Since I'm becoming increasingly domesticated, I decided to dole out some advice for those of you that have dishwashers. Get Electrasol 2-in-1 tabs from Jet Dry. Before I got this stuff, I thought that the dishwasher didn't really clean dishes, it just made water spots on them and made for a good place to hide dishes when company showed up. But this stuff is great. Okay, commercial is over.

Last week we went to the dollar store, and Brandon, in a generous mood, informed me that I could have any one item I wanted. I almost got a cactus, but I have a few of those already. Plus, they aren't easy to transport (I would be the one holding it on the way home), and we had the drive back from Brea to look forward to. So, I got an ivy plant. I wasn't so sure how a plant that's only worth a dollar would hold up, but so far it's doing well. I read that it's hard to kill ivy, so that could explain it. As is my tradition, I named my new plant. So now we have Oskar the ivy, Morris the tree of some sort, Polycarp the cactus, and other miscellaneous cacti that aren't big or alive enough to name. I think I name my plants not just because I think that if they have a name, they will feel like they have more to live for, but because really, it's a pet that I want. And since anything furry will cost us a $300 pet deposit and $30 a month, it could be a while before I get a real pet.

But last night we sort of got a pet. It's another betta. I wanted to name him a nice German name, so Brandon suggested Hans Dieter Betz. We're calling him Dieter. It's much easier that way.

How come whenever anyone makes a cartoon about animals that aren't free, they always want to be free? Wouldn't an animal born in captivity not know what freedom was like, and therefore not know what it was missing? Sort of like I don't long for my own private jet, but if Jessica Simpson (she hasn't fallen from fame's clutches yet, right?) suddenly became poor, she might miss her snazzy transportation.

So anyway, I think movies with animals in captivity should have more realistic plots than the animals striving to be free. Have the animals in a zoo plan to eat some of the bystanders. Or perhaps have them take over the zoo, and maybe steal the plot from Lord of the Flies. Just something besides the freedom bit.

Summer semester started tonight. That means I didn't even get a week out of school before it started right back over again. I had to switch my two classes around a little, seeing as how I thought that I had a week out of school, but then I realized that I had class about 2 hours after that class had begun yesterday. So, I changed things around, made it so that I have Tues/Thurs classes, and I wouldn't have to look like a big ditz to the teacher, so it's all good.

No more Film Genres class for me this summer. Instead it's Intro to Fine Arts. Tonight we learned that yes, a black shovel, a soup can and Jackson Pollock paintings really are art. And my offering of the idea that perhaps they were just smart people that were offering the right kind of junk at the right time wasn't appreciated as the sort of genius that I'd hoped it would be. Perhaps it just wasn't the right time.

I had to go to the DMV to pay my registration fee on Saturday. If you're from Southern California, you're probably thinking, "The DMV? You mean purgatory? NOOOO! I'm having flashbacks!" If you're not from Southern California or a place that has similar DMVs, ones that are overcrowded and staffed with angry, angry people, then you're probably thinking either, "What is a DMV?" or "What's so bad about going to the DMV?" Well, not only is it purgatory, but on a Saturday, it is generally far worse - let's compare it to getting a shot in the eye by a blind optometrist with the shakes - because the DMVs around these parts are only open one Saturday a month. "Ridiculous," you say? Indeed! Because most people aren't able to go to the DMV on a weekday, so Saturdays are much more convenient. Did I mention that the DMV becomes FAR more foreboding when you didn't think ahead to make an appointment? Well, it does, so now you see why I had braced myself for weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

But Seth and Nathan informed Brandon that in south Orange County, there are certain DMVs that are never crowded. No, really! So he sent me off to one of them, and lo and behold, Seth and Nathan were indeed right. I was in and out in maybe 10 minutes. Where was the DMV I went to? I'm so not telling. Because then, when I lose my mail-in registration papers and have to go to the DMV to pay again next year, the wonderful, convenient and efficient DMV I visited will have ceased to exist, ruined by the hoards of people who will go there if I tell.

We finally got around to making some changes around here. We updated our links list, and we added the photos thing. I know it seems odd to see wedding pics on there now (2 and 1/2 years later) but I wanted to get them up somehow, so there they are. There will be much more recent pictures up soon, really. Hopefully that's not just another empty promise to blogland.

