Wednesday, February 26, 2003
it's been a while. no big news to report. i think i'm getting it down w/ my job and all, tho. transportation and all, too. i got my key card today, which gives me access into the office. still have to get a picture id, tho, that'll let me get into the actual building w/out having to sign in every time i go in and out. that and a bathroom key. oh well. baby steps. i'll get there.

the weekend was pretty low-key. just stayed in and watched a movie w/ rick on friday, and then went to see midnight showing of run lola run at the uv on saturday. oh yeah, i also went to the dentist on saturday. woo-hoo! haha, i had to take advantage of my benefits from my old job while i had them. i'm glad i was able to get an appointment for saturday, cuz they were only good until the last of the month. so i got it in just under the wire. and the dentist i went to was really nice. a usc grad, too, which i didn't know til i got there and saw the diploma hanging on the wall. the receptionist/nurse was nice, too. but anyway, it was cool cuz pretty much as soon as i sat on the chair, he told me to open, and i did, and right away he goes, "oh, it looks good! really good, jessica!" hehe, and i was just like, "oh, thank you." only it was more like, "henk oo." and then after he looked at the x-rays and told me i had no cavities, he said, "oh, really good! you're not gonna have any problems w/ your teeth, jessica." they kept saying my name like at the end of every sentence, hehe, but it was ok, cuz they were so nice. these cute lil' ol korean people. it was a small office. just the denist and the nurse. it's kinda sad that i won't get to go to them anymore. oh well. anyway, i'm a loon, i know. going on for so long about my dentist trip. hehe. so yeah, other than that, it was a pretty uneventful weekend.

i took some of the tests jen did. here are my results:

the spark's pickup test - You have achieved the Golden Mean! You are 37% pickup-able! You're like Jen. Do you know my friend Jen? You're just like her—she's like this cool girl who's attractive and funny. I should call Jen. Or maybe you're like my friend Steve. Regardless, you like to flirt, but not with ugly people. And when you lock eyes with the right person, you know how to turn the sparks into a towering inferno. But sometimes you won't give people the time of day, which is mean when they really just need to know what time it is. In general, make sure you smell good.

the spark's are you dateable? test - Damn, J-Lo! You are 77% dateable! Attractive and confident, witty and charming, a healthy ambrosia-based diet... you're wanted in the 48 contiguous states, you slayer. Call me. Seduce me. Make me a man (or woman.) Not only do you know how to turn a guy's (or girl's) engines on, but you also know how to oil, lube and rotate it. You put the "elation" back into "relationship," and the "night" back into "one-night stand."

e-mode's who's your type? test - Your type is the Goofball. Laughter is the way to your heart. A guy with a great sense of humor is definitely the one for you! You want a Goofball, someone who can laugh at himself and make you laugh, too. There's no bigger turn-off than a guy who takes himself too seriously. You know that if a guy is silly, he's generally self-confident and secure. Your man is a people magnet and everyone's favorite friend. There's never a dull moment with your jokester nearby. You crave excitement and laughter, and your goofball enhances those things in your life. You probably think life is too short to spend it without asmile. Your goofy guy will ensure that that doesn't happen — his lighthearted and silly ways make everything a little bit brighter. (hehe, sound like anyone we know?)

e-mode's what type are you? test - You are a Guy's Girl. Turn on the game and pop the top off a cold one! You're a true Guy's Girl — the easy-going, baseball-cap-wearing, jeans-and-flannel-shirt type. Hot dogs and chips are an essential part of your diet, and tossing a ball around is second nature. Definitely low-maintenance and very natural, there's still plenty of femininity under your tomboy exterior. Breaking out the little black dress and heels every once in a while knocks your guy's socks off. Besides knowing the latest sports scores and stats by heart, you actually enjoy hanging out with "the guys." In a romance, you're your man's pal as much as his squeeze, and he never has to worry about playing head games with you. The perfect mix of the girl next door and the sporty chick, you're spontaneous, fun, and all-American.

so there you have it. pretty interesting results, i think. the dateable test is probably a bit too flattering. i'm kinda on the fence about the description of the "guy's girl." i'm definitely easy-going, but i don't necessarily think i'm a tomboy (i know nothing about sports). for the most part, tho, i could at least see a little of myself in these descriptions. oh, and the who's my type one...totally on!! hehe. now there's a pet name for you, rick. my little goofball. haha!

