Charlie’s Blog

Shout out to Tiffany for helping me come up with a great idea for a Halloween costume. I wanted something simple and sexy so I chose to be a swimmer. She suggested that I add some blood and gore to make it a dead or injured swimmer. Then it hit me like a head on a diving board to go as two-time Olympian, Greg Louganis! I’ll have a speedo, flip-flops, towel, and a bloody scalp! I’ll also bring a hoody for warmth (I can’t go anywhere without my hoody!)

Tiffany and I went to a jazz dance class today. We were hoping for something flashy and Broadway like, but the combination we learned was more slow and emotive.  Turning is my favorite, and we did a great and really difficult sequence across the floor. The teacher preached her philosophies on the bad attitudes of SD modern dancers and the importance of giving your all. It was motivational, but I didn’t pay thirteen bucks for that shit. Oh, and what is it about dance teachers and sit-ups?? I can do crunches at home. I don’t need to take a bus and a train to have someone count off ab exercises for me! Isn’t it simple logic that the bulk of a dance class should be spent dancing? OK, enough ranting for today.

My birthday is on Tuesday! I put out a Friendster bulletin to remind y’all. This wasn’t to solicit presents, but to give people a chance to not forget my birthday. It sucks to forget someone’s birthday. So I think it’s important to remind people that it’s coming up to be fair to them. It shouldn’t just be those organized people who are good with dates that get to spread birthday joy. Why not make it easier for the rest of us??

Today I got a text message from an unrecognized number that said "What’s up, bum?" Before that, a crazy homeless lady came into the cafe (my new job! it’s fun!) and terrorized me for a few minutes before I called security. Then, a clerk at the thrift store told me he was out of backpacks (see below) because the homeless people buy them all. Then he said that he knew I wasn’t homeless. I was like, yeah, I’m not.

Dragonfruit! I tried it today at Whole Foods. It is a beautifully weird-looking fruit that comes from Asia. The exterior is bright purple with petals and scales while the inside is white with tiny, black, kiwi-like seeds. It was really easy to eat because there are no pits and it scoops easily into a spoon (even my plastic WF spoon), and the flavor was pleasant and very light. It’s my new dream to go to Asia or Central America for a wonderful, exotic fruit vacation.

This weekend I went to Palm Springs with the chorus. It was really fun and the weather was gorgeous. I got to play in and lay by the pool, and now I have tan lines! Just in time for Halloween! I’m planning some sort of sexy costume this year, but I’m worried that I’ll get cold. It gets chilly here at night which might keep me from baring too much skin.

I’ve been on a wild goose chase for a cute, small, and really cheap backpack these past few weeks (see above). I can’t even say how badly I need one, but it’s been so hard to find a bag that fits all of my three criteria…until today. Thanks to ebags.com, I have three good options, but now I have to make a decision. Ugh, I hate online shopping, though, because I like to hold something in my hands before I buy it. A few days seems like forever, but I guess I’ve been searching for longer than that, and it’s time I got on with my life!

I’m tired as fuck right now. My new job has me working before dawn. It’s nice that I get done early in the day, but I’m still adjusting. I need a nap! I’ll take one right after I wind this entry up and order my ebag. On the plus side, it’ll keep me out of the bars on school nights. Seriously, there’s rarely a very good reason to be in a bar during the week. Actually, I can think of a couple right now, but my point is that I’m not missing out on much.

Good one, Hillary Faye!

Yes, my life is a whirlwind! I’ve been go go go since my last post. I had a really fun weekend in Los Angeles. My dad flew here and we drove up and back to see my grandma. Shout out to Brian, Liana, Justin, Rachel, and Suri! Suri left his ID at home when he came to meet us in West Hollywood. He asked where he could get in without an ID. I was like, Coffee Bean? It worked out, and he was able to finagle his way into the Abbey. He surprised me by bringing Rachel who I hadn’t seen in years, but of course it was like no time had passed. Actually, that’s how it felt with all of the old friends I reconnected with this weekend.

Suri came back to the SD with me and spent a few days here. Shout out to Alex from the choir who lent me his car while he was away. Without that, our sightseeing would have been rained out. We went to Coronado island which is really cute and has the nicest beach I’ve seen yet in San Diego. If only it were gay. Yesterday we went to the mall downtown and searched for a small backpack for me. We looked at backpacks everywhere, including Claire’s and Gymboree. By the end of the search, I realized that I don’t really want or need a small backpack all that much, and I felt bad for leading the others on a wild goose chase.

