Me updating xanga within the same month as my last post? Yup, you better believe it.  I guess that means I have something remotely interesting to say, but I don't want to build up the hype in case my 2.5 readers get let down by my few and far in between updates.  Anyways...

On a serious note, my friend's house was vandalized with spray paint and trash last week.  Remarks like "go back to Asia" and "you don't belong here" were written all over their driveway and the front of their house.  My mom talked with her parents and some of the neighbors since they live the next street over from us and found articles on it in the Peninsula newspaper and the Daily Breeze.  The cops think that the hate crime was committed by high school students at Peninsula against my friend's younger brother. First off, I am so upset that hate crimes and racism exists in general and even more angry that it happened to a close friend whose family is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.  And you wouldn't generally think that something this terrible could happen in a place like palos verdes, but I guess it's just an eye-opener that racism and hate can exist anywhere. 

My middle younger sister is back, getting ready to graduate, and things are pretty much back to normal.  She's even back with her boyfriend.  She's growing up and it's a bit hard, but I'm starting to see her more as an individual adult than as my little sister.  Over dinner she was even talking about marriage!  My mom, Kaelyn, and I were like .  MAN.  Granted she was talking about when she's like 25, but I'm still letting go of the fact that she's not the little girl who used to follow me around and worship the ground I walked on.  Ahhh, now those were the days!  I don't just miss the yesteryears of innocence, I miss her looking up to me.  Now she's not only lapped me, but it's funny how completely opposite we are in style and tastes.  She thinks I'm a hippie dork who needs better clothes and I think she needs to listen to less 50 cent and more David Gray. 

On sunday I met two of the most adorable little boys in the fitting rooms at work.  They were both ten years old and sooo polite and cute!  The first boy I met was named Joe and wanted to use the restroom, so I walked with him and unlocked the door for him.  He introduced himself, asked my name, and would say hi everytime he saw me and "thank you miss Chelsea" after every time I went to get him another size in the fitting rooms.  The other was named Nadir and talked with me about his European relatives and heritage, the fourth grade, and reading Lemony Snicket (?) while he was waiting for his mom trying on clothes in the fitting rooms.  He was so polite and good-natured patiently waiting for his mother.  They were probably both born with good-natured personalities, but environment definitely has an impact because both Joe's and Nadir's mothers were really nice as well.  Haha I think Nadir also got his patience from his father too because he was the one carrying this humongous pile of clothes for his wife, started a fitting room for her while she shopped, and patiently waited for her with Nadir while they gave feedback on the clothes she tried on.  First off, what a terrific husband and where can I get one of those?  That family was so cute.  I've always wanted to adopt two boys and now I really want to adopt two boys if they are like Joe and Nadir.  I remember Emily once told me that after working with little kids, she determined little boys were evil and that she wanted girls.  She apparently did not meet Joe and Nadir and I apparently have not met those little terrors she was talking about.  Haha so it really all depends on lucking out with a good personality and how you raise your child, regardless of whether it's a boy or girl.  I still want boys so I can do active things with them like camping, biking, skiing, soccer, etc and also teach them stuff like how to drive stick, how to dress, how to cook and how to treat their girlfriends among other things.  I could do these things if I had a girl, but with boys it'd come naturally easier and plus I don't want to risk the chance that I might make the girl really manly and butch. 

I really like the movie The Girl Next Door, mostly because it has such an awesome soundtrack.  Not the cd soundtrack you can buy because that one is missing too many good songs, but the entire soundtrack while watching the actual movie.  It's also funny and better than average compared to other teen movies which I normally don't like.  I always thought the pimp producer was played by Josh Duhamel until I actually looked at the credits and found out he's actually played by some actor named Timothy Olyphant.    I've never heard of him, but wow does he look a lot like Josh Duhamel.

Buy Levi Strauss jeans if you're passionate about human rights and child labor laws.  Also, one of the TAs for my business ethics class is reminescent of Pete Yorn except he dresses hippier.  Same grunge-ness though. 

