:speak: - artbennett.net

Monday, June 27, 2005

Wow. Danchan is really hurting. Stupid crippled software and/or website. I tried to give an update last night, but I could not get anywhere on here. Blah. I am not entierly sure that this is even going to work.

The birthday was just amazing. I am not going to go into it much, but here are a few things that struck my fancy or something.

I was stupid stupid stupid and forgot my clothes. Not all of them. Just the important ones. The nice ones that I was to wear.

And speaking of clothes: Rachel + medium length black skirt + cute red top = WOW. That girl is amazingly beautiful. Not just when she is dressed up, but I rarely see her dressed up.

We bought clothes for me at Ross, and I took the wrong pair of pants out of the dressing room. The ones that were too small. I guess it will be alright when I lose more weight.

Lifehouse was... WOW. So good. Bryce and the guitar player guy are both REALLY stinking good. They were tight and together, and just awesome. Good show.

2 is not the same as 3.

My hotel room was pretty pimp. It had a mini bar. Yes. I did not utilize the mini bar, though. I just liked having it in the room. I was on the 15th floor of the Hyatt, and I had incredible views of the bay and the city. Wow. And the bed was comfortable.

And finally... Saying goodbye was, once again, amazingly difficult. Even though I will be back there in 11 days, it was just... rough. I do not like being away from her.

So now, I have my next trip to look forward to. Friday, Saturday, Sunday in SoCal for Rachell and Chris' wedding. Yes.

On to other matters.

I feel like I am losing my friends or something. Maybe it is just because they are all so busy, all being either newly married or about to be married. It hurts to think your old friends do not care about you any more. Everything happened with Rachel at the right time. Because I really needed a friend right about then.

And speaking of friends, Jeff will be down this way in August. It will be fantastic to see him, fo sho.

Saturday was my birthday as we all know by now. And we all know that it was fantastic. Yesterday when I got home, there was a shared little partyish thing for my nephew and I. His birthday is today. It was fairly fun, I guess. I played some pool and opened presents and whatnot. It was funny... Elijah's presents took at least 45 minutes. Mine? Less than 2. Hahaha. I was hooked up with three jerseys. Two 49ers (J.J. Stokes and Terrell Owens) and one Kings (Mitch Richmond). The Richmond one is a touch small, but it really does not matter, because I do not plan to wear it. It is brand new, and at least 7 years old, if that makes sense. So... I will only be wearing that if I go to a game. Richmond is my favorite player ever.

Oh! And I got good stuff from Rachel as well. A Lifted shirt, even! And some other sweet things. She is great.

So... this is getting long. Time for something else.

144070 | posted by arty at 10:25

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Best. Birthday. Ever.

144020 | posted by arty at 3:48

Friday, June 24, 2005

Overtime three out of four days this week. Ironically, all three of those days were days I had either planned to, or was trying to nap after work. :/

143938 | posted by arty at 0:10

Thursday, June 23, 2005

I am breaking the rules.

I am sitting up in the ambulance barn, playing on the Internet, and generally just chatting with the paramedic. We are avoiding the ER at just about all costs.

Jason Mraz turns 25 today. Corina (paramedic) tomorrow. Me Saturday. Nice. Trifecta and whatnot.

Plans for the perfect birthday: Depending on things, I will be in San Francisco by late morning/early afternoon. To the hotel to check in and drop off. Then... Time with my Rach. The Lifehouse concert starts at 9 PM.

Everything is so exciting. The excitement has finally overtaken the pain of missing her.

143906 | posted by arty at 12:03

Rachel's computer is working better. Not all the way better, but still, much better. Yay for that, for sure.

Also, we have been chatting (with a one hour dinner break) since... four something. Making up for yesterday? no. But still, this is good.

In other news: Snapple is stupid (Click that), and flooded a new york park with a giant popcicle. Wow. haha. That is about the happiest news story all week.

143889 | posted by arty at 0:27

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Survey, part the first

Perhaps it is time to play "getting to know you" again... for once?

