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2004 28 June :: 12.36 am
:: Mood: contemplative
800|< q|_|1z and middle of the night ramblings
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I'm bored and a wee bit tired.
Tomorrow I'm going to wake up at 10 or 11, take a shower, get dressed and walk. I don't know where to yet. I'll figure it out in the morning. I'll probably walk up to Kyle's and Ben's and Jackie's sometime if I wrap her present.
Or else I'll just walk.
I like walking. It gets you thinking and looking and wondering. And appreciating.
I think I'll go hug a tree.
I might walk up that path but go the other way, the way I haven't gone yet.
Hm. Sounds like an adventure.
Who's up for some exploring? I'll probably be up there by noon.
I like adventuring.
I love you all.
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2004 27 June :: 10.06 pm
:: Music: Sweet and Tender Hooligan by The Smiths
I was bored before I even began
I love playing a new CD for the first time. I love that feeling. All the songs sound different, even if they aren't. And they all sound new even if you've already heard them a thousand times.
DON'T BLAME
The sweet and tender hooligan, hooligan
Because he'll never, never, never, never, never, never do it again
(not until the next time)
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2004 27 June :: 8.13 pm
:: Mood: cheerful
...home where I wanted to go
I'm home!
I can't do anything today because we just got home and stuff.
Tomorrow I'll wake up earlyish and call people and actually maybe leave the house.
Wow. I can't believe it.
Plane ride was fine. We had to wake up at literally the crack of dawn this morning and flew out of Portland to Detroit then to GR.
Rock.
We got kites in Oregon because the people we were with were big kite/outdoorsy/do stuff people.
So if anyone wants to be a loser and go fly kites with me, just call on a moderately windy day. Hannah says ERMS would be a good spot.
I'm so happy to be home, you have no idea.
I was thinking and I sort of sound like a record a lot so I apologize.
I love you all very very much.
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2004 26 June :: 11.21 pm
I forgot to say this earlier. I can't believe I forgot it.
Yesterday we went to a little town called McMinnville for dinner. We stopped in this cool CD and record store.
I got my first The Smiths CD! GLEE! I just had downloaded songs and the songs off the CD Tracey gave me. Now I have my very own The Smiths album. Joy and rapture, I was geeked! I got Louder Than Bombs. It's just a sort of compilation album released the year they broke up. I could've gotten Meat is Murder or The Smiths. I wish I'd known that Meat is Murder was their best one because I would've gotten that one. It didn't have that many tracks on it though and I want a CD worth 17 bucks.
Anyway, here it is if anyone cares but me.
Today we went to Mount Larch, the Japanese garden, some rose garden and Powell's something bookstore.
It was, as Brett Bretterson said, "rather lovely."
I have a whole theory about pretty things and beauty appreciation that I'll put up when I have time.
Right now, it's time for dinner.
Our plane takes off at 8:30 tomorrow and lands in GR at 6ish.
I'll call people when I get home and see if people want to hang out.
I'm lonely.
I love you all.
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2004 26 June :: 1.18 pm
:: Mood: weird
Wouldn't it be nicer if we were older?
Sorry, I haven't been able to get my hands on internet so today you'll get a brief overview and when I come back, you'll get a really long entry.
I don't know what days are what in the summer so on daysomeday, we finally got to Oregon. They have a lot of pine trees and lots of wine country. Everything is really pretty everywhere.
On someotherday (maybe the same day), we got to Ashland, which is the cutest town on the face of the earth. We stayed at this really pretty bed and breakfast thing. That night we saw Much Ado About Nothing, which was really funny. At first, I was a little put off by the era in which it was set but I actually sort of liked it. It was in the 20'sish. Most of the hilarity came from the gestures they made and the inflections in their voices. Overall, awesome.
The next day, I think, we left for some town on the ocean. We stayed in this house that some lady rents out to people. It was pretty. Everything is beautiful.
I'll be more specific and get links and everything on oh tomorrow when I get home and settled.
We stayed there for a day or two and yesterday we ended up here in Portland.
Today (I think) we're going to the Japanese garden and the rose garden thing. Then sometime we're going to some huge bookstore because we're all geeks.
