80 days and counting down

We're less than 80 days out from the wedding at this point and it's starting to really sink in that a) this is really happening and b) there's a lot left to do. I have three major goals for the wedding:
1. Our guests have a good time
2. We get to enjoy the wedding
3. Everyone leaves with a full tummy of delicious food

Now even though that seems like a small set of goals, making sure those are accomplished requires a lot more planning. So for a quick rundown on my list of to-dos:
1. Arrange for rental and set-up of the reception tent, tables, chairs, dancefloor and tablecloths.
2. Address and send out invitations.
3. Update the website with the RSVP link.
4. Meet with the wedding coordinator from the church to arrange for the rehearsal.
5. Reserve the rehearsal dinner location.
6. Schedule my dress fittings at the seamstress.
7. Decide on the music for the ceremony and the reception.
8. Purchase alcohol, other drinks, cupcake stands, cutlery and table settings.
9. Buy the remaining pint glasses for my favors and paint on the chalkboard square.
10. Figure out last minute accessories including jewelry, wedding bands, hair flower.

So many things and so little time, this is why people hire wedding coordinators. I'm trying to take it one step at a time and to not allow my life to become consumed in the planning of this event. And, be okay with not finishing everything on that list. So here's to the last big push until April 2. Wish me luck!

UPDATE 3/9/2011: I just realized that I've done everything on this list except for #9 and #10. WOO HOO!

New Year's Resolutions

No I'm not starting early for 2011, but I was about to write out a To Do list when I came across my 2010 New Year's Resolutions. I'm so glad I kept this, because it's fun to see which of those things I've crossed off, which I still haven't done and those I completely forgot about even promising to do.

1. Exercise 3x/week and go to yoga 1x/week.
I haven't kept this up consistently throughout the year, but this was by far my healthiest year yet. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I'm not commuting 45 min or more each way to work and have an extra 90 minutes a day to spend at yoga or working out. Funny enough I also canceled my gym membership this year, because with 2 people and 1 vehicle having to drive to a separate location to work out was not convenient. Instead I've switched to yoga classes down the street from my train station, running outside and Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred at home in the living room.

2. Take a trip to a different continent.
This was one of the worst years for traveling. Although the bearded man and I managed to fit in a lot of shorter trips: Grand Canyon, Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco (twice), San Diego; there was no international travel. Our last trip of the year will be to another national park which is great since we'll probably not be able to fit one in next year with the wedding.

3. Consolidate IRAs.
A major fail on this one, especially since it's been on my list for 2 years! I hate dealing with the paperwork, but I'm going to make a concerted effort to try and get this done by the end of the year. Due to my plethora of jobs, I have about 5 disparate accounts all just languishing.

4. Cook food I like.
I have to hand it to Real Simple for all of the awesome easy recipes with a few ingredients. The bearded man and I cooked through all 20 of the dinners listed in their 4-week menu plan for dinner. I would say we enjoyed more than 75% of them and there are some we have already made again! I also need to credit again my lack of a commute for my ability to cook more often.

5. Organize apartment/purge.
We have a constant "outbox" where we put stuff that we want to give away and every so often I go through my wardrobe to look for items I no longer wear, are worn out or don't fit. The best plan I can think of for doing this is Apartment Therapy's Home Cure, which just finished but there are awesome short videos to lead you through it. Coupled with the book makes it easier than you might think.

6. Invest in home furnishings/art.
Only made modest progress on this one. We bought a big mirror for the living room and finally framed our favorite photo from a trip to Brazil, but that's it. The majority of our walls are still just plain old white. As for furnishings we purchased a chest for the living room to hold the pull-out bed sheets/blankets, a liquor cabinet/board game holder, and some new throw pillows, but that's about it.

7. Run two half marathons.
I ran three this year, so here's one resolution officially checked off complete.

8. Finish college scrapbook.
I have made so little progress on this one that I wonder if I'll ever want to finish it, but I think I'll make the commitment to finish this one and then maybe go for easier digital versions in the future (Shutterfly, Costco photobooks, etc.) I just never want to take the time to get out all of the supplies, make the necessary amount of mess and clean it up.

So out of 8 resolutions I've managed to do at least most of them a little and 3 of them completely. Guess it's time to start thinking about some new goals for 2011, maybe blogging a little more frequently?

Defying Logic

Lately I have noticed several things that do not make a whole lot of sense. They range from the inane to the important but here's a brief list.