[x]Spell your first name backwards:: Tra!
[x]Date of birth:: June 25, 1980
[x]Male or female:: Male. Definitely.
[x]Astrological sign:: Cancer. Whatevah!
[x]Nicknames:: Smarthur, Arteriole, Artsy, etc...
[x]Height:: 6'1 3/4"
[x]Hair color:: Mostly blondeish.
[x]Eye color:: Mostly blueish. Rachel can attest to the red.
[x]Where were you born:: Truckee, CA.
[x]Age:: Way too freaking old. 24.
[x]Pets:: None that are mine.
[x]Number of candles on your last birthday cake:: Two.
[x]Piercings:: Nada.
[x]Tattoos:: Niet.
[x]Shoe size:: This is one time that I can say with all certainty, I am a 10.
[x]Righty or lefty:: Righty tighty!
[x]Wearing: Blue boxers with white cars, blue ballin shorts with a green stripe and silver trim.
[x]Hearing:: Joaquin Phoenix crying. (Gladiator)
[x]Feeling:: Forlorn.
[x]Eating/drinking:: I have a Sobe Orange Carrot Elixer sitting next to me, but I am not really drinking it lately.

[x]Have you ever been in love:: Yes. I am right now.
[x]How many people have you said it to: In the romantic sense, five. :/
[x]How many people have you been in REAL love with:: Three.
[x]How many people have you kissed:: Romantically, five.
[x]What do you look for in a guy/girl:: I do not look for anything other than faith in Christ and honesty. The rest... some of it fits, some of it doesn't.
[x]What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex:: Hair. usually.
[x]Do you have a crush right now: I would say it is well beyond crush by now.
[x]If so who is it:: Rachel Pickerel
[x]Do you believe in love at first sight:: nope.
[x]Do you remember your first love:: Yeah.
[x]Do you believe in soul mates:: Not really.
[x]If so do you believe you'll ever find yours:: NOT APPLICABLE!!!!!11

<u>[x]Family Stuff[x]</u>
[x]How many siblings do you have:: A sister, a brother, a half-sister and two half brothers.
[x]What are your siblings names:: The ones that matter? John, Kenn, Cheryl.
[x]How many siblings does your mother have:: Lesseee.... Four.
[x]How many siblings does your father have:: Two? Maybe three?
[x]Is your family close:: Sometimes.
[x]Does your family get together for holidays:: Usually.
[x]Do you have a drunk uncle:: I don't know. Probably.
[x]Has your family ever disowned another member of your family:: My immediate family has been disowned my some more distant family.

[x]What song do you swear was written about you or your life:: Right now, "Soundtrack to Our Movie" by Mae
[x]What's the most embarrassing cd you own: I am not entirely embarassed by my collection. Probably Blah - Blah
[x]What's the best cd you own:: At the moment, I am going with Mae - The Everglow
[x]What song do you absolutely hate:: I don't really know.
[x]Do you sing in the shower:: Not often, though I really like to.

[x]Color:: Blues and dark purple.
[x]Food:: My mom's lasagna.
[x]Song:: Mae - "Ready and Waiting to Fall
[x]Band/singer/artist:: Mae
[x]Animal:: They taste very good.
[x]Movie:: Punch-Drunk Love
[x]Movie quote:: I have a lot of them. The one in my head right now is, "No heart. No heart? I'm all death, mother......"
[x]Drink:: Water.
[x]Soda:: Mountain Dew
[x]Lunch meat:: Turkey, of course.
[x]Book:: Rising Sun by Michael Crichton.
[x]Number:: 25, ocho.
[x]Teacher:: Mr. Nordby! That's old school.
[x]Thing to do on the weekend: Be in San Francisco.
[x]Hot drink:: Vanilla Chai tea.
[x]Season:: Summer. It is just better.
[x]Sport to watch:: The guy I yoinked this from said tennis. Tennis? Huh? Basketball.
[x]person to talk to online: Rachel Pickerel
[x]What color are your sheets:: Bottom is blue, top is red. I think.
[x]What color are your bedroom walls:: Freaking boring.
[x]Do you have posters on your wall: Just one at the moment.
[x]If so of what:: The guy I yoinked from said Power Rangers. I want an original PR poster. I have a Sac Kings poster.
[x]Do you have a tv in your bedroom:: Yes.
[x]How many pillows are on your bed:: Usually four.
[x]What do you normally sleep in:: Boxers only.
[x]Describe your favorite pair of pajamas:: They are super fly to the max.
[x]what size bed do you have:: Double or something. Full. that's it.
[x]Describe the last nightmare you had:: I do not remember.
[x]Do you sleep with stuffed animals:: There is a powerpuff girl on my floor...
[x]How many people can sleep comfortably in your bed:: Probably two.
[x]Any unusual sleeping positions:: Nah. Sometimes I grab a pillow and hug it while on my side.
[x]Do you snore:: Very little
[x]Do you drool:: Yeah.
[x]Do you have an alarm clock in your room:: I use cell phones for alarm clocks.
[x]What's under your bed:: The carpet.
[x]Doughnuts/bagels:: Bagels.
[x]Day/night:: Night. Mm.
[x]Coffee/tea:: Tea.
[x]Hamburgers/hotdogs:: Hamburgers.
[x]Rap/rock:: Rock, mostly.
[x]Punk/emo:: Emo right now.
[x]Hot/cold:: Hot, I guess.
[x]Winter/summer:: Summer, oh repetative survey.
[x]Spring/fall:: Spring. Yum.
[x]Operas/plays:: They are both Freaking sweet!
[x]Read/watch tv:: I would rather read, but I watch TV more often.
[x]Cd's/tapes:: Cds.
[x]Dvd's/vhs:: DVDs.
[x]Old/new:: now.
[x]Mexican food/chinese food:: Ohhh, chinese.
[x]Scary movies/comedies:: Comedies. I do not care for horror.
[x]Bikinis/one piece bathing suits:: On women, I usually prefer one piece.
[x]Sandals/tennis shoes:: I don't really know. I am not a fan of shoes. I wish I didn't need them.
[x]Popcorn/pretzels:: pretzels.
[x]Passionate kiss/peck:: Mmmmmmmpassionatekiss...
[x]Picture frames/photo albums:: Picture frames
[x]Pens/pencils:: Pens fo sho

