Pyro-pixie’s Neighborhood

Book #26 in 2008: Twilight, by Stephenie Myer

Um, let's be honest. Who doesn't love a teenage vampire novel with forbidden love driven by blood lust and unbridled passion?

I KNOW!!!! This book crushes. Part 1 in the "Twilight Saga" (and soon to be a movie), I absolutely devoured this YA book and cannot wait to move on to the next one in the series.

Edward, the 17 year old vampire with whom Bella, the protagonist/narrator, falls in love is HOT. Bella's a little annoying, but I can deal with it because Edward is HOT.

Easy, fun and quick to read. Just don't blame me when you, too, have an overwhelming urge to explore the Vampire Lifestyle. They're totally sexy though, so you won't be able to help yourself.

Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

Stephenie Meyer

c-24-14-206-241.hsd1.il.comcast.net (Comcast Cable Communications)

Plainfield, Illinois.  Really?  Because I don't know who you are, but i can take a good guess.

I'm guessing you should probably go away.

kthx.

As I was veering on to the freeway on-ramp this morning I reached for my phone to check and see how late i was when I realized I DIDN'T HAVE MY PHONE WITH ME!?!?!?!!!! OMGWTFBBQITS THE END OF THE WORLD.

The day's sucked a lot without it.
What would suck even more, is if I get home, and there are 0 missed calls or texts.
I might cry LOL.

Other than that, yay its Friday, and payday, but its pretty much all gone. woo . not so much.

Looks like another boring weekend at home for me, unless someone invites me out and pays lol

The Baby Daddy came over for a few last night and hung out, good times. Couldn't stay long though because he had to go pick up the lil ones... no biggie though!

Ellie is in big trouble. She's being such a lil whore faced bitch.
I think her problem is that she doesn't like when people (guys) come over and then leave.
She wants attention from them, but because she can't act properly I have to put her outside on the deck.
Otherwise she's a complete pain.

Well after he left last night I let her in, and didn't think about it, to go pick up my clothes, but she immediately went and ate my brand new pair of underwear. 2nd time this week she's done that. 8th in the last 2 weeks. WTF IS HER ISSUE GOOD GOD. It's not my fault there's not a steady man in her life right now. It's just not happening. I don't know what to do to deter her from doing this, other than putting my laundry away immediately. Whooping her ass is just not sinking in with her. Well she knows its gonna happen, and she tries to bite me, which just makes me even more angry. Ugh so frustrated. I didn't look at her, play with her, or talk to her last night or this morning. Tempted to get her kennel back out and shove her ass in there. Grrrrrrr.

Well I better get back to work, 4 hours till I'm off work and can get home to my precious.... (phone) lol.

I could so go for a drink right now.

I have to say, one interesting thing about my job is the fact that any time anything goes on with anything remotely Asian, I get contacted.

Yesterday there was a shooting near campus, and this morning I was contacted by a reporter asking if we knew any details of Asian students from UCR being involved.  As of yet, we have not heard anything.  The problem of Asian gangs in the area has been rising over the years, and as a department that caters to the 43% of the campus that is Asian, my director has had to step up many times in order to handle ongoing situations.  I can tell you with almost 100% certainty that none of the students that are employed by or have volunteered in our office would have been involved; our students are so non-confrontational.  In fact, sometimes they’re too non-confrontational, if you ask me.  Sometimes I just want to shout, “Come on, fight something… anything!” But they’re all really great, bright, wonderful individuals.

Everything has been more heightened for the Asian kids since the Virginia Tech situation.  It wasn’t helped by the fact that last year an Asian kid, so afraid to tell his parents that he wasn’t graduating, set fire to things and planted bomb-like devices on campus to try to get the graduation ceremonies cancelled.  This happening so soon after the VT shootings* made things even more uncomfortable for the students on campus. One Chinese girl actually emailed the Dean of Students, saying she was afraid to come onto campus, because she felt as if everyone hated her because she was Asian.

It is interesting being an outsider in the midst of this.  The Asian race is often labeled as the “model race” because of its tendency homologize and not “cause any trouble.”** One famous proverb states: “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.”  Keep your head down, and out of sight.  Be like everyone else, be a productive member of society. And study, study, study.   This is why most of the students that come through here are in the sciences or business.  Only a slim percentage of students are in the more “creative” majors that focus on individual expression.  There is a lot more focus on what’s best for the community, rather than individual happiness.  I can't say either view point is "better" or "worse," just different.

Which is another complexity I’ve seen my students face, especially for those whose parents are immigrants.  Here they are in American culture which focuses on individual happiness, while they are being raised by parents whose traditional values focus on family and community.  At home, the traditions of the cultures from which their parents come focus on age old traditions and values, while at school they are surrounded by American values which are in constant flux.  In a way America doesn’t have a set of values other than the value of the individual.  So for these students it is a constant struggle between the home and the school.  It is a struggle between community vs. the individual.  Tradition vs. a continually changing set of values.  Blending in vs. self expression.  The constant inbetween is where these students live.  It is no wonder that sometimes these students crack.

