to Carmel-by-the-Sea with them to visit Mike and Tracy...hopefully that will work out!

Well, I'm off to Nick's Crispy Tacos with my friend Henry James.

Hahaha, I just made my reservation for a bus ride to LA this Friday on a Vietnamese bus line. Check out how legitimate this site is. Xe Do Hoang Transportation

Don't worry, my good friend Andrea recommended it to me, and it will certainly be an adventure.

I'm going down there this weekend to meet my friends Mary and Cellie, and road trip over to Las Vegas. Once there, we're going to the University of Utah and Las Vegas football game! I can't wait. Then sunday I'll be back in San Francisco. I'm going to never want to go to LA ever again after this. I already spent last weekend there with my friend John for a concert, which was fun...but LA is so gross.

I'm determined to keep updating this.

a few of my favorite things:

october.

I miss my family today. I found myself looking at pictures and I made myself all homesick for everyone, especially my little nephews. I am loving San Francisco and am so happy being here with Jenni and the apartment and the kitten and my friends, but I can't help but be sad that my two youngest nephews are not going to know who I am, not really, for a long time.

I just need to get out, today. I've been cooped up in my tiny place for the last four days with homework and class...I might go to MOMA and Yerba Buena or Grace Cathedral and just sit for a while, maybe draw. I'm about to head out the door to go to Cup-A-Joe with Jenni. I'm going to read for a bit--I started All The Pretty Horses the other day. I love it.

Last weekend I went up to Crissy Field at sunset with Jenni, Anna, Hank, and Mike. Anna left to go back to Germany...I was sad to see her go. I have a friend to visit when I go to Germany, though! I also have a new friend in London, too--I met a random guy on couchsurfing and hung out with him for a day a few weeks ago when he was visiting San Francisco. I think I might go to Europe within the next few years--when I get a job here that is what I am saving up for.

Koji, the kitten, is absolutely annoying. But then he stares at you with those bright blue eyes and you just kind of melt. He loves scratching and biting EVERYTHING. And he's so little he still hasn't quite caught onto the idea of bathing himself fully, yet--so he quite frequently smells like ass. He loves sleeping in my hair. It's great when I am immersed in my homework and all of a sudden I have a kitten purring loudly in my ear.

This month is going to be crazy--it's the only weekend I am really spending here at home. Next week I am driving down to L.A. with my friend John for a Travis concert. The week after that I am going down to L.A. again (via amtrak) to meet up with Mary, drive to Las Vegas, and go to the University of Utah/Las Vegas football game, and then back again. That same week, my parents are visiting. The week after that I believe, is midterm. I think Cellie might be coming up and visiting at the end of the month sometime, too. It'll be a fun month....but crazy. Here's to October.

kitten!

So, we weren't planning on it so immediately, but Jenni and I have procured a little black kitten in our tiny little apartment in San Francisco. His name is Koji, and he's a little fluffy vortex of energy. I can't go anywhere without him following me around--and he loves climbing about in my hair. He just meows pathetically until I pick him up, and then he b-lines it up there and snuggles in.

We took him to his first vet visit today (poor little thing) to get him de-flea'd and -wormed. He's still too little to get his vaccines, but we've made another appointment in a few weeks to get those done.

What it boils down to: we have a cat.