Off The Record, Vol. 7

(January 9, 2007)

School has officially commenced again at UC-Provo… er, BYU (basically the same thing, though, viewing the quantity of Californians here). I find myself developing a cynical mood towards the small details of college, just as I'm sure we all did in high school, and as we all do with work. With an onslaught of a new semester comes the new students. I love watching newbies; they all dress to impress, thinking with a new semester, new year, and new clothes they're a new person, without ever coming to the realization that they're enmeshed in habits they don't want to break, they don't want to leave their comfort zone, so in a month they're back to the same habits, thinking "Next year will be different." Makes me think of that group on Facebook named "Procrastinators Unite… Tomorrow!" Also makes me think of that Pink Floyd song, "Time," yet I imagine very few of you know the line to which I'm referring.

Enough with academia. I loved my Christmas break. Very much indeed. A family reunion in Arizona, In-N-Out in Moreno Valley, taking Elise to the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena (how many of you have gone there? I call it "Eden," personally), a beautiful drive down to San Diego with no traffic either way, In-N-Out in Corona… good times. I ate at In-N-Out somewhere else, too, yet was probably so enwrapped in the moment I forgot where that was. For those amidst y'all who say Magic Mountain is closed, I take it you do not read the newspaper (thanks, Tim). It's open. I also heard a rumor it's closing because it's been flooded with gangs. If your definition of "gangs" means 70% of the attendance is by Mexicans wearing black, why then, yes, it's flooded with gangs. For non-racists, though, that don't assume everybody that's not white is in a gang, it's the same it's always been isn't it?. Good rides, good times, expensive parking. I wouldn't have gone unless I found two tickets on eBay for $40 combined, though—smack me if I ever pay $120 for one-time theme park tickets. I'm getting too old, though. It's true. The rides made me nigh to sick, and Psyclone is jittery enough to shatter your spine. OH!.... that's the other place I ate In-N-Out. Next to Magic Mountain.

Saw some old time friends, too, which I enjoyed. Was the first time I've seen PJ since high school, and was glad to catch up with him. I was filled in regarding what I otherwise would not know, such as (a) who has chosen to be gay since high school, and (b) that despite there being probably over 100 Starbuck's in the Inland Empire, you could skip those other 99, baby, because the one worth traveling to is ten miles away, and even though that one is out of everything you would want, and the hot chocolate tastes like chalky cocoa, it holds its own due to the memories with friends that were created.

I wish California made sense, though. What was one of the few remaining fresh strawberry field in the Inland Empire—the one place that would consistently have the best corn and strawberries year round—finally was crushed, and now a Lowe's Hardware towers over that once-fertile soil. What once was a cow field full of pooh and flies is now a rather nice condo complex where McKee and Borja have nice homes. I mean, props for them, cause the homes are really nice and they're happy, but won't the additional 5,000+ homes being built down there only make the already jacked up traffic worse? I like Edward Norton's perspective; he sees California as heaven gone awry. "I get heartbroken flying into L.A. It's just this feeling of unspecific loss. Can you imagine what the San Fernando Valley was when it was all wheat fields? Can you imagine what John Steinbeck saw?"

Last Wednesday we boarded our cruise ship in Long Beach. Advice to you: take a cruise. Sometime. Even better in the off season (like mid-March), when you could get a 4-5 day one for less than $350. Decent food, good views, they keep you entertained, and if you don't want to be entertained, you could do your own thing. Rooms are small, but are you going on a cruise to stay in your room? Pictures will be on my page tomorrow. My only regrets are the 5-10 lbs I assume to have gained, yet boy were they worth it. Elise and I took part in one of their activities called "Love & Marriage." It's a game show they do with three couples; newlyweds, a couple that's been married a while, and the oldest marriage in the audience. Long story of how we were chosen out of the 8-10 newlywed couples wanting to play; let's just say that I dislike those people that draw attention to themselves for no reason at all (I don't see myself in that category, thank heavens), when there is a prize at stake, and the audience is voting, don't get in my way. I'll try and post a video of the show on my page soon enough. The few days after the game show, we were celebrities-of-sorts. 'Twas weird. Most places we went, even in San Diego and Mexico, people recognized us and wanted to talk about the show. We got off an elevator, and the people at the base of it recognized us and began to applaud. Was fun for the first day, yet both Elise and I were ready for it to be done the last day and a half. I've decided that if I ever see a celebrity (i.e. Bono, Conan, or Tina Fey), I will never bother them. After I get a picture. And an autograph. And their socks.

Long enough. I'm out.