1. Chicken Carnitas. El Pollo Loco has debuted their new line of Carnitas menu-items, which might sound normal enough for a Mexican fast food joint, but they're made from chicken! Carnitas by definition is pork, just like carne asada is beef. Next they'll start serving Ensenada style fish tacos made from tofu!

2. First hired, first fired. Several of my grad school friends have fallen prey to this ridiculous HR policy utilized throughout public offices. It basically means that regardless of prior experience, expertise, education, or ability, the first person hired, will be the first person fired when budgeting requires a trimming down of staff. Why this is flawed logic, is pretty obvious, but let me break it down. Without younger people moving into these public servant jobs, there will be no one with the necessary experience and institutional knowledge to take over once the baby boomers retire, not to mention who will actually get things done while everyone else is busy chilling on disability?

3. The Obsession with OctoMom. I know it's kind of like watching a trainwreck in slow motion, but OctoMom really isn't that interesting. I can't imagine why people want to see her on TV. She never says anything outrageous, no driving around with the baby on her lap, and she hasn't even shaved her head bald yet. I bet the paparazzi really misses the old BritBrit these days. Plus, it's embarassing to see Whittier and its environs on the news every night. First Nixon, now this.

4.The wrap sandal. Is it me, or is this look even worse than the open toed boot? Now instead of worrying about only our toes being cold in winter, our spring option is to at least keep our ankles warm.

5. Local news television. My bearded friend brought this one up the other day. Who really relies on local news tv for important and reliable news and information? I watch KTLA in the mornings, mainly because I love Mark Kriski's crazy antics and I like to hear the weather before I get dressed but as for news this is what I learned this morning: a NASCAR race will be at Irwindale Speedway this weekend, the Woz was on with his partner in Dancing with the Stars, Manny is playing cricket and most important there is a REALLY long line for tickets at the Jay Leno show with the President in town. All super important and relevant news info considering that the economy is in shambles, AIG is giving out millions in bonuses paid by taxes and oh yeah the entire State is on the verge of chaos (again). I'm so glad I tuned in.

Madness All Day

I have found a new tv obsession- Mad Men. I waded through the 2nd season, without watching the first and was pleasantly amused. But for those of you who haven't discovered it, I do recommend starting at the beginning with Season 1. You'll appreciate the characters so much more. But here's a quick breakdown of why I love this show.

1. There are 3 main activities- drinking, smoking and sex. Not necessarily in that order, and all take place at the office. I can't imagine that the 60s were really that risque, but who knows. Either way, it makes going to the office look like a soap opera, but of course with a little bit more style.

2. The clothes are awesome. All the women wear tight, yet flattering dresses to work, accentuating their most sought after assets. The men with their suits and skinny ties, don't look so bad. And Don Draper looks good in just about anything.

3. Everyone on the show is just a little crazy. From the perfect housewife Betty, who decides to use a shotgun on the neighbor's pets, to the very proper Pete Campbell having a rendezvous the night before his wedding; all the characters seem about one episode away from a mental hospital.

4. It is also a history lesson. Although Sterling Cooper is a made-up ad agency, the businesses they represent are real including Dr. Scholl's, Nixon's campaign versus Kennedy and my favorite, Heineken. I've learned a lot more about what was going on in this decade then in most of my American history classes.

5. You'll look at ads differently forever. This was the beginning of the ad-crazed world we know today. TV was still a luxury item and the ads were a lot more straightforward, but the ways they get you to buy things are amazing.

So next time you head to Netflix, add Mad Men to the queue. And not just because I say so, but because Don does...

American President: Season 44

I’m sad to see the Olympics end, and frustrated that I will have to wait 4 more years until more international name-calling ensues. I guess there’s always the Winter Olympics, but other than Russia most of those countries are so darn nice and peaceful like Sweden, Canada and the Netherlands. At the same time I am overjoyed by the fact that I will not have to see Bob “I look like a Camel” Costas on TV for four hours a night. Instead he’s been replaced by all the anchors reporting from the Democratic National Convention. Too bad the DNC is only aired for an hour a night on the main channels, and to get full coverage I’m forced to watch C-SPAN!

Unfortunately with less than 2 months before the Election my free time has been eaten up by all the comings and goings of politicians and the like. I guess I admit to being a junkie, but who knows if my psyche can handle much more of the commentary I heard last night.

