Paris is Burning

One of the best things about living in Los Angeles is the mountains. For as long as I live here, I don't think I'll ever stop "oohing" and "aahing" over them. Another wonderful thing about LA is there's sunshine about 350 days of the year. Buuuut that's also one of the worst things about Los Angeles. No rain = dead vegetation. Dead vegetation = fires.

Los Angeles is literally on fire. Wild fires are ravishing a good chunk of Los Angeles County. Granted, most of it is located towards the top of the hills but it's more windy up there, which means it's more likely to spread. Thankfully us down in the basin or those in the valley are out of harms way. I'm living about 20 miles away from it all, but I can see the smoke; I can SMELL the smoke. TWENTY miles away. Unbelievable. Homes are being destroyed, animals are dying, and 2500 firefighters are working around the clock trying to control it and failing.

Check out these gnarly photos:




An aerial view. To the left is the basin.




This cloud was what I was staring at the whole drive home from work today.

It's one thing to read about this and be thousands of miles away, but it's another to be only 20. Let's hope the firefighters are able to control it soon.

ted kennedy

Senator Ted Kennedy died today after a rough battle with brain cancer. He was a leading figure in the Democratic party and a champion in the Senate for 47 years. He began his career reluctantly, but emerged as a significant figure in American history. I take comfort in knowing that his battles will continue to be fought for years to come by the generations of people he touched and influenced. He's finally at peace up above with his three big brothers, who I'm sure are very proud that he carried a piece of them with him until the very end. Thanks, Teddy.

Ted Kennedy, 1932-2009

nostalgic

I just realized that it was one year ago to this day that I left Chicago for good.

Tonight I was feeling nostalgic. In all honesty, I was feeling nostalgic for the :forgotten: years at DePaul; my first two years. I credit my junior year of college as being a pivotal one for me. I met some amazing people and learned more about myself in that one year than I had in my previous 19 years of existence. I finally knew who I was and the type of person I wanted to be. I know that some people couldn't understand this revelation and a number of relationships suffered because of it. But would I change that experience? Absolutely not. It was as much confusion as it was sense; lonliness as it was acceptance; pain as it was happiness. I am where I am today because of it.

But I had a very different life my freshman and sophomore years of college. And it's something I don't think much about anymore simply because my life shifted so drastically. But I was happy and grew up a lot during those first two years of college. My two best friends and I were inseparable, doing everything together. One was like a brother to me, someone I could rely on constantly. The other was a boy who was always slightly more than a friend, someone who I could loathe one minute but depend on the next. These two friends helped me break out of my shell and insecurities. They were truly my best friends.

In some ways, I wish I could relieve those moments: sitting on the edge of one's bed, watching them create wrestling entrances until the wee hours of the morning; or waiting after a Cubs' game for players to come out and sign autographs; or getting dinner every night in the Student Center, ''ooing'' and ''aahing'' everytime we saw a basketball player. And who could forget the time we stood in line at some guy's apartment waiting to get our pictures taken for our fake ids? Or celebrating my 19th birthday in the dorm rooms, drinking cheap beer and playing Circle of Death? Or ending our nights at our favorite bar, O'Malleys, and then getting drunken McDonalds? How about going to the local park and playing catch with a bunch of elementary kids during recess? Getting the chance to go up to the press box at Wrigleyfield and get our picture taken with Len Kasper? Dressing up as Prince, Michael Jackson, and Madonna for Halloween? "Grounding" the person who threw up the previous weekend; Friday nights at Chilis and Sports Authority; and so on and so on.

I miss those years a lot. More than I ever thought. Things have changed, however, and friendships have drifted apart. While my relationship with both boys may not be ideal, they both hold an important part of my life that I can never deny. And maybe one day (soon), we can have that true reunion: a night at O'Malleys where it always was good.

is it friday yet?

I had a good weekend. No... I had a GREAT weekend.

Saturday night, a very good friend hosted a cocktail party. This friend (we'll call him Leon) recently moved into a beautiful apartment (in a not so good area, mind you). And what are you supposed to do when you move into a new apartment? Have a party, of course. This wasn't just any party however--this was a Soviet themed party. Mixed in with the wall art and hand-made pillow covers and a frosted corner bar, was a plethora of Soviet propaganda. For those who know Leon, this was only appropriate.