(After finding out that Brandon is being awarded a $500 scholarship)
Wendy: Well, I know that you're more excited about the academic merit of the scholarship than the actual money that they're giving you. I'm happy for you, you deserve it.
Brandon: Really I'm just proud that I'm white and I still got a scholarship.

Today is the three-year anniversary of the day we got engaged. We got engaged on May 10th (obviously), and got married August 10th. Just last night Brandon and I were talking about people who set their wedding dates for over a year after getting engaged. I just can't imagine doing that. I mean, once you know you're supposed to marry that person, go for it. Six months would be my ideal limit for an engagement, probably - and yes, I consider our engagement quite short, but since I was moving to California for the summer, we figured it was best for us to go ahead and get married if I planned on staying longer.

Perhaps some couples wait so long to save money before the big day, but if you're that poor, why get engaged in the first place? I could understand if the couple is waiting to finish college, and gets engaged close to graduation. But I just can't imagine waiting a whole year if you're old enough and have enough money to get married. But, it works for some. Good for them.

This was kind of an interesting quiz. Just try to ignore the typos.

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

20% Dixie

10% Yankee

5% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

We're nearly done moving. We still have a few things to patch up in our old apartment, and a LOT of unpacking to do in the new apartment (mostly books), but otherwise the worst part is pretty much over. Sean, Seth, Erin, and Brandon's Mom and Larry stopped by to help us yesterday. Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot to do since we weren't as prepared as we'd like to have been. Turns out moving when the semester is coming to a close isn't a good idea. Lesson learned.

Is it just me, or do pink Jolly Ranchers actually taste like burnt plastic? Not that I eat a lot of burnt plastic.

I signed up for summer classes the other day. I'll be taking a History class, and a class on Film Genre Studies. Here's the class description for the Film class:

This course examines the emergence of a category, or genre, of film within the context of film history. Each time the course is offered, it focuses on a particular genre (e.g., the western, gangster film, musical, film noir) and the societal and economic context in which it emerged. Students view representative films in order to identify and analyze techniques and conventions unique to the genre under consideration.

The only genre I'd rather not study is the western film. Otherwise, I'm excited. Too bad I'm taking that class in the late summer. My next class will be History of the US from 1876.

Most of the time when I tell people the classes I'm taken/have taken, they look confused and ask, "What is your major again?" It's still English. It's just that I'm fulfilling my IGETC/Associates requirements, and in doing so I've chosen the least annoying classes in each field. Which means I've taken Astronomy, History of Photography, Asian Art, and a few others that don't sound very much like classes for an English major. But, since I'm slowly working through school, I haven't really gotten to the point when I start only taking classes that focus on my major.

I hate writing in cursive. In elementary school they told us that we had to learn to write in cursive at all times because that's the only way they would let you write in middle school. Turned out, they lied. And I promptly rejected cursive handwriting for regular printing.

However, I've come to realize that writing something in cursive automatically gives it a feminine, grown up touch. You could write "buy toilet paper" in cursive, and it would look far more elogent and important than printing it. But my cursive has always looked terrible. It was barely legible and it hurts my hand to write that way, so I was happy to return to printing. Mind you, I still sign my name in cursive. It just looks more legit. But I realize that anything I write will at best appear "cute" or "neat." Never grown up and feminine. But that's just something I've learned to live with.

On to a different topic. We're moving this weekend. If you have a hankering to lift things and show off your muscles, come help us. We'll repay you with our admiration and maybe some sort of food. There now. That should have people lining up at the door.

Wanna hear a story about me getting spanish words mixed up? I thought you did.

The other day Brandon, Nathan and I went to Baja Fresh (which in the past, I pronounced in a more french way, rather that Ba-ha Fresh). Brandon ordered a burrito for us to split, and afterward, at the table, I said, "Did you remember to ask them not to put Cinco De Mayo on our food?" He and Nathan laughed at me a bit, when I realized my mistake. Cinco De Mayo is May 5th, a Mexican holiday. Pico de Gayo is a mix of onions, tomatoes, and cilantro that I abhor. Guess there's kind of a difference between the two. :)