Today, I’m decorating my bedroom. It’s not going so well. Suri gave me lots of tips and ideas so I bought out IKEA yesterday. The wall lamp I just mounted above my bed fell out so I’m going to try to borrow a drill and wedge it in good. Where’s Nate Berkus when I need him. I’m nervous about putting up the frames and mirrors, too, but I guess I’ll have to just do it.

I’m obsessed with two Mandy Moore songs off of her cover album, "Coverage." My dad made me a copy of it. One is the Elton John song "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" (shout out to Leia…blllllluuuuaahhhhh) and the other is "Breaking Us in Two" originally done by Joe Jackson, I think. Anyone who rode with me in my borrowed car this week got more than earful of both of those.

One more thing…Last night, I got my tumble on with Tiffany at the Y! It was really fun even though I had to leave early. The spring floor wasn’t as springy as the one in New York (shout out to David and Rachel!), but I made do. There was a gymnast with one arm who had amazing height on his flips. We didn’t find out whether he learned gymnastics with or without a missing arm, but he definitely showed up me and most others there.

It’s Yom Kippur! You can’t wish somebody a happy one because it shouldn’t be happy. We’re atoning our sins! While I’m not going to services, I am fasting. I must say, it’s easier to fast when you go from sun-down to sun-down that from when you wake up to when you go to sleep. Probably because it’s hard to go to sleep when you haven’t eated all day. I’m going to a gay, Jewish feast to break the fast tonight! Woohoo! Shout out to Ben.

After watching two Mandy Moore DVD commentaries, I’m going to start giving shout-outs like she does. She’s very appreciative of her co-workers (underlings is probably more apt) and gives them lots of credit. It’s part of her overall sweetness and charm. Another thing I’m working into everyday use is "Good one, Hillary Faye" which is what one says after someone else makes a funny joke. In "Saved," she goes, "Cassandra, eternal damnation isn’t fit for anyone, not even you!" and her friends are all "good one, Hillary Faye!" I love it! Just for the record, Jena Malone isn’t very good at DVD commentary.

I finished the last book in the Susan Juby young adult series, Alice, I Think. They were three of my very favorite books ever. I hope more is coming. Alice is such a hilarious girl. At one point, she wants to have sex with her boyfriend so  she gets him into a car and just throws a condom on the dashboard. I won’t tell you what happens next, but it is a riot! Maybe the author has a website.

I have been making smoothies like crazy these past few weeks. The one I’m eating now is probably one of the nastiest. It’s got orange, parsley, and banana. Don’t try this at home!

It’s 7:30 in the morning. Why am I up this early? To go to work! Yep, I got a job. It starts in one hour. The temp agency called me on Saturday morning with the news. It’s a file clerk position at a downtown law firm. Yay me! Working girl! I’m nervous that the 8-hour day will tire me out and about meeting my co-workers, but I guess those things aren’t really such big deals.

Speaking of big deals, I got a great bargain on a whole case of sapotes at the Hillcrest Farmers Market yesterday. They’re so good! I must have eaten ten yesterday. They’re about the size of a peach with a thick green skin. I found that the taste is a little better without the skin, but the hassle of peeling it outweighs the difference. I just eat it like an apple. The farmer explained to me that they are difficult to ship and store, and they bruise easily, so they wouldn’t work well in a supermarket. Plus they’re kind of ugly.

I’m still on my Mandy Moore kick. I decided to rent all of her movies and have a Mandy Moore Film Fest, one film at time. I just watched "Chasing Liberty." It was the only one of hers that they had at my Blockbuster. The movie was okay, but the commentary by MM and the male lead was really awesome. She’s so charming and funny. Anyone who has seen a lot of her movies (or just one, I guess) would notice that she often pouts her lips to convey sadness and disappointment. In the commentary, she talked about how some critics criticized her "lip acting" and she got pretty nasty and heated. I love it when girls who seem all sweet and cute suddenly uncover their nasty side. I hope her other DVD’s have her doing the commentary!