Here’s a brief list of things I’ve heard commentators say that only make the American voter sound dumb:

1. Americans vote for candidates based on their character not on their policy. If that is really the case, (and maybe it is) why even bother with a campaign platform and the endless number of policy documents on the campaign sites? Instead the candidates should focus on selling themselves to the American public much like people on dating sites such as Match.com.
2. Biden was chosen as a running mate to prove that Barack Obama cares about national security. And if he had chosen someone else, does that mean he doesn’t care about national security?
3. Michelle Obama’s speech is looking to prove that Barack and her stories’ are typical American and not exotic. Last I checked Hawaii is one of the 50 states, so I don’t really know how being raised there is “exotic”. I almost feel like its more “exotic” to be raised on a farm in the middle of Idaho, considering there are less people with that experience than living in a tourist centered economy in a mid-size city.
4. Hillary Clinton supporters need to be validated otherwise they might not vote at all. Its too bad Hillary didn’t win, and understandable to be disappointed after such a long hard fight. At the same time I don’t think Nastia Liukin is swearing off Chinese food for the rest of her life because of what happened in the parallel bars, and they were tied for the Gold! Barack won fair and square. Hillary’s loss was improbable, but it happened, no more whining please!
5. The next President will be able to “fix” all of the problems that exist today. I understand it’s important to set lofty goals that are impossible to reach, but this goes above and beyond what is reality. First, Presidents do not make or break an economy. Yes, more could have been done about the mortgage subprime situation, but in the end prices rising out of control could not have been controlled by anyone. The Iraq situation will continue to linger on regardless of who is elected, because we’re not going to just cut and run no matter what. And, education needs a lot more help than any one individual can offer, with the majority of the decision making and change occurring at the district level.

So please commentators, in an effort to educate rather than placate the public, try and act like this is more than what this election has become: a decision as to who the American public would prefer to see on their TV for the next 4 years.

It's as Simple as A-B-C, right?

For a year and a half, myself and my bearded friend were substitutes in the Los Angeles Unified School District. I was lucky enough to make friends with the staff and faculty of a neighborhood school, loved and cared for by its students and families. The kids were pretty typical, slightly less sophisticated than you might find in a private school, but overall eager to learn and excited to hear what you had to offer. I taught every grade from Pre-K to 5^th while I was there including 3 special education classrooms. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and if it had not been for the fact that I was about to graduate with my Master’s in a completely different field, I could have imagined myself getting a Special Ed credential and staying.

My bearded friend has had quite a different experience teaching middle and high school. He also happened to get assigned to a few of the District’s biggest eyesores. Schools where fights and lockdowns are a common occurrence, students still attend year-round and the physical state of the buildings and equipment are in disrepair. As a result, this made for many long discussions about what could be done to even begin to help the nation’s 2^nd largest school district. We couldn’t come up with a lot of real solutions, but did believe there were a few things that HAD to change.

1. Better Administration at the School Level: Schools that were pleasant to sub at always seemed to have administrators (Principals/Assistant Principals) who seemed in control, and hands-on. These were the type of people who took the time to get to know your name and remembered it when you showed up on campus a week later. LAUSD seems to have a dearth of good administrators, because it’s a very different thing to manage versus teach. One does not necessarily translate into another.
2. Better Oversight and Administration at the District Level: There is no place scarier in the world than 333 Beaudry St. Things literally go there to die. Every person I’ve ever talked to there told me and other subs I knew a different story. At LAUSD, there is always at least two unnecessary steps that must be taken in person or over the phone. Here’s a prime example, the State of CA renews your credential online, its simple and fast, and takes about 3 minutes. Anyone can go on the site and search for a person by first and last name to determine if they currently hold a valid credential. LAUSD requires you call them to tell your “credential assistant” that you have renewed online and then prints out a copy. There must be thousands of jobs at that building that are unnecessary, but continue because no one has any clue about how money is being spent/wasted.
3. The union: Unfortunately it is a necessary evil, because of the disastrous management of the District at the top. If it hadn’t been for them threatening to walk out, who knows how long the District would have taken to fix the paycheck debacle. At the same time, the union creates a safety net for a lot of mediocre and straight-up bad teachers to stay employed at relatively decent salaries. Subs can usually tell a good teacher from a bad one based on the state of their classroom (complete disarray vs. relatively organized), to the level of detail left on the Lesson Plan (watch a movie all day vs. several different options with distinct time limits for each). There really are teachers that come in everyday and read the newspaper, while giving their kids mindless assignments, and kicking out the kids that give them a hassle thus interrupting their morning coffee.