posted at 7:14 PM

Wednesday, February 19, 2003

life's been pretty uneventful lately, thereby explaining the lack of posts. i'm getting more used to my schedule now. it still sucks getting up before the sun is up, tho. probably one of the saddest things in the world. =( but i don't mind my job at all, and i think i really like being downtown. lotsa cool sights. and i bought myself some tokens, so i'm spending less than two dollars a day for transportation (no worries about parking or gas or crazy traffic!!). cool beans.

went to see maya angelou speak at usc last night. she was really good. very funny, which i don't think i was expecting. she also seemed older than i expected, and smaller. but so wise, so triumphant. she's definitely a momma. strong. nurturing. teaching her children. she was very inspiring. her speech last night was about composing. our lives. our environment. accepting the legacy of this world, taking on the job of change, betterment, survival. there's a difference between being educated and being trained. there is beauty everywhere. in poetry, in ourselves. everyone needs to be told they're alright. everyone IS alright. you're alright, just how you are. you're beautiful, just how you are. you have to laugh. can't trust anyone who doesn't laugh. life is good. life could be a lot better. it's up to you. compose.

i *really* liked her.

posted at 7:57 PM

Monday, February 17, 2003

man, i've been so damn moody lately. what the fuck's wrong w/ me?!?!? is it the full moon? my period? i dunno. =( i've been very self-absorbed lately, too. like i've been focusing on this whole "poor me" attitude a lot more than i should. cuz really, when it comes down to it, there's nothing really wrong. i've just been blowing up the little things to find reasons to feel sorry for myself. why? i don't know! *sigh* anyway, now that i'm conscious of this, hopefully i can stop myself from keeping on like this. maybe getting good amounts of sleep will help, too. i've just been so tired lately. damn 8am job is fucking me up! i guess it's just a matter of getting used to it, though. hopefully.

posted at 10:29 PM

fucking a. it's 6:30am and i'm wide awake. ugh. i wanna go back to sleep, but my mind won't shut the fuck up!!! i just want a few more hours so that my sleeping schedule gets back to normal. blah. anyway, let's try this again.

posted at 6:33 AM

Saturday, February 15, 2003

i heart rick. =)

posted at 6:37 PM

Thursday, February 13, 2003

i had a much much better day today. even tho it turns out that i can't park my car at the metro rail station, and therefore have to take the bus instead cuz it's just too far to walk to wilshire/western, it wasn't so bad. and the only really negative thing that i saw about this job was the transportation/parking issue. but now that i have that figured out, there's not much too complain about. and if you think about it, what i'm spending on bus fare, i'm at least saving that on gas. so it balances out. and also my commute time now is less than it was when i was going all the way to gardena every day, even tho i'm on bus now! altho, when you factor in walk time to the bus stop, it turns out to be only slightly less. but i still get home before it's completely dark. so that's good. at lunch today, some ppl were discussing the commute, and some have it a lot worse than i do. so again, not much to complain about. and also, i discovered i do have internet after all! maybe the server was just down or something yesterday. i still haven't downloaded aim, tho. don't know if i will. for the most part, i've been kept busy. not crazy busy, but enough so i'm not bored. i sent out a lot of e-mails today, tho. hehe. the only downside now is waking up so damn early. yuck. but i guess it's just a matter of getting used to it.

k, i need to make some preparations for tomorrow now.