I'll type up a big summary tomorrow night maybe.
I've had a weird feeling in the pit of my spleen so I hope everyone and everything back home is okay. Then last night I had two bad dreams so I'm a little weirded out/confused today.
I hope everyone is alright and having fun. I'm coming home tomorrow if you've missed me at all. I'll be home at 6ish (that's when our plane is supposed to land...if it does) and probably call people because I'm homesick and lonely.
I miss people and home.
I love you all.
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2004 21 June :: 11.36 pm
:: Mood: hungry
Creepy
This whole town and the surrounding towns are creepy.
Anyway, pretty.
We drove from San Francisco to wherever we are now. Um. F something. It starts with an f. I think I said it earlier.
It's so beautiful. We drove along the riv ocean (I'm going crazy) and up all these hills/mountains and by these ravines... Wow. It's so breathtaking.
None of the rivers around here have water in them. The ones that do are so low that there isn't water in some parts.
I want to live in San Francisco. Or anywhere in California. I've been calling it "the tree hugger state". Everything is environmentally friendly. There's an ungodly fine for littering and everything's clean. It's amazing.
Oh, I have a plan. It's silly, it's crazy, it's absurd but it's a cool idea.
Next year This year, we graduate. I think we should all take a trip to San Francisco. It'd be so awesome. We can drive over here if anything. It takes 34 hours or something like that. I mean, we'd be 18. Adults. Done with stupid high school and ready for the real world. How awesome would it be to celebrate by going to San Francisco or hanging around California for a few weeks?
Maybe I'm just crazy or totally weird but I really want to do this. It might not even cost that much if we go the poor student's way. Plane tickets cost a ton, we could just drive bit by bit and get to California in a week maybe. Then we could...
Now I know I'm crazy.
Anyway, I'm having an adventure over here and I hope you all are having a ton of fun. But not too much.
I love you all and miss ya lots.
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2004 21 June :: 10.28 pm
Well damn.
We're still not in Oregon and I'm going even more insane.
We're staying in Fortuna, CA which is plopped in the middle of nowhere.
We're leaving tomorrow for somewhere in Oregon.
I'm still tired and we're going to some Victorian house town named Ferndale.
This hotel is creepy. There's hardly anyone here and we're in murder central again.
Shakespeare festival tomorrow! w00t! Much Ado About Nothing.
I'll update later on prettiness and such.
I love you all and miss you lots.
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2004 20 June :: 12.07 am
:: Mood: tired
Today...
We went to the Japanese Tea Gardens and all around San Francisco.
That was it really. I can't believe that was our whole day...
My parents keep talking to me about how good I am at foreign languages so I'm hoping they'll either send me off so I can use it (Japan/France) or help me find something to do with my mad l337 sk1llz.
I'm really tired. I'm still on stupid Eastern Time Zone. It's only midnight over there but I feel like I've been up all night and it's 6 in the morning.
Where is everyone? Why isn't anyone on the messenger? Sigh. I actually get on the computer so I can be all lazy and no one's on.
Really...tired...
Tomorrow we're driving for six hours up to Oregon. I don't know what we're doing up there. We might go on a boat and I know sometime this week we're going to the Shakespeare festival.
I'm reading one of Dan Brown's books. I've already read Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. I started reading Digital Fortress yesterday as we were waiting in Minneapolis. I have about 100 pages left and it's pissing me off. He's so annoyingly predictable and he's using the same structure over and over. He's also sexist and narrow-mindedly stereotypical. You should see how many times there's been a deus ex machina in this book! It's disgusting.
And still I read on.
I have more complaints but I'm tired.
Channel 8 on this TV is some Japanese station. I haven't had the chance to look at it or watch it really.
Something....
There's a huge Japanese garden in Portland that we might go to.
I had a point but I don't remember it.
Does traveling make you really tired? Because I am exhausted and my brain is total mush right now.
And I'm repeating myself but that's hardly anything new.
I'll update when I can. I'm not going to comment much because I'm not only lazy but too busy for you! Yeah! That's right! No, I just don't have time. Sorry.