143884 | posted by arty at 22:17

Survey, part the second

[x]Eminem:: Sometimes. Not often anymore
[x]Religion:: Christian.
[x]Emo music:: Oh baby.
[x]Inter-racial relationships:: I am in one, I guess.
[x]Murder:: Murder's bad, mmkay?
[x]Death:: 100% of all people die.
[x]Obesity:: Put down the twinkie and step away from the diet coke!
[x]Threesomes:: Abso-freaking-lutely not.
[x]Prostitution:: EWWWWWWWWWWWW Skank germs.
[x]Country music:: Some of it is darn good.

[x]Mooned anyone:: A couple of times, in fits of stupidity.
[x]Swear at a teacher:: Not that I recall.
[x]Told a little white lie:: of course.
[x]Told a secret you swore not to tell:: Not that I remember.
[x]Stolen anything:: Yeah, quite a few somethings.
[x]Been in a mosh pit:: Not a real one.
[x]Been to a concert:: Tons. They are boooomb.
[x]Dated one of your best friends:: I suppose... yes.
[x]Loved someone so much it makes you cry:: Yes.
[x]Deceived somebody close to you:: Yes.
[x]Broken the law:: Quite a few of them.
[x]Gave someone a piggy back ride:: Many someones. I am an uncle.
[x]Snuck out of the house at night:: yeah, but I was only sneaking so I wouldn't wake people.
[x]Felt like you didn't belong:: God, yes.
[x]Been arrested:: Not yet.
[x]Gone to camp:: This one time at band camp... hahaha no.
[x]Won a bet:: Yeah. I'm wicked smaht.
[x]Written a love letter:: Yep.
[x]Written a love poem:: Heh. Quite a while back.
[x]Slow danced with someone you love:: Someone I love currently? No. Someone I loved at the time? yes.
[x]Faked an orgasm::
[x]Stolen a kiss:: Hahaha. I suppose.
[x]Asked a friend for relationship advice:: yeah. Did not get what I wanted, though.
[x]Had a friend steal your bf/gf:: No........
[x]Watched the sunset/rise with someone you love:: Love currently? Caught glimpses. Loved at the time? yes.
[x]Won a trophy:: Yeah. one. Little league.
[x]Thrown up in public:: Yeah.
[x]Failed/got held back:: No. Close. Because... haha. I should have tried.
[x]Taken ballet/karate lessons:: A couple of little Tae Kwon Do classes.
[x]Attempted suicide:: no.
[x]Name three things that are next to your computer:: orange carrot elixer Sobe, Chap Stick Lip moisturiser, FujiFilm 2MP digital camara.
[x]Do you have any hidden talents:: They are so few, I tend not to hide them.
[x]Do you wish MTV would play music videos:: I do not really care at this point.
[x]What would your movie star name be:: Art Bennett.
[x]Do you play any sports:: Not lately. I love to, though.
[x]What's the scariest movie you've ever seen:: Umm... I don't know.
[x]What is the best movie you've seen in the theater or rented recently:: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Thumbs freaking up.
[x]Do you drive:: Heck yes!
[x]What is your dream car:: Shelby 427 Cobra
[x]Do you think youre good looking:: Hahahahahahano
[x]Do others think you are good looking:: At least one other does.
[x]Would you ever sky dive:: Heck yes!
[x]Are you afraid of roller coasters:: Nope. I've only been scared on one. It was awesome.
[x]Do you own a pooltable:: No. That would be sweet!
[x]Do you have a dishwasher in your kitchen:: Yeah. It rocks.
[x]Do you like chocolate:: Sure.
[x]Who/what is on your 2004 calendar:: That was a long time ago...
[x]What is your weakness:: Her name starts with an R... ends with an achel
[x]Name something you can't get enough of:: Again...
[x]Describe yourself in 3 adjectives:: Perhaps my friends could do that for me? I feel too self-depricating.