This cocktail party consisted of Leon's good friends and he provided a number of Soviet-themed drinks. (He can make QUITE the White Russian). Three of our mutual friends decided that it was only appropriate to come in costume to this Red-themed party. And what did they dress as? Fascists! Brown shirts, red arm bands, and mustaches completed this look. As for everyone else, they came dressed in the best. All the ladies wore black cocktail dresses and the gentlemen looked dashing in dress shirts and ties. Sister 2's boyfriend provided Soviet themed music and everyone mingled about in the style of Lenin and Trotsky. At a certain point, the group of 15 or so moved from Leon's party to a local bar where more drinking and dancing commenced. A very good night indeed.

My Sunday consisted of sleeping in and cuddles, followed by semi-napping at the beach (I am SO tan, by the way). After a hearty dinner of Thai, an evening in a friend's pool/hot tub closed out the weekend.

I had been worried that seeing a new couple together for the first time would bother me a bit. I was afraid of this simply because my relationship with the boy had its ups and downs. But seeing them on Saturday night went better than expected. Even seeing them kiss didn't give me the butterflies. Maybe that was because I realized that my feelings were nothing more than friendship. Sure I was a little hurt, but I am a different person than I was a year ago. Being spiteful only makes you look bad. Besides, I had a cute boy of my own and I came to the realization that I like him more than I was admitting. I'm happy with where things are progressing and I'm happy that my relationship with boy #1 is finally settled in its rightful place. And I'm looking forward to seeing where my relationship with boy #2 goes. I'm in a very good place right now. :)

I'm already anxious for this week to be over so I can enjoy this coming weekend. I don't have plans, but if the past weekends are any indication, it's going to be a good one.

Happy Amelia Earhart Day!

I am officially designating today (or what's left of today) as Amelia Earhart day! It was on this date in 1932 that she flew across the United States, becoming the first woman to ever do so. Not only was she a kick ass pilot, but she was also a kick ass woman.

Amelia Earhart was a pioneer and a leader in the ongoing fight for women's equality. She competed in a man's world and succeeded beyond anyone's imagination. Her untimely death only enhanced her legacy. However, we can all agree that had it not been for that fateful flight, she would have pushed the boundaries even further for women. We all owe her a very big thank you.

text messages

I deleted a bunch of old text messages I had saved. I'm not sure why I saved them... maybe I was holding onto better times. Or maybe they were proof that something truly did exist for me at one point. Regardless of my reasonings, there was no point in keeping them. It was liberating, yet sad at the same time. I had been waiting and waiting for something that was never going to appear again. And last night I came to the conclusion there was no need for me to wait anymore. A big part of me moved on but those text messages had been saved because a tiny part of me wasn't ready too. Deleting them only made sense.

I know I'm being vague but I'm sure you can read the underlying message. This weekend is going to be a really big test for me. I'm hoping nuKeri will outshine oldKeri. Wish me luck.

people disgust me.

Mugly, who was Britain's Ugliest Dog winner in 2005 was viciously attacked by a group of "thugs." He was saved by a passerby who chased off his attackers who saw them punching, kicking, and beating him with a stick. The attackers also pulled out the only hair he had and took off an eyebrow!

This is what killed me:

"It's horrible because he loves people so much he probably thought it was just a game and all they were interested in was hurting him.

"He was really shaken and cowered in to me when he got back to me. He was swollen and bruised around his face and rear end."

Seriously, who does that to a dog? Poor little guy. He's super cute too.

source

long live the queen!

happy 51st birthday, madonna! stay fierce.

this was my sunday

meet har mar superstar.



all you need to know is that he’s from minnesota, he’s fing badass live, and he looked banging in a purple speedo.

fun fact of the day

64 years ago today, world war II officially ended. (can you believe it's been 65 years?!) this war defined the next generations and changed the landscape of our country. so please take a moment and thank your grandpas for serving. there won't be many veterans left in the coming years.

to celebrate, i'm going to read philip roth's book, "the plot against america." it's a novel that examines an alternative look at world war 2. what if charles lindbergh had been president during the war rather than franklin roosevelt? i'm excited to read it and i'll let ya know how it is.