posted at 10:19 PM

Wednesday, February 12, 2003

ugh. not the best of days. i won't get into too much detail just cuz...it just sucked so bad, i don't even wanna think about it anymore. but anyway, i had to walk around for a long time in the rain cuz i couldn't find the building (if someone had just thought once to say that it was IN california plaza, it woulda made it soooooooooo much easier, but no. *sigh*). i got pretty wet. my socks got completely drenched. so when i finally found where i was supposed to be and got settled in and stuff, i took my socks off cuz i was afraid of getting sick. so i was walking around the whole day w/ no socks and damp shoes, and of course i ended up getting blisters. and then they bled. blah. but the work itself wasn't bad. it's not exciting stuff, but whatever. what's nice is that if i don't have anything to do, i don't feel all anxious and stuff, thinking how i *should* be doing something like i did at my old job. gotta love the minimal responsibility of being a temp (and at more pay, too!). and the ppl all seem pretty nice. so i know that it won't be too bad being there. cuz while i was actually there, it was alright. i didn't even feel myself counting down the time or anything. but there are some minor annoyances that i'll have to get used to. like, no internet!!! i don't know if it's just my computer or what, but there was no internet access. the only major downpoint, really, is this parking situation. thanks for the idea rick, but there is definitely no re-imbursement for parking, cuz i talked extensively to both my rep at apple one and the office manager at the job about it, and all they offered me was a metro schedule. which actually seems like a much better alternative than paying $8 (yes, 8!!! not $5 like they said...another ugh! moment of the day). but anyway, i can drive to the wilshire/western station, which is pretty damn close, park for free, pay the buck 35 fare each way, and take the metro all the way to california plaza. and then i don't have to fight downtown traffic, either. seems like my best bet, anyway. so yeah, that was my day. oh, wait. another lovely surprise: i start at 8am, not 9. blah. but enough.

god, i'm so fucking tired right now.

posted at 8:07 PM

awwww...no free day. gotta get to work. don't have to start til 10am today cuz they let me know so last minute, but i guess regularly it's a 9-5 job. ugh, and the parking situation is still fucked. they don't provide parking, or validate for any of the lots, they just let me know which is the cheapest lot around there, which is still 5 bucks!! there's no way i'm gonna pay 5 bucks every day! so i'll have to figure something out. they said that most of the employees there end up taking public transportation, so i'll have to look into that i guess. i just really hope that the ppl there are cool. and that i get to slack off on the internet as much as i want. hehe. we'll see.

posted at 9:08 AM

Tuesday, February 11, 2003

whew, what a day. i feel like i did a lot, yet not enough. oh well. first of all, i got up early to go take my drug test. i had to go to the temp agency first to pick up some forms, and i wanted to talk to my rep to get some more info about this job, but she wasn't there yet. oh yeah, i had to be there at 8am!!! it was ok, tho, cuz i went to sleep early. so then from the temp agency, i went straight to the clinic w/ my forms. the wait wasn't too bad. and all i had to do was give 'em a urine sample. i was back at my apartment by 9:30. i thought about getting a little more sleep, but i decided against it cuz i was determined to be productive. then i decided to check the usc website again, cuz kris (my old boss) said there was one more cas advising position that has yet to be posted. but it still wasn't, but i applied to one more position. this one's to be a program advisor w/ the educational opportunity center. that's the office that runs the programs that reach out to local high school students to help prepare them for college. it sounded pretty cool. i definitely wouldn't mind doing that. i'd still be helping students, so i think it'd be a rewarding position for me.

let's see, what else? oh yeah, after that, i called up to try to set up a gyno exam, cuz i discovered last night that my benefits are still good til the end of the month. woo-hoo! and it turned out that they had some slots available today, so i went over, BUT i forgot that my period's about to start, and you're not supposed to get your pap smear near your period cuz it can screw w/ the results. so there went that plan. and also my $10 co-payment. =( oh well. i did get a free package of pills, tho. the sucky thing is that they don't do pap smears on saturdays, and i don't know if i'll get a chance to go back during the week before this month is over cuz of work. oh well. i'm still good on pills for a while. i still have 3 more packages from my last prescription, and now this one that i just got, so i have some time to figure it out. after that, i decided to go visit rick for a while. that was about 3pm (it felt like i waited at the doctor's for a long ass time! ugh!). it was nice seeing him in the middle of the afternoon on a tuesday. very nice, indeed. (pssst: i like rick!) he was being all mysterious about what he's planning for valentine's, tho. hmmmm. i'm just gonna try to not think about it, tho, cuz i don't want it to consume me for these next few days. after that, i came home again. called the post office about a missing package, and figured out that it was still sitting there at the post office. so i rushed over there so i could get there before they closed to pick it up. then back home i came. ate some dinner. then jordan came home just a little while ago, and i was talking to him for a bit. trying to give him some advice about this girl he likes. he was saying how he wants to buy her all these valentine's presents and then give them to her anonymously, cuz he's afraid of being rejected. and i was trying to tell him that if he was gonna go through all that trouble, he might as well take credit for it!! i mean, i could kinda feel him on the rejection thing, but i asked him if he sees this girl much, and he said no, so i was like, "shit, you got nothing to lose!!" haha, and then he said, "well, if she doesn't like me, then you and diane can beat her up." and i said, "i'm in." hehe. awww...it's so cute! i hope it works out for him! i've never been so happy and also just plain giddy around valentine's day before, and i dunno, i feel like i just wanna spread some of that around to others. i really really want everyone else to be happy, too. =)