Being a white person, whose parents were born here, whose grandparents and great-grand parents, and great-great-grandparents were born here—I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to be in this constant inbetween.  Being exposed to it for well over a year has really opened my eyes to the situation.  But I know I’ve only touched the surface.  I can say that despite my complaints about my job, I have learned so much from these students, and I have to say, I’m very grateful for the experience.  Not everything is so cut and dry.  And with so much of our population facing these issues, I think it is important to understand these issues, to offer support and to reach out to these students before they turn to more destructive means of coping.

-K.

P.s.  All of this is stuff I've observed on my campus in particular, so I'm not trying to say this is the same for every Asian student everywhere.  I'm not that much of an arrogant ass :)

*The reported mental illness issue of this individual also must be taken into account, of course.  Not all of this was culturally based, although you CAN argue that traditional values in regard to mental illness also played a role in this kid not getting the help he needed.

**The individual is seen as a product of the community, which is why the President of South Korea appologized for the VT shootings, even though Seung-Hui Cho was an American Citizen.  The individual is a representitive of the community.

his sweater gave him the power to ward off his foes (click to view on Flickr)

ink & watercolour, 8x10 inches (Available at shop.marcjohns.com)

Jacksonville, Florida, that is.  Ran along the beautiful St. John River yesterday morning. 

Jax-StJohnRiver

Today, returned to my home in North Augusta, SC, and ran along the beautiful Savannah River. 

Do I have a great life, or what??
 

Yeah, the mentorship with Photography Dude?  Not going to work out.  He emailed the mentees saying that we needed to go to the workshop he's holding tomorrow and next weekend (no problem) and that we had to do three weddings for him in August on the 8th, 9th, and 17th.  The only one I could attend is the one on the 9th.  He said that he "doesn't want to hear about anyone not being able to come because of a vacation or a friend's birthday, because he has stuff in his life, but he is dedicated to his job and we need to be, too."

I emailed him back saying thanks but no thanks.  I mean, it'd be one thing if I had more than a week's notice on this stuff, but I have expensive tickets to a comedy show, and a friend coming from out of town on two of those dates.  These aren't things that I can exactly skip. Right now I have a trip to Vegas planned as well as one to New York. 

Plus, like I said earlier, I didn't really like the guy's style.  Sheri actually was looking at his website with me and she wasn't impressed, either.  Maybe my best bet is to work part time at a studio so that I can learn about lighting, and just get advice from my teachers in the photography program about the wedding I'm doing in October.  One thing I need to do for DAMN SURE is get off my ass and start taking more pictures.  I have a brand new camera that I've barely used.  Time to practice, practice, practice!

-K.

So young

I was 17, Todd was 19. (That's no excuse for my backwards baseball hat or Todd's white socks, but still.)

We were at his little sister's soccer game.

His mum took the photo.

We were falling in love.

13 years later I feel fortunate to be able to look at him and think, I got SO lucky.

I'm itching to tell the glorious news.

And hesitate until the ink's dry.

Diving

What the heck, I'll take the plunge! In follow-up to the blessed studio signaled by a chiming bell, I met again with manager D. to turn in the application. Here's an element not yet mentioned: He knows the family (my employer), including Rex, my boss who passed in March. The very high esteem and regard in which this good family is held in this town pocket open doors. Rather than wearing the mark of Cain, you wear a mark of blessings if you're a good person and connected with the family.

So in manager D.'s mind, I'm in; as of our meeting Wednesday, he still needed to run the paperwork past the owner. I was told to expect a call today and to have the deposit ready.

I do.

By day's end, the studio of the bells may officially be mine!

After which the only matters remaining are the move and a clean exit. And those, those I'm exceptionally skilled at thanks to a lifetime of moves. I've lost count at what number this is; at the moment, I don't really care.

I'm just incredibly happy at the door that is opening and the door that is closing behind.

More, good readers, as the healing journey unfolds. The next bell I hear may very well be the ding-dong of my new doorbell!

Wouldn't it be great to have just unlimited fundage?

I'd use my unlimited fundage to travel down to Australia, so I could go to the Melbourne Independent Film Festival where the documentary about Tim Minchin's rise to almost-worldwide-fame (he'll get there, trust me!) is being shown for the first time (Rock 'n Roll Nerd).  And then I'd go and live in London for a while and see his new show, Ready For This?, multiple times.  I'd become one of his stalker-fans!  MAS.  Except I'd also use my unlimited money in whatever ways I could to make sure he gets all the notice and attention he deserves and desires.  Cos he's brilliant and the world really needs to love him as much as I do.

Eviltim

And part of me is really scared of him making it big in a place like America.  Because the U.S. is huge and scary and its "fame machine" might well indeed make him famous but I'm afraid of what it will do to Tim himself.  It tends to mess people up inside, doesn't it?  But maybe he'd be okay.  It'd give him lots of good new material for his comedy act, at least.

And if you have no idea who I'm talking about, check out my Interested Person's Guide To Tim Minchin, which contains links to YouTube vids and his websites and all that jazz.  Beware though - you WILL get hooked!

Love him, and spread the love to others.  Cos he deserves every bit of it.