[x]How many kids do you want to have:: Two? Three? I dunno.
[x]What is your ideal way to die:: Sleeping, I guess.
[x]How do you release stress: I wish I knew how.
[x]Do you consider yourself a trendy person:: hahahahahaha
[x]Are you an artisitic person:: Musically.
[x]Who is the last person to e-mail you:: Real person? Non-Spam? Rachell Spence. On the 14th.
[x]Who is the last person to IM you:: Rachel Pickerel.
[x]Do you tan easily:: Heh. No. The other day, someone looked at my freaking arm and told me that I need some sun. My arms are as dark as they have ever been.
[x]What color is your hair naturally:: Darkish blonde
[x]Worst feeling in the world?:: Loneliness. Er... feeling too far from God.
[x]Best feeling in the world:: hmmm....
[x]Do you catch yourself using online terms in your real life?:: No. I plan to start, though.
[x]Are you a likeable person:: I like to think so.
[x]When are you moving:: Hopefully before/during fall.
[x]danced in the rain: Oh heck yes.
[x]kissed someone: Yes.
[x]done drugs: Legal ones.
[x]drank alcohol: Yup.
[x]slept around: Nope. Hah.
<b[x]partied 'til the sun came up: hahahahano.
[x]had a movie marathon: Absolutely.
[x]gone too far on a dare: No...
[x]spun until you were immensely dizzy:: Oh heck yes!
[x]taken a survey quite like this before: I do a lot of surveys.

143883 | posted by arty at 22:14

Well, I am feeling significantly less destroyed than I did the last time I wrote.

I actually slept for 8 hours, which has not happened on a work night for well over a month. It was... helpful. My body absolutely needed that. In fact, it could have done well to get another 4 or so hours in.

On the downside... the very, very down side... I got to talk to Rachel for... I don't know... 15 minutes. We did not even get to talk about anything, and it just sucked to leave. I mean, it always does, but this was particularly sucky. *sigh*

I am driving my brother's Geo Tracker today. heh. My dad is putting new struts on my car today, so I am driving the sloppy jalope. It is pretty rad, though. It is not your typical Geo. It gets up to speed rather well. It has a sportier engine than normal or some crap. It is great.

And something that is not great... Rachel's computer. I want to make it die. And give her a new one. :/

Okay. Time for something else.

143855 | posted by arty at 10:58

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

I am so... destroyed.

I was taking a nap today after work. It was a calm day, so I thought it safe. I had just fallen asleep, when we were paged out. A freaking broken leg on a hiking trail on the very edge of our response area.

So... to make a long story short, I ended up hiking a total of about 2 1/2 miles on some nasty terrain, carrying equipment. We never actually saw the patient, as the helicopter found her and took her from scene as we were on our way up. I did not even leave work until late.

I left my computer in Portola, so I am on my Mom's computer right now. Ugh. It took me 40 minutes to even get signed on to an IM program to talk to Rachel. And... I am so tired that I am going to bed VERY soon. It is so disappointing when I barely get to talk to Rach.

When I wake up, it will be only three remaining days.

So... That is all.

143825 | posted by arty at 22:14

Last night in a fit of frustration, I decided to finally give a couple of sites their proper due here.

