MIMOSAS FOR ONE

top: 1981. L-R momo, grandma murtha, me, mom, mary bottom: 1985. me and momo i figure the one on the top is from momo's birthday in november of the year i was born. pinching my cheeks was one of my sister mary's favorite ways to torture me when i was younger. the one on the bottom was taken at my grandma's house. i'm pretty sure that was my birthday. we probably went there first before going to the old spaghetti factory , my family's go-to restaurant for all family occasions. i can't wait!!!!! unfortunately, momo and her husband ryan can't make it this time because it's during the week (they live closer than they used to, but it's still a couple of hours away), but they got me a great gift; a ticket to this year's boonville beer festival! not only will i not have to worry about getting one now, i won't have to worry about loosing it like last year :( i am 26 today. i am in my mid to late 20s. where did the time go? i swear last week i was 21,...

i'm not a perfectionist. i never even pretend to be one. if anything, i'm a mediocretist ( i know that's not a word, but it should be) however after an earlier version of this image: was torn apart at peer critiques yesterday, i thought i would give it a shot at making it better. it's not perfect. it's never going to be, but at least i didn't just let it go at being mediocre. a portfolio of eight of my best images from the quarter is due on tuesday, but the lab closes it's doors on sunday afternoon, so the pressure is on. i will be living there for the next few days. tonight is also my first graveyard shift at kfjc. 4 hours by myself! i am feeling excited, nervous, terrified, overwhelmed.....wish me luck!

yesterday was sunday. yesterday i had the great honor of taking over as dj from cujo for the 8'clock hour up at kfjc.~ the playlist ~ This was like, totally for reals. i signed in as chief operator, put my name in place of "george foothill" and went to work. at one point, i thought i was going to run out of music, but luckily, kfjc has so much . current stuff (current meaning new to kfjc, not necessarily new to the world) right at our fingertips, you can always find something. i got through it, and now a cdr of my aircheck is being reviewed by the programming director, so keep your fingers crossed that she doesn't find me to be a total hack, mkay? in the afternoon, i took advantage of the gorgeous day, and went on a little photography excursion. i have a landscape and architecture assignment due next week, so i wanted to get inspired. san jose is very much lacking in inspirational content, but i was able to shoot almost an entire roll anyway. i guess we'll see! a...

new blogs i love: crowcrastination fourfour i just found out my phototograpy professor might be teaching a weekend holga seminar next quarter. after learning a little bit about the process in class this quarter, i'm intrigued. san jose is seriously lacking in cool things, but i totally forgot we have a kick ass Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium . man, that place was the shit back in sixth grade when my class studied all things egypt for the entire year. who else here remembers the golden goblet ? anyways, i drove by there the other day, and from a photographers standpoint, the building and gardens are a total creative gold mine. i'm pretty sure there are no cameras allowed inside, though :( still, i should stop by there again sometime. it'll bring me right back to the grade school fieldtrip when my friends and i almost got kicked out for being too rowdy, and almost breaking a bench while trying to shove, like 12 of our butts onto the thing when it clearly could...

i finally caught the cold my family has been passing amongst themselves for the last month then, my lower back stress thingie popped up again. let me explain. every now and then my lower back gets all tense and sore. it makes it near impossible to pick things up off the ground or bend down to do anything, plus it's painful to get up once i have been sitting, or to sit down when i've been standing. this little bitch strikes without warning, usually lasts about a week, and painkillers don't help. i am someone who doesn't get sick very often, so when i do, it's like the end of the world :( i do have a few things to be happy about, though. i'm almost a real dj! yesterday, i did 1/2 hour by myself during the show with cujo. aside from a rocky start ( i couldn't hear anything in the headset and totally panicked!) i think it went well. i chose the music (the playlist is credited to "george foothill" that is the generic name given to someone who logs into...

thanks to my friend, insurgent muse for sending me a pack of polaroid sx-70 special blend film . the weather over the weekend was spectacular, and that extended to monday afternoon when i went on a hike with my friend, emily. i feel so great right now. i have been eating better, exercising more, consuming less in general, really. now is the time that i feel in full bloom. i can't wait for the next phase of things to begin. i really feel ready for that next step. reno 911!: miami opens on friday. i'm laughing right now just thinking about it.

target continues to be the light of my life and the bane of my existence . I came across every season of sex and the city on sale last week, and decided that it was too good a deal to pass up. Believe me, I waged an inner war with myself in the aisles of the target on capitol avenue for a good 45 minutes before i threw the dvds in my cart and rushed through the checkout line before I had more time to think about what I was doing. I justified the new purchase as a reward for a few recent goals accomplished. When that wasn't enough, I started telling myself that it was an early valentine's present (some people spend more on flowers. I work at a flowershop. I should know). do i really need an excuse? it's sex and the city! When you're single, valentines can either be a forgotten holiday, or the worst day of your life. thankfully, I tend to lean towards the forgotten holiday, but after a sweet valentine from my nephew, a few nice wishes from some friends, and a small box o...