friday night

my friday night was exactly what i needed. i hung out with some friends, had a great conversation over beers, and then drove up the coast in my friend's volvo with the top down. granted, it was f'ing cold, but it was the perfect way to spend my friday night.

here's hoping the rest of the weekend is just as perfect.

weather

it's 75 degrees out right now.

it's august 14th and i live in southern california. it should be 95 degrees out!

the weather is beautiful, i'll give it that. it's sunny, there's no humidity, and a slight breeze is refreshing. but i want it to be hot! i want it to be so hot that jumping into the ocean is the only relief from the heat. what ever happened to global warming? is it just warming other places?

this weekend it's supposed to be in the low 80s. and i don't care: i'm going to the beach and going swimming. i don't care if the water will be cold. that's one of the benefits of living in socal.

please please please get hotter, los angeles!

the best show on television

i just finished season 2 of dexter. and holy hell is this show good. like, srsly good. after every episode, i'm always thinking how brilliant it is: the acting, the writing, the cinematography... michael c. hall is phenomenal. he's a freaking serial killer but you can't help but sympathize with him, feel for him. episodes 110 and 211 were the best written and best acted episodes of the series. please find time to watch it. it's gruesome, it's dark, it's funny, it's smart, and it's just all around good.the season 1 finale episode was one of the best finales i've ever seen. legit.

i've always had a fascination with serial killers. it's one of the things sister 2 and i have in common. she's a psychologist, so she likes getting into the minds of killers. why they kill? who they kill? how they kill? serial killers tend to follow patterns. there are typically certain types of people they kill and certain ways they do it. why though? why do they target one specific group of people? jack the ripper went after prostitutes. john wayne gacy went after young men. ted bundy --who was handsome and highly educated-- went after young women who reminded him of his ex girlfriend. the interest and fascination for me lies with how they got away with it. and how they eluded capture for so long. dexter kills bad guys (i don't think i'm giving anything away there) so he's able to get away with it. a big part of the show is showing how he's able to do it and why. gah. just... watch it.

as soon as i'm done with season 3, i'm watching six feet under.

"WCI and CapTel phones, this is Keri, how may I help you?"

Everything about today seemed... off. It was probably because I woke up minutes before I had to leave for work, and I hate HATE rushing in the morning. I hate getting up as it is, but to have to rush out of bed and get dressed in a mad rush is even worse. And of course this caused my day to be off. No computer, a class of deaf students came in, a woman smelling like poo came in, and then those fun, interesting calls. Needless to say, once I got home, I crashed onto my bed and haven't moved since.

Whenever someone asks me what my job is, I usually give them a very brief and vague description. I do this not because I'm ashamed of my job but because it's just so difficult and long to explain. I honestly don't think I've told anyone exactly what it is I do. So, here it is:

I work for a company called WCI. We are a leading distributor of products for the deaf and hard of hearing. I'm talking telephones/ttys, alarm clocks, signalers, personal listening devices, TV listening devices, and so forth. However, our main sell is something called the CapTel phone. And if you live in Texas, New York, or Florida, chances are you've seen our PSA. This phone is the grand-daddy of all our products. Our company lives and breathes CapTel. This phone is an amplified phone that captions out word-for-word everything that's being said to you --so you can hear what you can but read what you need to. It's not offered in every state (DE and MA are the only ones who don't have it) which means every state has their own rules and restrictions with this phone (state mandated vs. federally mandated). We have PSAs running in various states (never Illinois or Minnesota) which means people call us looking for more information.

My job: I am part of the customer service team. This means that I help answer calls. 90% of our calls are about CapTel but we do have people calling looking for other products. However, I am nearly last on the call queue because I focus more on the order entry side of the team (the Quality Assurance team). When people place orders, someone enters them into the computer system. They then get printed out and handed to me. I check to make sure there are no mistakes with names, addresses, product codes, pricing, etc. I then hand the orders to our Special Accounts manager who "final proofs" them and passes them off to our two warehouses (one at our office, the other in Wisconsin where CapTel ships from). I'm also the customer service administrative person, which means I make sure alllll the order needs are taken care of. I am currently establishing rapport with state programs and dealers; I am learning about our special accounts; and I do reporting. All while taking calls every now and then.