and that was my day. i'll probably start work tomorrow, but there's a chance that i might have another free day. cuz the results from the drug test won't be in til tomorrow morning, and my rep didn't know how soon after that i'd be all good to go. so i may or may not work. i'm kinda hoping for another free day, tho. i feel like i just need one more day, and then i'll be all good on the important stuff i need to take care of. so here's hoping!! but also, if i do end up working, that's ok cuz then that means more $$$. so either works. nothing to do now but wait and see.

posted at 8:16 PM

Monday, February 10, 2003

yep, apple one works mighty fast. as long as i pass a drug test, which i'll be taking tomorrow morning, i start at a job on wednesday. i'm kinda whatever about it. i mean, i'm glad i'm working already, but it's a 1-2 month commitment (which i guess isn't that bad, as long as i'd be able to take time off to go interview at usc if they were to call me), it's downtown (which means parking will suck), and it sounds like it'll be a real professional-type environment, meaning i'll have to dress up all the time (unlike the casual environments that i'm used to working in). eh. it's something i guess. i figure i'll just take it, do the minimum one month and see how it goes. then, depending on how i like it and how this usc thing is coming along, continue working or not. just kinda take it on a week to week basis, i guess. ideally, i'll have a job offer from usc no later than two months from now, so i can just say i found a permanent job and quit. if not, i think i'll still wanna quit, and then call up one of the temp agencies that focus on entertainment jobs. cuz even though i don't necessarily want to work exclusively in entertainment anymore, i figure that the types of jobs they would place me in would be more my thing (ie: more casual work environment; more "my people" hehe). so yeah. this sounds pretty good. oh, and the best thing is that i'm gonna be getting paid more at this temp job than i did at my "real" job that i just quit! go figure. anywhosies, gonna eat me some dinner now.

posted at 5:49 PM

this was a great motherefin weekend. first of all...FREEDOM!!! friday was my last day at work. it felt really great, i have to say. just knowing that i don't have to be at a job that i don't wanna be at anymore feels just damn great!! i'll miss bob, cuz he was cool. but i never really got close to anyone else there. everyone was kinda withdrawn. so whatever. everyone was pretty cool when i left, though. wishing me luck and such. it was very unceremonious, though. i just kinda shook hands w/ the bosses and thanked them for the opportunity and then basically just left. pretty much what i expected, though. oh, and bob took me out to lunch, too. that was way cool of him. told me we could still be friends and stuff, that we'd keep in touch, and i really think we will, so that's good. he really likes to hike up in the hollywood hills, and he goes every sunday w/ a bunch other ppl, so he invited me to come w/ them whenever i want. and i definitely want to sometime. that'd be a cool way to keep in touch. and also, he knows ppl at the knitting factory, so he said anytime i wanted to get into a show to let him know, and he'd get me in. and on top of all that, he said i could give his name out as a reference whenever i want and that he'd give me a really good recommendation. so yay! lots of good things resulted from this job.

then friday night was the sake bombing thing at orange house, which was a LOT of fun. we all did like 5 bombs in a row, really really fast. i think we did them all like in less than an hour. so everyone got drunk pretty fast. especially us girls that were there (me, jen, and kyla). but it was a lot of drunken fun. everyone hung around for a while. then some more people showed up. some of us were dancing to the music pumping from rick's room. then a bunch of people left to go try to find a party or something. but rick and i were content to stay there and keep dancing. it was a good night. oh, and i forgot. earlier, me and rick had gone out to dinner and he made a toast to me for it being my last day and all. that also contributed to it being a good night.

