Wendy:  So when is Mark coming over?

Brandon:  I dunno, Mike is coming over later tonight.

Wendy:  Argh, why do I always forget Mike's name?

Brandon:  Just think "Michael." You can call him Michael.

Wendy:  Yeah, then he'll be like "Who are you, my girlfriend?" Cuz only girlfriends do that.

Brandon:  I've never had a girlfriend call me Michael before.

I love my nerdy husband. :)

So I was medium-stoked when I found out the Friday Five was around again. I remembered to do it today, for once, but unfortunately I think it's my least favorite one on the site. Eh, here goes:

1. Do you use profanity?
No.

2. What are your favorite words of frustration?
I say "bliddim bloddum" and "rabble" when I'm upset. Otherwise, I guess it's the ever-popular, "grr."

3. Did your parents ever swear in front of you?
Dad did. Mom only did when she was about to be in a car wreck. And though she hasn't been in many wrecks, there have been many close-calls. And it's always the same curse-word of choice. Heh.

4. Do you think that films should be rated based on the language they use?
If the only bad thing in the movie is the language, I have a hard time seeing how it could ever be rated R. However, it is a little disappointing how much cursing there is in movies these days. You'd think the writers either have no vocabulary or want to downplay cursing until the words have no impact anymore. Not a bad strategy, I guess.

5. If you could curse out someone right now, who would it be?
Well, I don't curse. But I do have harsh feelings for that gov't professor who broke my A record by giving me a C, and for that deer that ran into my car a few years back. Stupid deer.

This post is probably grosser than my usual writings. You've been warned, so no whining.

When I got back from lunch today, I warned a coworker that if I keel over dead, it is not from foul play. Nay, I've simply died from injesting some seriously scary leftovers. And I'm not talking about "steer clear of the bathroom" sort of leftovers. Like, I'd skip that part and just fall over dead. I should probably say my goodbye's to loved ones and burn journals that I don't want published. But I have to work, so I guess I'll just have to die here, with things the way they are. However, if I don't die, and the leftovers cause me no harm, I will smile more as a token of gratitude. We'll see what happens.

My conclusion for the morning, after a few hours of listening to Yahoo Launchcast:
The line "why can't you see" is probably the most overused line in popular music of late.

I should make a list of overused lines in songs. With those lines, I could construct a song that would surely hit the number one spot on the charts immediately upon release.

So Mr. X, in his late teens, wrote the other day about how he had this feeling that someday he was going to be a millionaire. Mr. X is a middle class person. He's not a genius, doesn't work hard on academics, and doesn't have skills - in a Napoleon Dynamite sense or otherwise. But, he has an overwhelming feeling he is going to be a millionaire.

Here's the thing. If you're not a heir to a great fortune or a genius of some sort, or at least have some sort of amazing ability coupled with social status, don't you usually have to work your butt off to become rich? Don't you have to become one of those misers, or at least become a gangster? Don't you have to do something? The thing about it is, I bet he will become a millionaire. Why? Because it'll further prove to us hard-working kids who are going through college and doing things the "right way" that life is not fair. And it seems the whole "life is not fair" point is something that is reiterated at every opportunity.

I love the DVD, and think it is far superiour to the VHS. The quality is better, you don't have to rewind (or see that dorky "be kind, please rewind" thing anymore) and you can easily skip to the scene you'd like to in a movie. Other than the fact that if a DVD is scratched, your night is ruined, I've found possibly the only way that the VHS is superior. You can fast-forward through the warning at the beginning of a movie. You know, the warning that says not to be a pirate basically. Arrr. Anyway, with the DVD, you can't fast-forward, because the stupid no-smoking sign comes up and makes you wait. I am the queen of impatience. I need those extra seconds that I wasted reading the big red warning in English, and then in French.

Brandon and I spent the day at The Huntington Library today. It was jolly good fun, and we thought we'd treat you guys with some of the pictures we took there. See? We do post pictures every once in a while.

So Brandon and I were talking about going to the beach on Saturday, but this may be a good reason to go to the Huntington Library instead.