I love you all.
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2004 20 June :: 2.31 pm
I'm here!
Another sunny day in Californ-i-a
I'm sure back home they'd love to see it
It's not that sunny or that warm really but it's nice. It's different.
And it's an adventure.
The layover wasn't that bad. We got Chinese food and sat around reading and talking. Hannah and I played crazy eights.
We got to California at 11:20 and got our rental car around 1. I have no idea what time we got to our hotel, I was too tired.
But here I am. Safe and sound. Thank God. Really.
Today we're heading to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and then we're going to drive around San Francisco.
I can't wait.
I love you all.
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2004 19 June :: 2.36 pm
:: Mood: anxious
Okay so we're leaving in about two hours and already I'm sick of vacation.
I almost forgot about a thousand things and I'm stressing out about it.
The thing I hate the most is that I can't wear a belt and all of my pants that are long enough don't fit. So I grabbed a scarf and now my pants are pretty.
We apparently have a two hour layover in Minneapolis. Ug. Two hours in an airport in a state just like Michigan. That's exactly where I want to be on my way to California. Not.
So yeah. I'll be in Cali at "11:27, Rachel" Hannah says which is 2:27 in the morning here. So all of you will either be asleep (like good little childrens) or doing whatever you do at 3 in the morning.
Binoc'lars!
I'm bored. I'm not really scared about flying anymore as much as I am really anxious.
This'll probably be my last update. I'll try to update but I don't know if I'll be able to.
Anyway, Hannah says we get to Minneapolis at 7 I think. So 8 here. Then we sit around for two hours.
Sigh.
Once we get there, we're in California for a few days before we head to Oregon. I don't know what we're doing there. Oh! We're going to the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Glee! I'm such a geek.
I'll see you all soon.
I love you all.
P.S. Never take anything I say after midnight as it's written. Just try to think about what you think I mean and you're probably right.
P.P.S. Sob. I'm going to really miss JAFAX. Hannah says we get home around 6 er summat. GARG. Take pictures, people. And buy me pocky or it'll be your head! YES! DOOOOM!
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2004 19 June :: 3.05 am
I almost forgot
To Nick and Ben or someone who can communicate this to them sometime:
Kyle's name on xbox live is Dopey going to be Thresher Shark (just like we thought). I don't know if you knew that already but there it is.
I love you all.
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2004 18 June :: 11.23 pm
Tomorrow we're off to California and Oregon.
The plane takes off at 6:36 (stupid random numbers) but we're leaving 73h house at 4:30.
So I'm going to wake up early and pack because I don't feel like doing it tonight.
Sigh. I'll be back the 27th at some time. I don't actually know when exactly.
Anyway, I do believe we'll be taking the laptop and since I cannot live without being online every second, I'll probably update 5 bajillion times and y'all might see me on the messenger.
Of course, I'll be five three (I can't count) hours behind all y'all but meh.
I hung out with Nick, Brigitte and Ben today. It was fun.
I love you all.
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2004 18 June :: 2.19 am
:: Mood: determined
Hamsap
Happy? Sad? Upset? Depressed?
Have we got the cure for you!
The makers of the fine product Engrish are proud to present...
Chinglish!
Yes, Chinglish. It's not English, it's not Chinese - it's just a really horrible translation!
Our featured product today comes from the bootlegged back cover of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!
Read more..
That's right, you not only see Harry meeting to kill the parental and true but also view someone get molested by melons!
That's not all!
If you buy now, you will see the whole changes to the last man!
"But, Rachel," you say. "This is nowhere near the amount of Chinglish I need to meet the daily requirements! What if I want more Chinglish? Are there other products offered?"
"Why yes!" I exclaim. This is but one fine example of the many products brought to you by Chinglish.
We also carry the actual text in original Chinese!
Read more..
Impress your friends with your awesome inability to translate Chinese into English!
Wow! You could do this for a living!
If you'd like to order one of these or another fine product by Chinglish or Engrish call the number below or visit our website!
Chinglish, bringing you excellent examples of poor translation everyday!