The majority of our customers are older. And surprisingly, hard of hearing. Which makes for some preeeetty interesting calls. I've had to scream in the phone to make myself heard. I've been yelled yet, cursed at, and been threatened with Florida's district attorney. We've had customers in our office who have urinated on one of our chairs and who've smelled like poo.

The job is never dull. And I thoroughly enjoy the people I work with. We're a small office (about 18 or so) and everyone is fairly young. We all get along with each other (for the most part) and some of my closest friends have come out of that place. Is it a forever job? No, it's not. But it's giving me a lot of good experience and things to put on my resume.

Which comes to the question: if it's not your forever job, keri... then what do you WANT your forever job to be? Well kids, I don't know. But, I'm looking into getting my teaching certificate so I can try teaching for a few years. And if I like it, then I'll go back to school and get my masters (and eventual Ph.D) in education. High school history is ideally what I'd like to teach, but if it were to be my forever job, then I'd want to teach college level history. But I'm still not letting go of finding some studio honcho to marry so I can live in luxury. However, I sorta decided I needed a back-up plan in case that didn't pan out.

So. That's basically the jist of what I do. Is it tiring? Yes, at times. Is it stressful? Yes, at times. But I go into work every morning not knowing what to expect. Which makes working at 7am tolerable.

If you ever go deaf, let me know. I gots you.

i'm a liar.

I lied. "This is Your Life" is my fav.

album of the moment

(click me!)

I've never been a fan of The Killers. Buuuuut this album is so f'ing fantastic, i can't even describe it. I know that I'm about, oh, six months late hopping on this band wagon, but I couldn't help but share it. "A Dustland Fairytale" is the best track on the album.

fun fact of the day

happy 176th birthday, chicago!!

it was this date in 1833 that chicago was founded with only a population of 350! today, the city's population has reached 2.8 million people, making it the third largest city in the country! holla.

so take a moment and wish the city that gave us al capone, second city, the first ever blood bank, the ferris wheel, the remote control, and skyscrapers a VERY big happy birthday!

what about the environment?

The world is about to hit 7 billion people and there’s no sign of it slowing down. What’s even MORE staggering is the fact that it’s only going to take 12 years for it to increase from 6 billion to 7 billion people. How quickly will it reach 8 billion? 9 billion? Can our world even hold that many people?


The Population Reference Bureau’s 2009 World Population Data Sheet projects that 97% of global growth will happen in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean; to simplify it: third world countries. What will this increasing population due to our environment? And to the countless number of species living in inhabited lands that will eventually become habited to make room for a billion new people? I’ve never taken an active role in environmental issues. It was always something that I glossed over, not really striking much of an opinion. But thinking about these questions has raised an alarm in me. I want to know where President Obama stands and what sort of things that he’s doing/attempting to do to combat these questions. Don't you?

[source]

god, i love her

musings pt. 2

*has it really been over TWO years since i've last blogged? unreal.

*sometimes my "h" and "g" keys on my laptop don't work. you never realize how many times you use these letters until they magically disappear while you're typing.

*talked to my brother today. he's back in the states briefly but will be going back to iraq in about a week. i never really realized how much i missed him until i talked to him today.

*i wish i could have been there:

*what is it with people and their fascination with vampires? don't get me wrong, i do enjoy a good vampire movie or book (i'm totally hooked on the "twilight" series... guilty!). but what is it about them that has people so... obsessed. is it because they're supposed to be so beautiful? so graceful? so deadly? would you really want to live all of eternity like that? i really want to read bram stoker's "vampire." see where it alll begain.

*speaking of reading. i need more books to read. i only have 5 books here with me, and you can only read "harry potter and the half blood prince" so many times before you go crazy.

*sad day today: eunice kennedy shriver died today. she was 88. she lived a long and healthy life --unlike 5 of her other siblings. i can't believe that only jean and teddy are all that's left. and let's face it: teddy doesn't have that many years left. i can't believe that after 8 years, this family still has a hold on me.

*dexter is the best show on television. hands down. watch it on sidreel.com.

*i'm ready to become a real person. i wish things would just magically fall in place.