I really hope that one day I will get the nerve and the strength to go back to work in the education field. Often I feel that it’s too big of a mess, that there’s no good place to start, and too emotionally charged for most people to have an honest opinion about it. Which is why for now I’ll stick to buses, people can be a lot more level-headed about transit.

For further reading, check out the Times Magazine article on what people are doing in New Orleans to transform public ed.

Don't Worry...Just Be

For those of us who read/watch the news daily, it can sometime be too much for us to handle or even begin to worry about. This is precisely why I love today's article in the NYTimes about 10 things that we can rest assured about, check it out here.

I was inspired and decided to write my own list of things I am no longer going to worry about.

1. Ill-Fitting Clothes. Rather than stress out every time I put on a pair of pants that don't quite fit like they used to, I am going to toss them into my Goodwill bag and congratulate myself on my charitable giving. I will then put on an outfit I know fits and go on my merry way.

2. The "Big One". Its only fitting that today there was a 5.4 earthquake in Southern California, hopefully relieving some of the seismic pressure and therefore reducing the likelihood of a major earthquake. I do plan on putting together an emergency kit for my car and call it a day.

3. USC Football Season 2008. Seeing as we have been the #1 favorite in Vegas to win the BCS championship since the end of the last season, and the fact that there's no way we could lose to Stanford two times in a row, I am officially not worrying about Trojan football. Of course I might feel differently the day we play Ohio.

4. Nomar Garciaparra's playing career. My love affair with my fellow Whittierian(?) has ended. He's on the DL again, just like he's been for most of the season. I will miss Low Rider as his entrance song when he bats, but I just can't take the yo-yo anymore. I'm officially only rooting for guys under 35 without kids. Thanks a lot Mia Hamm!

5. Brett Favre's Future. This goes for you too #4. I lived in agony through that Giants game, and I couldn't even watch your retirement press conference. I hope you kick butt wherever you end up, but I'm done worrying about your injuries, falling off the wagon or your family in Louisiana.

6. Gas prices. They're here to stay and even if they've gone down a few dimes, it is time to stop worrying and just be proactive. My suggestion- do not buy a brand new car that runs on gasoline like I did. Everyday I feel more and more like I bought a laserdisc machine 2 weeks before the DVD player was unveiled.

7. The Presidential election. Wake me up when its November 5th. Enough said.

8. Cell Phone Cancer and All Other Random Diseases from Random Use of Objects. Who has time to calculate all the different things that can be killing us little by little? This week there was evidence that even the marble countertop in many kitchens give off large amounts of radon. Doesn't all of our clocks just start ticking away the minute we're born anyway?

9. Madonna & A-Rod. Okay I admit I don't really worry about either of them, but I'm really tired of having to hear all about celebrity woes day in and day out. Do people really care if K-Fed gets more money a month or if Brit Brit has extra access to her children? If only we worried as much about our own kids/relationships.

Before I forget them all...a primer on grad school

So as most of you know I just finished graduating with my Master's from a very prestigious Southern California University (well that's the line they feed the donors at least), hence the picture of me in cap and gown. During my brief period of time there (a little less than 2 years) I was able to meet some fabulous people who I will continue to keep in touch with and who I'm sure will be able to give me a great job in the future. Unfortunately, I also found some aspects of grad school troubling, I will detail them below and for those of you who have gone through the same situation please feel free to add to the list.

Pet Peeve #1: People who over exaggerate their work experience and academic achievements, particularly if it has been less than 2 years since you graduated from undergrad. One example, are people who double majored who feel the need to either say this at every opportunity given and/or claim to have two bachelor degrees. A) Why would anyone want two bachelor degrees? B) The majority of people who didn't play NCAA sports Division 1 double-majored, get over it. Also, are people who talk about unpaid internships as life changing work experience; coming from someone who has been an intern TOO many times to count, I know first hand that being an intern is low-man on the totem pole, even below the Temps.

Pet Peeve #2: Some students transferred from the Master's program to the PhD program. Which is great, congratulations! But, please don't spend the next year and a half correcting everyone about how you're a PhD student now. For the most part we take the same classes, you just spend the next few years trying to figure out what to write a really long paper about.

Pet Peeve #3: People not from L.A., who like to compare everything in L.A. to places they are from. I admit I love L.A. more than most people, but I don't go to New York, Italy, Denver, etc. and walk around talking about how much better and well ran L.A. is than these places. We have our own problems here and if you'd like to attempt to fix them please by all means, but whining about the traffic, smog, stuck-up people, lack of public trans, etc. is just being A) plain lazy B) very small-minded.