While on the topic of FireFox, I want This.

So the other day I noticed that a former acquaintance's webpage had an obnoxiously large font, and I thought, hey, why not be nice and clue him in that most likely, his readers don't have vision problems just yet. Was I thanked? Why, no. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: You have a totally big font on your site.
Firefox Lover: What browser are you viewing it in?
Me: Well I would view it on Firefox, but it takes forever to open on my computer (my computer is a geezer).
Firefox Lover: Bleh.

Alright, when did it become okay to disregard those who still use internet explorer? For the record, I like Firefox. As I said in the conversation, it just takes too long to start up on my geezer computer.

According to this article, IE held 94.73% of the browser market in July of 2004. Yes, the article is about how Mozilla is gaining in on IE. But it's not by a lot, and it's not happening fast. So let's say IE's popularity has decreased even more since then and just estimate that it's now at least at 90%. That's a lot of people to be snubbing. Unless you're doing it because you're too lazy to bother with any other browsers. That's different. I think I can tolerate sloths better than snoots.

We now have our first-ever nephew! Joshua Thomas was born today, weighing in at eight pounds and five ounces. Congratulations to Brandon's sister, Briana, and her husband Jeff. I'm sure their daughter Rebecca will be a wonderful big sister.

While Wendy has been blogging about her classes these past two weeks, I've been soaking in the sun since school doesn't start for me till Monday. Either the gods decided to be favorable to CSULB or have a vendetta against Saddleback College because, though I start two weeks after Wendy, I'll be finished a day before she will. So, here are the classes I'll be taking this semester:

Greek 352: Translating Homer
Greek 499: Supplimental Translations
Greek 499: Advanced Greek Grammar
Latin 301
History 314: Roman History
Classics 410I: Law and Literature in the Classical World

So far this semester seems to be way better than the last. I say this mainly because my teachers are way more laid back. Let's compare:

Last Semester
Student from another class (interrupting) - Hey, can I borrow a chair?
Teacher - You just interrupted my class! This is unacceptable! Did your teacher send you in here? Whose class are you in? What is your name? I'm calling campus police! Where are you going?!
(Teacher spontaneously combusts)

This Semester
Student from another class (interrupting) - Hey, can I borrow a chair?
Teacher - Sure. (Goes back to teaching)

I can't say that the comparison is completely fair, since the teachers are teaching different subject matter. Plus I'm fairly certain the first teacher has some sort of disorder or possession. The second teacher from the comparison is my Asian Art teacher, and every art teacher I've ever had has been extremely laid back and easy to get along with. I think that would be the only reason I would ever be an art major, since I lack any profound artistic skills and am unable to stomach wearing clothes that are typical of art majors/teachers.

By the way, I have to work on this beautiful MLK day. It's all good, though. I have the doors propped open because when the heat works in the front of the building (where I am), the air conditioning doesn't. So it's been pretty cold in general lately, so only having heat has worked out swell. But now we have some kind of wiggity heat wave going on (see below).

It looks like more people are going to be visiting us this year than before. My mom and sister visited last summer, so I think that proved to others that it's safe out here. Before they visited, the only family member of mine who'd been out here was my dad, and he didn't enjoy California very much. The freeway, random sights and having your youngest daughter move 2,500 miles away can have a bad effect, I'm sure. Sooo as for the line up, Melissa's visiting us during Spring Break, Mitch is going be in LA for a conference, so we're planning on hanging out if he has time, and my mom and sister are planning another summer visit. Yay! People. :) And we encourage more of this.

The high today is supposed to be 81 degrees. Ah, winter. It's great, no?

So we spent the day figuring out how to develop a really good headache. First, go to Ikea. Walk through the whole place, no cheating and cutting through to make things quicker. Try to linger and look around a little while 50% of the customers around you have crying babies/toddlers, and the other half blatantly disregards any common manners or respect for personal space. Then go to Big Lots. Yes, there will be a strange smell there. But there's that chance you'll find something worth while for cheap. By the way, the smell will help develop that headache further.