It's not as funny as I wanted it to be but it's late and I'm sort of tired. I hope the picture makes up for my poor sales pitch. And I hope I made someone at least giggle.
I love you all.
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2004 17 June :: 10.22 pm
:: Mood: tired
[edit 11:04] I almost forgot, my mom got my senior pictures today so I'll probably scan them in early tomorrow. You can choose if you want one or something. I don't know what I mean. I'm too tired to think.
I like being social. And going places and seeing people.
I've always said I like being alone but I guess being with other people isn't that bad either. In fact, it's pretty fun.
Today, I hung out with Ben, Nick and Tom. Nick apparently invited me over to Ben's without telling Ben. That's all cool except for the fact that I don't want Ben to be mad at me. But meh. Take what you get.
We played Halo blah blah.
I danced in the rain. It was beautiful. I just stood there for a bit and spun around a few times. I love rain.
Like always, my clothes were all wet and I got slightly reprimanded. It's not going to stop me from doing it again.
At 5:30 I babysat the sweet kids next door. It was easy peasy as always and I got $20 out of it. Came home at 9ish.
And here I be.
I love you all.
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2004 17 June :: 5.13 am
:: Mood: awake
Can't sleep.
Garg.
What's with my non-falling-asleepness lately?
I'm not even tired.
I'll go try again.
I love you all.
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2004 17 June :: 12.01 am
:: Music: Page One by Lemon Jelly
Imagine if you can what it is like to have no possessions at all.
I've come to the conclusion that Lemon Jelly is the type of music artsy people wearing black listen to while looking at their coffee table books and sitting on their modern furniture.
It's also the type of music played at coffee houses quietly but not so quietly that you can't hear it.
It's the type of music that you dance to in your kitchen wearing socks and sliding across the floor.
It's the type of music you listen when you really don't want to do your math homework.
It's the type of music you play when you need to learn rhythm.
It's the type of music to rave to.
It's the type of music you chill to.
It's the type of music that would be quite the opposite of the music one expects to listen to when playing Vice City or Halo.
It's "downtempo".
It's "breakbeat".
It's "pop".
It's "indie rock".
It's "electronic".
It's the type of music to make out to.
It's the type of music for everything and nothing.
It's the type of music.
I like it.
I love you all.
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2004 16 June :: 8.56 pm
Bootlegs
I almost forgot about the bootlegs. As last year, my father brought home a few bootlegs.
Not as many as last time but anyway. He got Shrek 2, Harry Potter, the animated Van Helsing (I think) and Troy.
Shrek 2 is actually pretty good looking. Hannah and Buddy watched it.
Harry Potter is off-center a bit but it's still pretty okay.
I didn't watch any of the other ones but yeah. If anyone wants me to bring em anytime, that's what I've got.
I love you all.
P.S. The Ghibli DVD isn't Region 1 but I cheated my computer and changed one of our DVD players to Region 3 because 3y3 4|\/| |_337 |-|4x0|2z!!one!11!
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2004 16 June :: 6.10 pm
:: Mood: geeked
:: Music: Omohide PoroPoro
Yay! Oriental goodies!
My dad came home from Taiwan, as always, with a truckload of goodies for us all.
I'll start with the music.
- Omohide PoroPoro Soundtrack I've never heard of the anime but it's got a nice "music to listen to while riding in the car" feel to it. The first two tracks sound smooth and classical. The third sounds like a Jewish wedding song and the fourth sounds like a mariachi song. So the anime has to be very interesting.
- Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro) Soundtrack GLEE!
- Hoshi no Koe (Voices of a Distant Star) Soundtrack My favorite anime. It's one episode, 28 minutes long and I cry every time I watch it. The music is just beautiful
- Animage Singles Soundtrack This has songs from Nausicaa, Laputa, Totoro and Kiki on it. I haven't listened to it yet.