Pet Peeve #4: Students who once they learn the jargon in the field, only use jargon for the remaining 3 semesters. I have had actual conversations with people and have not one clue what they were saying. It becomes all about the methodology, the meta-analysis, slack variables and primary source documents instead of our work plan, compare/contrast, the stuff left over and talking to the person in charge.

Pet Peeve #5: Anyone that is too busy to do anything other than school ALL of the time. I'm sure that your coursework is challenging, but give me a break on Friday night at 11pm are you going to be reading or writing that paper due in 2 months? No, you're going to be watching TV or drinking two-buck-chuck, and everyone understands this. Don't pretend that you spent the entire weekend doing work, it won't win you many points with either professors or students.

Okay enough of my lists and rants, I will work hard tomorrow on putting something a bit more informative and a little less personal.

I'm baking like a toasted cheeser!

Today is the first official day of summer, and for those of us living in Sunny Southern California, mother nature didn't want us to forget so she made it over 100 in the shade! Of course this is a perfect day for the genius building manager at my work to shut down the A/C and repair it. It is out of control hot in the office and with no way to open the windows its unlikely to get any better.

But summer is my second favorite season after the holidays so I must think of all the good things that accompany it. The Hollywood Bowl, beach days, the 4th of July, drinking cold beer/margaritas/white wine, and watching everyone's favorite summertime movies.

Here's a short list of my favorite summertime flicks:

1. The Sandlot- hence the name of this post. "Anybody who wants to be a can't hack it, panty-waist, who wears their Mama's bra, raise their hand." Any movie about baseball, the pool hunnies and gives you a blow by blow breakdown on how to make a s'more is bonafide summer fun.

2. Dazed & Confused- School is out for summer! School is out forever! One of the all-time great stoner/70s/soundtrack with a movie attached flicks. D&C has McConaughey in tight pants, Affleck as Douche #1, and if you don't like it...then maybe you're not cool man. Ooookaaay.

3. Dirty Dancing- I just recently saw this in Mexico and I fell in love with Baby all over again. The character of her sister really should have won Best Supporting Actress for all of that horrible singing and dancing she did at the end.

4. Grease- Summer Lovin' had me a blast, summer lovin' happened so fast. Who knew that this gem of a movie was filmed at Lincoln High School in Lincoln Heights? Bite the winnie, Riz! With relish...

I can't think of a number 5, the temperature level in brain is preventing any new information from coming in or leaving.

But if you're worried/annoyed about gas prices read what one of my favorite economists wrote about McCain's new call for offshore drilling...Paul Krugman is a genius.

Random Obsessions

For whatever reason I've become a person with seriously random obsessions. Not anything crazy, but aspects of life/the world that I desire to become an expert about or feel the need to tell EVERYONE I meet about how amazing they are.

Here's a short list and I hope others can leave there faves:

1. Kevin & Bean on KROQ- there is no other radio station to listen to in the morning. Ralph's Movie Beat keeps me up to date on what's going on in Hollywood. Their "Ask a..." answers all the questions I have about Mexicans, Midgets, etc. And, of course Friday's don't really start until I hear them singing "Don't Bogart that Joint" at 9:55 am. I've even been on the show once during the segment "What it do Nephew", my new goal is to get myself played from the Afro line. Also Bean's Blog is what inspired me to start my own and is a daily source of amazing useless information.

2. In-N-Out- Okay I know I worked there so it makes sense that I'm obsessed, but I could literally eat this place everyday (I did for about 9 months). I am really never tired of it and the smell alone when I drive by makes me want to bottle it up and replace my new car smell with grilled onions.

3. My DVR- I do not understand how we watched TV prior to this invention. Never having to watch commercials (except for the Mac/PC ones a certain person I know loves) and always having something good to watch has truly revolutionized my life (a slight exaggeration).

4. The credit union- I love being a member of the Credit Union. I used to be an avid WAMU member, but they did me wrong a long time ago. The best part is that all 7-11 ATMs are credit union ATMs so you can get a slurpee and cash at the same time (plus think of how many 7-11s there are!).

5. Craigslist- What can you not buy or sell on this site? There is no need to ever buy new furniture again. Not to mention a great place to find housing. I don't recommend it for dating...kind of sketchy.