Limano.com is the website/blog of my good friend Marcos and his brand new wife Lindsey. Marcos does amazing things.

Thou Shalt Not Smile is just the coolest site on the web. It even has two pictures of me. One with my Rach!

Not much else to say right now. I am at work, and I actually have work I should be doing. I got interrupted, though, so I figured it was a good time for a break.

143787 | posted by arty at 10:52

Monday, June 20, 2005

Part Not The Third

I had hoped to take a nap after work today. Hahaha. I started getting ambulance calls right when I was supposed to be getting off.

At least the calls were worthy. Two car accidents. Two total patients. We flew one to the trauma center from scene. That was pretty fun. It was actually the first time I've gotten to shut down a road for a helicopter. Yes. I love that.

I have managed to inadvertantly steal my brother's guitar. Yes. I love it. It's cheap, and it plays like a dream. I had claimed it for my own quite a while before.

So... I'm watching Hitch and trying to keep upbeat. It's only five days.

143752 | posted by arty at 21:53

3 comments

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Part the Second

Read below for Part the First

Not long after, food was served. It was buffet style, and it was not all crazy like it usually is. They would call a table name, and those people could go get their food. Of course, it started with the wedding party. My table was probably the 6th or 7th called (out of about 25), so we went and grubbed. heh.

The food was excellent. They had a good ceasar salad, a couple of different pasta salads, some good mashed potatoes, chicken, fish and prime rib. I had bit of each of the chicken and fish, which were both just divine, as well as some potatoes and the best brocolli of my life. Wow.

They also, by the way, had some absolutely fantastic iced tea at the tables. <3

All of the regular good ol' american wedding reception things happened after this, and I will only detail one of them: The money dance. This is some traditional thing that I have never heard of, that is basically a more creative way of passing the hat. You line up to dance with the bride or groom, and you get to spend a couple of minutes dancing with them, and telling them something nice or whatever. As an added bonus (to them), you slip a bit of money in a little bag they are carrying to help them get started. It was neat.

It was also the first time I met the bride. haha. I walked up, and she looked all confused. So I said, Hi, I'm Art. And she changed completely. Ohh! Marcos talks so much about you! I am so glad you came! Haha. It was cool. And I told her how I've never seen anyone actually make Marcos happy like this (which is totally true. The look on his face gave me a permagrin throughout the ceremony). We danced for maybe a minute, and I turned her over to the next guy. It was the only time I danced. hah. But hey, at least I danced with a beautiful woman, right?

Marcos proposed to Lindsey in front of the castle at disneyland, so they got a hookup to go take pictures in full custume (just them) in front of the castle. So (and it was fairly late by this time), I said goodbye and left just as they were leaving. It was so great to see marcos again, and even better to see him and meet lindsey at such an important time in their lives. They were both so happy! Ahh. I like weddings.

Of course, all of the love in the air made me think about Rachel a lot. She was out doing the father's day thing with her parents, and she only got home a bit before I got back to the hotel. So... when I got back (after grabbing a bit of a late snack to hold me through), we video conferenced again. This is truely the next best thing to being together. I really want high speed. *sigh*

Turbulance! WHOOOOOOOO

So, I went to bed even later this morning. Haha. Yay. Rachel kept me occupied during what could have been a very boring trip, other than the wedding. yay.

I got up at 0845 or so this morning, and got ready to leave. Packing was interesting, as my bags were already stuffed when I came down. I am a creative packer, though, and I managed to cram everything I already had, plus two network cables, an extra pair of shoes, an extra shirt and an extra belt into the same bags that had previously been stuffed. It worked out fine. I like my new shoes and belt, by the way. I love having nice clothes. LOVE. I am getting more all the time.

Oh man, this is the best turbulance ever. We are bouncing all over the place. I am loving it. I can barely keep my fingers on the keys. Wow. I am SOO glad I am flying Southwest next time. The whole next trip will just be easier from the flight to the car rental. The only thing that might not is the hotel, but it should be fine too.

This is like a freaking roller coaster! I am not even kidding! This is so fantastic! As long as we land safely, it is fantastic. It is like I got a flight and a trip to Six Flags for the price of one plane ticket. This is incredible. Wow.

Rachel found YET ANOTHER Mae song that says what we are feeling. Wow. It is amazing. Since even before she came into my life, there has been a song by Mae that has been extremely applicable in my life. Plus, their music freaking rocks.