And last, go to the grocery store. If you are lucky as we were, there will be the pungent odor of fertilizer (or perhaps a monster baby's dirty diaper) that will haunt you all the way to the entrance. Then enjoy the fun of the grocery store (but make sure to forget most of the stuff you need) and you're nearly done. All you have to do now is make it back through the smelly parking lot, drive home, and put everything away. Now you should have a nearly fatal headache. Good luck.

So I guess I'm getting old now. Of course, it has nothing to do with age. If it did, I'd have a while, and the age at which I would declare myself officially old would change according to who I was around and would offend. (Why do people get so offended, anyway? You know if you're old. Besides, I'll be widely considered old someday, and then you can cackle and say how once when you mentioned one of your favorite early/mid eighties movies, I commented that, "I was probably watching Care Bears." And look at me now. Old like you.)

What I mean is that my knee is sore most of the time now. So basically, my body is in pain for no reason. That's why I think I'm old. Is that arthritis? I mean, my dad's back is always sore. I think my sister has pain in her knees as well. But then, I did twist my knee in Alabama. I guess I've forgotten how careful you have to be when you walk outside or in fields, or else you'll lose your footing or step in something unfavorable. Ah well, maybe I'll develope an amazing pain tolerance.

The rain stopped today. At lunch I noticed a voice message from my mom, saying that she had seen a lot of bad stuff on the news about the weather in California, and she wanted to make sure Brandon and I were okay. I think the worst weather is over, which really wasn't that bad, except that it's California and large amounts of rain can seriously upset day to day life. There are clogged drains that people have been ignoring all year, roofs in need of repair that have been put last in priority, and well... burnt woodsy areas that haven't had a chance to grow back yet and are waiting to produce mud slides with a little help from ma nature. Plus we have these drainage ditches that stand completely empty 90% of the year, and when it rains, they suddenly flood. For the record, one of the drainage ditches that I refer to is the Santa Ana River.

Ha. River. That's cute.

It's dark and rainy, just as it's been for the last few days. I have to remind myself to appreciate it, especially after all the times I've complained that it's never cold in California, that it doesn't rain, that we never have any real weather.

My first class begins tomorrow night. This semester I'll be taking that Intro to Internet class that I made fun of before (because it's an online class), an English class that I've already taken (but will not transfer from out of state), and a Survey of Asian Art.

Whenever I see rundowns of 2004 on tv or the top stories from 2004 online, all I can think is that I'm glad it's over. Each "important" event was run into the ground by the media - and though that always happens, it seems like it was especially nauseating this year. Maybe it's just that I'm getting old and for the first time, I'm starting to care about politics and current events. Better not to get worked up about it, though. Unless you're someone of consequence.

Perhaps this year will be better. I think I've said that before.

We're back in California. But it was an eventful trip, full of firsts for dear Brandon. He shot his first deer (which impressed my dad), ate his first Krystal burger, tried boiled peanuts (he didn't like them, but they weren't the best or anything) and hit a bull's eye at 1,000 yards.

On New Years Eve we spent the evening with our friends Erick, Corrie, Mitch, Elan, Richard, and 50 other people we didn't know, throwing fireballs at each other. Great fun. During our stay, we went fishing in my dad's pond. Clay and Elizabeth joined us that afternoon. Clay rooted for the fish to get away while Elizabeth paddled around the pond in the boat. Brandon and I both caught a bass and a bunch of brim. We rock. We visited some friends in Florida during our last weekend there and ate large amounts of ice cream. We watched movies and played a board game, but the ice cream is the most vivid part of the visit.

During our stay I attempted to rename my sister's boston terrier, Maggie, a name that suited her better: Snort. Even though I called her Snort most of the time, I think my mother and sister still remember her original name. So my plan failed. But I do have some funny footage of Snort struggling to get out of a turtle-neck doggie sweater.

So now we're back, and hopefully our digestive systems will adjust to the lack of grease and sugar in our diets in comparison to the fried vitals and sweet tea we've injested over the last two weeks. It was fun to be immersed in redneck culture. No, really.