I’m giving up on self check-out at Ralph’s. Today, I realized that it only saves time if all of your items have a barcode. When produce gets involved, it gets more complicated. You have to enter codes and quantities, and if there’s no sticker, which happened with a bunch of my items today, you have to wait for the attendent to help you! She was trying, but one of the stations broke down so she was fixing that while I was waiting for a code on Italian squash. Ugh, some jerk waiting behind me tried to give me advice on the machine, but I ignored him. That’s another thing. You feel the pressure of the people waiting to check themselves out. I’m pretty good at pretending like I don’t notice them, but it stresses me out nonetheless.

I finished the third and final book of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. It’s about these four girls who have been best friends since they were born, and they cry all the time. Like, the little sister of one of them broke her arm, and when they heard about it, each of the four girls cried. Another one’s dad told her he wouldn’t pay for art school, and they all cried. I don’t know how they get through a full day if they have such intense reactions to their friends’ problems, let alone their own! I was pretty disappointed by the ending, though. I was hoping this one girl would have sex with the really hot guy who she lost it with in the first book, but instead they decided to take it slow and just hug! Young adult fiction is always trying to be so moral!

I guess I’ll bike to the downtown library today to find something new to read. Ugh, I don’t want to battle the hill coming back (they don’t call this neighborhood Hill-crest for nothing), but the local library doesn’t have the book I want.

I can’t wait until tomorrow for the North Park Farmers Market! I’ve been craving those sapotes since Sunday which I guess wasn’t that long ago, but I want one or ten so badly! I’m going to bring my big backpack and buy out the sapote farmer!

So I am totally bored today. Once I read that if you think you are bored, you should really check to see if you are boring. I checked, but it doesn’t seem to be the case!

Yesterday was just jam packed with activity. I did the AIDS Walk. I found out why it’s so early. They have to shut down the streets so this way it’s less of an inconvenience to traffic. I guess AIDS is a pretty big inconvenience, though, so maybe they should hold it later and send out the message!

After that I went to brunch with some of the chorus boys. It was fun, but the place we went to was kinda dead, and I always thought the goal of brunch was to see and be seen! I stopped by the Farmer’s Market on the way home and bought a sapote. That is a fucking bomb-ass fruit. It is green and is also known as a custard apple. It’s got really creamy and sweet flesh and four pits. I wish I had bought a barrel of them! The organizer of the raw food potluck I went to last month had a booth so I chatted with her. She looks like Halle Berry if Halle was prettier and had long hair. She was selling raw tamales and raw chocolates that were off the hook!

After our afternoon chorus rehearsal, one of the guys invited me and a few others to go on a quick plane ride! He’s an amateur pilot, and he flew us in a four-seater around the mountains and hills of San Diego. We were going to fly along the coast, but it got cloudy all of a sudden. The passenger side had its own steering wheel (or whatever they’re called on planes). I was pretending to grab it when the pilot let go of his and told me to guide the plane! Oh shit! I brought the plane up and down and made turns! At one point he calmly told me to veer away from the mountain peak I was flying towards. Oh shit! Afterwards he said I didn’t seem nervous, but I seriously was.

I went to a small, independent health food store this afternoon, and who did I see walking out but the skinny cashier from Whole Foods! I was like, hey, you can’t be shopping here! If the WF people catch him there, he is gonna catch it.

So I’m back from my trip to Mammoth a day early. It was a fun trip, but things didn’t go how I expected. My friend was helping his friends move stuff to their condo there. He invited me to come along so we could go mountain biking there. It turned out that there was a ton of stuff to move, including two big beds, and the mountain biking just closed for the season because it snowed there on Monday. In recent times, I have felt very unhappy when being in a position of helping people move, like why don’t they hire fucking movers, but this job was actually enjoyable. This made me think that maybe I’m becoming one of those people who likes to help out which is who I’ve always wanted to be! Oh, the condo was under major renovations so we decided to come back early rather than stay another night surrounded by the clutter. Mammoth was totally gorgeous, though. The sky was even bluer than it is here with beautiful lakes and forests all around. They go there on "Laguna Beach." It’s a long drive, though. About seven hours each way. My friend had XM radio which is awesome. We listened to stand-up comedy and showtunes pretty much the whole ride.

I have to get to bed now. I’m doing the AIDS Walk tomorrow morning! Why they have to have it so early I’ll never know!