then saturday, didn't really do much. went to target, puttered around the apartment for a bit. not much else. didn't really know of anything going on, so me, jordan, and tonya went to dinner at this indian place in west hollywood. that place that's on the same block as the troubadour. it was really really good. not just the food, but the company. hehe, we were talking rather loudly about lots of inappropriate stuff. good conversation. one thing that stuck out in my head was something tonya said...she compared valentine's day to a hypothetical "skinny day." that it's celebrating the people who are already blessed enough to have this quality, but that it basically shuns all others. throws it in their face, and that no wonder it makes some people depressed. and i kinda saw her point. people who have someone to spend valentines day with are already lucky, and don't necessarily need a special day to celebrate that. but i've always kind of liked that it's there as a little reminder to stop and realize just how lucky you are. kind of like thanksgiving, i guess. i dunno. i think the biggest problem is when ppl build it up too much in their heads, whether in a relationship or not. that's when the disappointment sets in. so i just try not too think about it too much (although i would be lying if i said that i wasn't excited that this year i have someone so special to spend it with). but yeah, it was a good meal. then tonya dropped us off, and i puttered around a bit more and then just went to sleep.

and today was really really good, too. cuz i finally brought rick home with me to east l.a. i showed him around a bit first. then we went to my house. only my mom and vanessa were there. but i showed him around my small little house, chatted a bit w/ my mom and vane, and then my mom fed us. stayed a bit longer and then i showed him around a bit more. he saw my elementary school, my jr. high, my high school, whittier boulevard w/ all the street vendors and stuff, east l.a. college, a bit of the commerce shopping area, king taco, and two "rick's" places. one was a car wash and one was a hamburger place. oh, and i also showed him the hamburger stand where the dirty vegas "days go by" video was shot, which i didn't know was in east los til my sister told me a little while back. so that was pretty cool for me, too. the whole day was a lot of fun. i was glad that rick was so excited to see everything. it felt good. =) i still wanna take him to the montebello mall, just cuz i spent so much time there as a high school kid, and maybe also to self-help graphics sometime. it'll be more good times in east l.a.

tomorrow i have an appointment w/ the temp agency. so hopefully i'll be working again pretty soon, and not missing out on too many paychecks. the appointment's in the morning, so once i'm done w/ that, i'll pretty much have the rest of my day free. yay! haven't had a free monday in a long-ass time!!

posted at 12:46 AM

Wednesday, February 05, 2003

woo-hoo!! just three more days to go, baby!! and then i am DONE!! good-bye sucky job! yay! i am so excited!!! and the usc jobs i wanted were finally posted online, so i applied to those last night. hopefully, something will happen with those soon. i'm thinking i'm gonna e-mail my old boss again. she was very pro-me last time i talked to her. *crosses fingers* anyway, gotta get ready for work.

posted at 8:11 AM

Monday, February 03, 2003

the coldplay appearance on the jimmy kimmel show has officially overtaken "porn" as the most searched for term that resulted in people finding my blog. still doesn't beat "charles shaw wine" tho. haha. i wonder what these random ppl think when they get here and find me spewing about all the random crap that is my life? hmmm...

anyway, haven't posted in a while. not much to post. just had a pretty chill weekend. not much went on. rick's sister, tasha, was visiting this weekend, so we had dinner w/ her, her boyfriend, her daughter, and some of their friends on saturday night. it was this pretty cool place. it was health-food, i guess. i wanna say vegetarian/vegan, but they did have some chicken dishes on the menu, so i dunno if it still qualifies. but it was good. and then yesterday (sunday) i just went home for a bit to hang out w/ my fam. it was good times. again, nothing eventful, just chill, but it was cool. and that was about it. but today was exciting cuz it was the first day of my LAST WEEK at my job!!! yay!! oh, which reminds me. another cool thing about the dinner saturday, was that one of tasha's friends that was there said that he was a big advocate of quitting your job if you're not happy. cuz it turns out that he used to work for this major advertising firm in new york, but never really liked it, and so he quit this kick-ass job w/ benefits, lots of vacation time, and excellent pay to become a photographer for this little jersey paper, which was obviously not nearly as financially profitable as the other job. but he did it because photography was what he really wanted to do, and now he's a photographer for the AP!! i thought that was so awesome. very inspirational. of course, i don't have another job lined up like he did, but still. same principle. still no regrets about quitting, believe you me!!!

posted at 9:39 PM