Last week I got a spider bite on my arm which I ignored because I figured if I left it alone, it would go away by itself.  Hello, it's still here and growing.  I've been good so far and have not scratched it, but at this point I am very tempted to do so because the itching is getting worse.  So if you see me walking down the street with one arm twice as fat as the other, please ask me if I've been scratching.  If I say yes (or no with a guilty face), scold me please and remind me that an abnormally swelled arm is not only asymmetrically unattractive to the eye, but also just gross.

I think a lot of things have changed since I last went online. I'm not entirely sure since it's near impossible to have an objective perception of yourself, but yeah, I don't think I'm the same person. Do you ever notice things like that? Every friend I've talked to about this has found that they've changed to some degree since high school. Things like realizing that what mattered most to them back then no longer seems important now. I've experienced that as well, but I think now I'm starting to notice a change from just last year.  This is the first time I've even looked at my xanga site in a few months and I don't even recognize the person who wrote the previous entries anymore. It seems kind of sad, but I don't feel that way because I don't think I really miss the person I used to be.  At least the bad attributes. I still care about the same people in my life and focus on the important things like school and my future, but there are a lot of things I've realized are not worth worrying about anymore. On the other hand, I've gained an entirely new set of things to think about. I'm slowly beginning to see more and more of my faults and imperfections and who I used to be and what I would like to change about myself. That said, I have a whole lot to work on and a long way to go.  And this doesn't make me an emo (to those who think I am, you know who you are!), it's just good to reflect on things here and there.

You know what's one of the greatest things in the world?  Meeting a really good person and making friends with them.  I recently made two which is awesome.  Sometimes I feel like it's hard to find these kinds of people you know? At least on those bad days when you see all the imperfections of the world more clearly or a relationship falls through because it wasn't what you thought it was.  So I lost one for that very reason, but I gained two new ones and maybe there's a reason for all of this...

You know what else is great?  Pre-shredded cheese.  I made my infamous tacos (Jon calls them my tacos of death muahaha) a week ago and forgot to buy the shredded cheese. Luckily I had a block of cheese at hand and used that and let me tell you, if I didn't have any cheese to work with IT WOULD'VE GOTTEN VERY UGLY.  But trust me, sliced cheese is just not the same.  It doesn't give the same essence to the tacos as shredded does.  I know my cheese.

Peggy came out to Riverside and stayed at my apartment which was fun.  She and some of my other girls are only a year older than me and it just blows me away how much we've grown up.  Actually, how much THEY'VE grown up.  They're all going out there into the real world, looking for full-time jobs or working full-time jobs or going to law school or giving me their business cards (yeah seriously man) and basically just going out there full force. Mae scares me though sometimes when she talks about marriage and settling down with Dennis and oh Chelsea you have to be one of my bridesmaids.  Not in a bad way, but more like a "whoa I'm only a year younger than you and NOWHERE near where you are because we're still so young so what's the rush?!" kind of way. I think I really will freak out when I attend my first wedding for a friend my age. I'd be soo happy for them, but that would just blow me away because it'd be so surreal. Who knows. I'll have to reflect on this again in the future and compare it to my opinions now.  It'd be funny to see how my thoughts change on matters like these.  For my friends I'd just be thrilled knowing that they're happy, doing what they want to do, and being who they want to be.  Goodluck Peggy on your interview!

This is such a sad song. So awesome.

I drink good coffee every morning
Comes from a place thats far away
And when i'm done I feel like talking
Without you here there is less to say

Don't want you thinking I'm unhappy
What is closer to the truth
That if I lived til I was a hundred and two
I just don't think I'll ever get over you

No longer moved to drink strong whiskey
I shook the hand of time and I knew
That if I lived 'till I could no longer climb my stairs
I just don't think I'll ever get over you

A face that dances and it haunts me
With laughter still ringin in my ears 
I still find pieces of your presence here
even, even after all these years

I don't want you thinkin that I don't get asked to dinner
Cuz I'm here to say that I sometimes do
And even though I may seem to feel a touch of love
I just don't think I'll ever get over you

If I lived til I was a hundred and two 
I just don't think I'll ever get over you