i just love the crafty and creative work of cat bishop i have been "favoriting" many of her photos for a few weeks now, and someday i hope to own one of her camera robots. i will be taking a short break from assulting the airwaves at kfjc as my trainer, ">cujo , will be away for the next two weeks. i get to sleep in! i am sooooo excited about that. i've decided that i hate group photo lab. it always ends up being so terrible. my stuff turns out terrible. i feel terrible afterwards. i'm so selfish. i wish i could have the place to myself. i do much better when i work in there with only a few others working on independent projects. the job and house hunts are on! san francisco, here we come ;)

this week has been about trying new things and going without my safety net, and all in all, it has been pretty fun. on sunday, I did the most stuff during the show with cujo that i have ever done. it wasn't without mistakes and misteps, mind you, but i'm really getting a handle on things. He'll be gone for two weeks, so i'll get to sleep in (yeah!) but i'm going to keep practicing, because I don't want to forget everything i've learned! on monday, i developed my first roll of film on my own (see results above). my very first roll was ruined in the development phase. i got pics, but they are really light. it is so addicting! now i want to develop all my film. my teacher wasn't kidding when he said that it was going to be no problem to meet the 20 hour minimum requirement for an "A" in photo 1LX. today, i submitted my first review for kfjc. It was for rafter's Music For Total Chickens , an album that has been slowly growing on me. i have al...

i feel like a proud new momma today. the newest member of the family was picked up at savers thrift store yesterday night. she's a pentax honeywell spotmatic F , she's a lot like my k1000 , but there were a few reasons i couldn't leave her there. 1.the name. honeywell? i looooove honey :) 2.the case. yeah, half of it is missing, but it's still sooooo cool 3.the film speed dial changes and the lens comes off, unilke my beloved k1000 4.she has an automatic shutter trigger. tripod here i come! 5.i'm a cameraholic! i could never have walked away without making her mine! okay. i think i've gushed enough ;) so, the oscar noms were announced today. can i just say thank god ryan gossling , was nominated for half nelson , because it is such a real and raw performance. This wonderful and affecting film never over-moralizes or sells out it's characters or story. He is so terrific, one of my favorite actors. He is so much more than just that guy from the notebook. Of...

photo class is in full swing! we had our first negative developing :) unfortunately, my partner and i got a little excited and kind of skipped over most of the part where we LEAVE the negatives in the developing fluid for about 9 minutes. yeah, we pretty much moved on to the fixer after, like, 3 1/2, maybe 4 minutes. DOH! (imagine me slapping my forhead for this amazing display of dunce-y-ness) it's okay. i have negatives, they're just much lighter than i would like them to be, but my teacher told me I can correct this in the enlargement process. "they just won't be as sharp as they could be." He tells me in a way that lets me know that no way in hell can i turn any of them in for an assignment and expect to get an A. That's alright, it just gives me an excuse to go back to alum rock park*. after the first week of classes, i was all but ready to give up. things this semester seemed totally complicated and annoying, but this week i've taken to things much e...

this is kfjc: so, i'm way into dj training. i even kind of like the fact that it's on sunday's at 6am. cujo ( i won't give his real name to protect his anonymity) is the perfect person to train me. he is open, laidback, lets me go at my own pace, and i feel totally comfortable with him. The last two weeks have been what they call at the station "freak week" so really, anything goes. last week he played kurt weill and weill themed and inspired music (3 hours of german opera would seem like a bit much, but i actually quite enjoyed it.) the whole time, including the entire three penny opera. this week it was all sea shanties. american, german, french, he covered it all. fetching cd's, and vinyl gives me a quick peek at the vast library kfjc has to offer, and it is amazing. This week i got to end the show, and next week when we go back to regular programing, cujo informed me that i will be doing a lot more. i have to admit that i was very intimdated when i fi...

after almost pulling an all-nighter (including eggs at 3:30am. thank you, celeste!) i crashed onto a warm sofabed to awake 8 hours later to this: a most beautiful san francisco afternoon! i felt pretty good, so i had no problem enjoying the day with my friends. after a yummy champane brunch, we visited a few spots in the city; 1. the area around AT&T park, 2. ghiridelli square, 3. fisherman's warf (what a touristy nightmare!) every time i go to san francisco, i am more and more convinced that i would like to live there. i hope everyone else is having a great start to your 2007 :)

i never keep new year's resolution. come to think of it, i never even proclaim any that i don't keep because i know i won't keep them, so why bother? well, that is about to change ( i hope) i really have a lot to look foward to in 2007. here is the short list: 1. a busy new quarter at school to include: dj training (starting tomorrow! eek! wish me luck!) a pop culture class, a photo class, a music class, and a radio class. also,at san jose city: a tap class!!! 2. one of my best friends is getting married, and i'm the maid of honor, so i want to look gooooood. 3. a change in zip code may be on the horizion. 4. eliminating the debt that has been crushing my freedom. 5. i'm going to see justin timberlake on janunary 11th!!!!!!!!! 2006 is ova! a killer year both in good and bad ways, but emotionally, i welcome it's end. i hear that how you spend your new year's eve is a reflecttion of the year to come. i will be in san francisco partying with good friends, and...