It is way too warm in thi

During the word I was typing at that moment, the landing gear (which were right outside my window) suddenly lowered. Freaked me the heck out. Then, the flight attendant freaks me out more by rushing through cabin telling us to stow stuff. What was I thinking? Emergency landing. I totally did not recognize where we were. I was scared out of my gord for a moment. I mean, the plane had been bouncing around like mad. I was still laughing, though. I was coming off the high of the weekend. Or something. .

Fortunately, we were in Reno. We made a turn, and I suddenly recognized everything.

Anyhow, I returned the car, went to LAX, blah blah blah.

We took my Dad to dinner at Applebee's tonight... Freaking party of 19. Ugh. Just like mother's day. Except the food wasn't good. I need to eat the rest of it now, though.

SO... *shrug* I don't know what to say about anything else.

Well I'm a wreck. I really can't explain it but I, I hear the music when I look at you. Orchestrating the song to accommodate the moment. Well, I'm so in love with you.
~Mae, "Soundtrack For Our Movie"

143709 | posted by arty at 23:43

Part the First

Please excuse my typos, which I am told are plentiful.

And so begins the big update of the weekend.

I plan to be writing this on the airplane, so it might be a bit scatterbrained at times. I am still sitting in the terminal now, but I am on my laptop. And... my laptop is not missing it's E key. E missing? That is just lame. I probably wasted a good 5% of my time trying to fix words when the E wouldn't work.

The weekend started with a fizzle and ended the same. I got up on Friday morning and went to the airport. Yay. Everything was great or whatever. I don't even know.

The plane was ridiculous. We went out on the jetway... then had to go down stairs onto the tarmac. We boarded our little Horizon Air twin prop plane, and were off.

The size of the plane is not what scared me. It was more that they managed to pack something like seventy people onto that tin can, and that the plane did not exactly look new.

Takeoff was a scary experience. Already not trusting the plane, and then being thrown around on takeoff? I felt like the thing was going to fall apart from the turbulance.

So... basically I wrote an e-mail to Rach during this time. A big guy was sitting next to me, so I had to do quite a bit of contorting to get my laptop out... but it finally worked, and all was well. Music and writing to Rach. What else do you need?

The flight only got truly interesting right at the end. The guy next to me suddenly grabbed his barf bag and blew chunks. yum! Then, as we were deboarding, a girl was on a cell phone telling her friend, "This was, like, the smallest plane EVER. And it was so scary. I thought we were going to die. Seriously." Haha. Good times.

Side note - It looks as if my return flight is to be on a similar plane. Yay! I am so glad that I am flying Southwest for Rach and Chris' wedding.

Anyhow, I grabbed a shuttle over to the Dollar rent-a-car place, which is actually surprisingly far from the airport. I suppose this is to be expected at such a big airport. What I was not expecting (foolishly, I admit) was that I would be waiting in line for nearly an hour to get my rental car. Whoo.

Because of my age (one week less than 25), I was not allowed to get the badass upgrade to a $25/day convertable, PLUS I had to pay $20/day extra for being under 25. I am so happy that I will not have to deal with that again the next time. Which is only two weeks away.

So, I took my little white Neon and made the 45 minute drive to Santa Ana, a place I know a little better than Los Angeles. I got just a tad lost, mostly because I forgot that my directions said to get on Hwy 55. It was fine, though, because I got off of 405 and was still close to the hotel.

The hotel was the Double Tree Inn, which is owned by Hilton. I have to say, I was super impressed with the place. They were super friendly from the beginning, and the facilities were gorgeous. There was a lovely fountain outside of the lobby. Everything was nice.

Hotwire booked me with a King smoking room. The girl at the front desk asked if this was okay, and I told her that I would prefer non-smoking. And she hooked me up. Yes. She was awesome.

My room was on the fifth floor, and kind of overlooked part of the big part of Santa Ana. I took a couple of pictures that I might share later.

Oh crap. I think I left that memory card in the rental car. OI. Oh well. There was not much of anything on there anyhow.

So, after check in, I headed across the street for sushi. But... they were closed. So, I settled for a slice of... interesting pizza from Sbarro. It had brocolli, ricotta, and other weird things in it.

Next up was finding a place to buy a niceish shirt to wear to the wedding. I got on the 405, and quickly found a mall just up the street. I later found a much faster and easier way to get there, but this worked fine.