So after months of not touching this site and aim, this entry is solely the result of me NOT writing the essay I should be doing right now.  As for aim, well that's another story. I haven't missed it because I haven't been on for so long, so sorry guys it doesn't look like I'll be going on anytime soon or at least as often as I did before. Sometimes I feel cut off from the rest of the world as a result of my down-low living, but to those that have made the effort to give me a call to say hi or invite me to hang out...thank you, it really means a lot that you care to think about me and I'm sorry if I've been a bad friend and seemed a bit occupied these days because the truth is, I really have been. Oh and to those that thought I died or something (yeah, I hear from other people), not to worry, I'm alive and still the same old me.  No new tattoos, piercings, or marriage proposals yet. Nothing new really and nothing bad...I've just been so busy with school and work that it's worn me down where either I'm always thinking about one or the other or I feel too tired to go and hang out.  But I hope everyone is doing well and I'm always a phone call away.

Yeah, I really don't have anything significantly big to update you all on and even if I did, it wouldn't be publically displayed on xanga anyways, ha! You'd hear it from me personally if you finally tracked me down and asked me specifically. But I could give you a gist (spell check?) of the past few months in a list of things I have learned...read on because some of it might be useful advice to you!

1. first off (as I am feeling it this very moment), don't overeat pizza at 3 in the morning to avoid that awful bloating that makes you feel like you just gained 10 pounds in your stomach. it's not a nice feeling.

2. I think I need to take vitamins. There must be something I'm lacking because I feel worn down all the time. Either that or my youth has drained from me and I'm starting to feel my age...an old woman. Who knew I'd be over the hill at 20?

3. (refering to number 2 above) Or perhaps it's because my work (aka Chili's) can't comprehend when I tell them I'm a full-time college student and can only work certain weeknights and the weekends and still end up scheduling me 6 days a week.

4. Never date someone that has a fetish with some quality you possess. An example might be a white guy that has a fetish with asian girls. Otherwise, you won't be sure if he likes you for you...or if it's because you remind him of Lucy Liu in Kill Bill and he thinks you can make him sushi.

5. Get used to doing your laundry away from home and often. I still can't do my laundry anywhere else but home because it just...feels like home. As a result, your work clothes smell more and more like ketchup and fajitas until you're forced to wear a nice shirt to work you would normally wear out or to school.

6. The five-finger rule is a very good rule for people our age. It's ok when you're older like 40 and you marry a 50 year old person, but 25-30 is pushing it when you're 20 (or even younger).

7. If your coworker wants to set you up with his brother-in-law or says that you have a secret admirer that wants to know if you'd go on a date with him/her, just say no. For one thing, the five-finger rule might apply and another thing, wouldn't you be freaked out if he was already talking about double dates and being married into the family?!

8. Don't attempt to read a book in bed, especially if your bed is the most comfortable bed in the world. It's not like you could anyways. You'd probably fall asleep after two paragraphs with the light still on and your book still in your hand.

9. Incredibly good-looking guys (and girls) can spell trouble. Even more so when they happen to be the hottest person you've ever met and resemble Tom Welling. And even more so than that when they KNOW they look good and can get away with being the ultimate player and attempt to add you to their list of conquests. Never fall in love with this type.

10. And lastly, be safe. I'm not sure where that one comes from, but it's just good advice. Like don't eat unwrapped candy on Halloween.

so here are some testimonials I've personally heard...

Kelly: "oh yeah, he's so cute...all my sorority sisters tell me, 'he's soo hot!'"

Michelle: "eeeeee! he's sooo hot!" and "mmm, I have fantasies about him"

Knisha: "he's the kind of guy that a girl would break up with her long-time boyfriend for" and "he is H-O-T hot!"

Janice (who's 25): "so cute, just too young for me...damn...makes me wish I was five years younger"

girl from his old hs: "when he sat next to me in class, I couldn't concentrate because he was so cute"

Rich (who's NOT gay btw): "a lot of girls like him...it's because he's very suave and good-looking"

me: "I'd like to meet his parents so I can applaud them, shake their hand, and bow in the presence of their greatness...I'd say to them, 'thank you for producing such a beautiful child'"

mmmhmm...