- lemonjelly.ky (Compilation Thing of Lemon Jelly) I don't know. My dad says they're pretty awesome and I have the same eclectic taste of music he has so I guess I'll check it out really fast. The first things I notice upon opening the CD case are the psychedelic swirls on the CD and some guy in a luchador (am I spelling that right?) mask on the booklet. Hm. Wow. The first songs starts out and I'm amazed. It's like The Flaming Lips but softer and a little more classical. Great bass going down. I think the floor's vibrating. I'm sure you'll hear me rant and rave about these guys pretty quick. New obsession. It's like techno I don't know. Their songs range from about 7 to nine minutes long. Great background party music.
I got this Ghibli DVD, the title of which is in very complicated kanji. There's an exclamation point in the description along with the number 17. I'll scan it in later to see if anyone recognizes it. I hope it's region 1. *crossing fingers* It was made back in 1993 by Saeko Himuro if that sounds familiar at all. I'm digging deep here.
I put Harry Potter in French on my Christmas list and my father returned with Harry Potter à l’école des sorceiers (Harry Potter at the school of sorcerers). It says it's a "folio junior" so I don't know if it's the entire first book but since I can understand most of it so I'll keep you updated.
I got these cute little "book make" bookmarks ("Your truthful page maker") with the phrase "live" on one and "life" / "look forward to an interestin anecdote". They're cute but I'm not sure if hillbillies made them or someone just typo-ed.
I have this "OPEN The... Doing your own thing." blue spiral notebook thingy. It's cute and small. Perfect for me pocketses.
Now to the assorted things.
I have, on my lap, a cat shaped pillow thing that my father says is good luck during the dragon festival or something. All I know is that it's cute, soft and smells like the orient.
In my bag of goodies, (it has multiple pandas on it playing various sports with the phrase "lucky to you" placed sporadically on it) I have....
- A very Open Mind-ish purse thing with a lotus and some words that look like Sanskrit in a circle around some Hindu symbol thing. It's pretty.
- A very big but very cute greenish shirt with the typical oriental clasp things on it. They go down to the left (my left, if I'm wearing it) which, I do believe, is only worn that way when someone's dead or something. Jackie, can you confirm, expand or disprove that?
- A Fung Shui compass thing. I don't know how it works or what's up with it but it has a compass and two levels on the side. It reminds me of an alethiometer and I do believe I'll call it that from now on.
- Three Hindu stickers of random gods that I think will grace my naked CD player with their presence.
- A cute orange change purse-y thing. It's cute. I heart it. I have about 40 of these or purses in this style.
- One shirt, black, has monkeys on it with "o (some kanji) ra (I think)" above the monkeys and "omamori na saru" which means something about monkey. Any ideas, Jackie? I think the "omamori" is an adjective. Mamori means something about protection or a talisman so now I'm lost.
- My other shirt, also black, has monkeys and some comb-type design on it. Under the symbol (be prepared for massive Engrish and I'm not making this up) are the words: "with POWER'S ROCK". Under those seemingly random words are seemingly random letters: "let7sldpnvdxcizjkeifkdsk". And that's just the first row. I've heard people say that the Japanese wear shirts with random English words on them and I think this shirt is a fine example.
There's this random book called Marionette’s on Taiwan in Majesty. It's in French and Chinese. It has pictures (Glee!) and a map of the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris on the back.
Crazy.
Hannah and I received some dangly bracelets like always. I let her take four since I'm nice and I felt sorry for her having to be tortured by some new dental appliance today. I have three earth toned ones and they make a pretty noise when they all cling together.
So yeah. That's it really.
Oh, we did get a spiral incense burner. One of those ones that you see at temples and shrines. The incense burns for 24 hours and smells like the incense at church.
I'm going to see if that Ghibli DVD works.
I love you all.
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2004 16 June :: 3.20 pm
:: Mood: anxious
New layout. Again.
New icon(s) on the way.
I have been in a Morrissey/The Smiths mood if you all are blind or couldn't tell.
The layout is based on/inspired by the song Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me by The Smiths. It has been stuck in my head and I love the lyrics.
I used a picture from Exploding Dog (as always) called Yes, but I did not sleep last night i thought you loved me more than any thing, and i thought you would come back to me.
My dad comes home from China/Taiwan today. He went early this year. I think he'll actually be here for the start of school. Maybe.
I love you all.
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