1) national get caught reading month 2) the real deal 3) aquitted of all charges 4) so weird she's not even in the town of strangeville--she's the queen 5) well, cute may is my friend. she appeared to me out of nowhere in a small black box theatre and told me her name was tobi. she has been there for over ten years. during the highest highs, the lowest lows, the strangest, the geekiest, the scariest, the silliest. she has been there through it all, and now it's come time for her to spread her wings. a new city, a new state, a new home. but i know she will remain the same may. so good luck my darling To-May...or is it May-bi? i will miss you and our pop culture geek out festivals :) "The New Year" So this is the new year. And i don't feel any different. The clanking of crystal Explosions off in the distance (in the distance). So this is the new year And I have no resolutions For self assigned penance For problems with easy solutions So everybody put your best s...

some friends and i braved the cold (it was like, 50 degrees out. for california, that's cold )on friday night to walk around christmas in the park in downtown san jose. basically, everyone and their grandmother decorates a tree and they have all these cheesy, slightly creepy, outdated, anamatronic displays, not to mention overpriced food and novelty items. However, it's a san jose tradition. it's the same thing every year, but we keep going. a friend of mine gifted me with the new amy sedaris book, i like you: hospitality under the influence . It's a guide the thowing dinner parties that i can't wait to start reading :) i finally finished the complete series of six feet under , and i am still in awe. that show has deeply affected the way i view death, and this year, i needed that. the characters and storylines drew me in completely, and the last few episodes(especially the last 10 minutes of the finale) had me sobbing. considering it's so cold, and because i a...

(ps. clicking on a pic will direct you to a larger version of it) this time of the year always brings back fond memories of the best job i ever had. say what you will about working at the mall, i've never had such a fun time at work in my life. working at spencer gifts (yes, that store. the one with the funny t-shirts that everyone finds impossible not to read out loud) There were many reasons, especially between august 2001 and may 2002 that it was the greatest job in the world. 1) my boss was the coolest 2) my co-workers were so fun. we actually became friends. 3) that store is just a lot of fun. sure, it has it's not- so- fun moments (inventory, anyone?), but all in all who wouldn't like a job where you get to play all day? i guess i just want to say thanks to all my spencers peeps. i miss you guys. your legend is hard to live up to, and hopefully sometime soon, we can all get together, have a few drinks, and talk about old times :)

1) cameras! (this hobby is going to bankrupt me) 2)family! (even though they piss you off by leaving BEFORE the dinner your mom slaved over) 3)friends! ( emily and her mom saved the day with their wonderful company...and em's homemade dinner rolls will save humanity) 4)a kick ass episode of grey's anatomy! (watching that show in an emergency room is totally surreal. long story. basically mom wasn't feeling so hot, but she got a nice pain shot, and will be seeing her doc on monday) 5)having enough common sense NOT to wake up at 3:00am to go shopping this morning. some people are so crazy. (getting trampled while trying to rush into the WalMart to get my hands on the last copy of george strait's christmas album sounds like a worthwile endeavor to me) is it now acceptable to break out my christmas cd's? i am such a cheese ;)

if i ever wished for a true self portrait, this has to be it. i have a feeling i have this expression on my face more often than not. anyway....woohoo! this week has brought not one , but two new cameras! both of these are from ebay auctions, and i am so very pleased with them. the picture above is from the polaroid sx-70, which i was introduced to by my good friend, insurgentmuse the other is an argus matchmatic two-two tone 35mm that i just thought was cute. apparently, it was prominently featured in harry potter and the chamber of secrets i'm still trying to figure that one out, because it came sans instructional booklet, i've been able to figure out all my other ones so far, so i'll just have to keep at it. i've heard Borat! might be taken out of theatres soon. i hope i get to see it before is banned!

KFJC IS HAVING THEIR ANNUAL FUNDRAISER RIGHT NOW, AND YOU CAN HELP. THEY RELY ON DONATIONS FROM YOU THE LISTENER TO KEEP THE STATION GOING. THEY PROVIDE QUALITY NON- COMMERCIAL RADIO TO MUCH OF THE BAY AREA, SO LET'S KEEP THEM GOING! PLUS, FOR YOUR DONATION, YOU MAY SELECT A GIFT FROM THE SWEET ASS MERCHANDISE KFJC HAS TO OFFER! YOU CAN DONATE BY CALLING 1-650-941-6800 OR VISITING THEM ON THE WEB AT KFJC.ORG :) AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!