To make a long story short, I got a new blue shirt and dull shiny black shoes at Sears. shortly thereafter, I secured for myself two 25' network cables for a good price from some little place in the mall. It was either buy a network cable, and have one to keep, or put down a $25 deposit to borrow one from the hotel. I need net cables anyhow, so I figured this worked out. There was a whole lot of walking involved in this entire ordeal.

My flight is apparently over booked. They are asking for someone to give up their seat in exchange for a round trip ticket anywhere Alaska flies. It would be tempting if I did not have plans as soon as I get home. Hrrrrrm. Father's Day and all.

So... after the mall, I went back to the hotel to be a stiff and stay in for the night talking to my girlfriend on the Internet. haha.

Soon after I got online, we started voice conferencing. <3 It was super neat-o. It was only... I think the second time that I have had the opportunity to do that with her, and this time was much better, probably because of the speed of the Internet I was using. It was super fast. The only internet I have ever used that was as fast was at Danny's house.

After a while, Rachel had to go eat dinner. So she went upstairs, and I got back in the car. I ventured out a little bit, and found out that a lot of things were really close to the hotel as long as you avoid the freeways. I stopped at Vons (Safeway) to get a toothbrush and toothpaste, and also picked up some pre-packaged sushi for later hunger satisfaction. I also picked up a burger at In-N-Out, then headed back to the hotel.

Rachel got back well after I did, so I enjoyed my meal and tried on my new clothes to make sure everything would be good for the next day. When she came back, it have me the opportunity to ask her thoughts on which tie I should wear.

So... we Vced until well into the morning hours. heh. I think it was something like 2 AM when we called it quits for the night. I love that girl.

One absolutely fantastic thing about the room I stayed in was that I could make it pretty much all the way dark. Ohhh how I loved that. I slept without much issue until 1 PM or so. I had decided it would be okay to sleep until 2 PM, so 1 PM was good.

I wanted sushi still (the real stuff), so after showering and getting ready, I went across the street again. The stupid place was closed again! So, I looked at the menu from some greek food place, and finally decided on Rubio's, which is a Mexican place in teh same vein as Baja Fresh. Fish Tacos. Soooo stinking good. Best fish tacos I hve ever had, actually.

By the way, I am on the airplane now. I have been for a while. Small little thing... but the flight is much smoother this time.

Oi. This is so long, I bet everyone is losing or has lost interest. hah.

So, after food, I headed to Target. It, of course, was very close to the hotel. I picked up a gift card for the wedding gift (because I knew they were registered at Target, but their list only had the cheap stuff left over), as well as a belt that pretty much matched my shoes. Rachel well knows the importance of me wearing a belt. Heh. Anyhow, it really... completed the ensemble, I guess.

After Target, it was back to the hotel to change into the wedding clothes. Actually, to iron the shirt, then change. My choice of shirt colors would have probably been different, but all things considered, I think it was a pretty good getup.

So, I got on 405 N and headed out oto the wedding. I planned to stop at a Best Buy that I had seen on the way down, but I ended up somewhere MUCH better. The holy land of geekdom. Fry's Electronics. Ohhhhh.

For the uninitiated, Fry's is basically the size of Costco, and it is packed full of electronics. OHhhh yes. Good prices for the most part, too. You can find most things a bit cheaper online, but Fry's is deinitely an improvement from Best Buy and the like.

I found what I needed there, which was a larger XD card for my camara. XD cards are more expensive than other types. They are tiny little things. They suck, basically. But, Fry's had a good 128 MB card for only $23. Yay. So, I purchased that and went on my way.

The wedding was at a golf course/conference center. It was outside in a little set away place. It was gorgeous. The ceremony started at 5"00 PM (or, that is when it was supopsed to.) I did not think that wise until I showed up. The place was shaded and cool at 5 PM. Perfect.

For those girly types who care, I will post a link later to some picutres of what everybody was wearing and whatnot. The wedding party was dressed fantastically, with the bridesmaids in dark blue dresses, and the groomsmen in black tuxes with dark blue ties and vests. The groom's tux had a silverish tie and vest. Oh, and the bride wore white. She was beautiful.

The ceremony was fairly short, which I am completely in favor of. I got a few good pictures, one or two of which I will share. The best one I got, in my opinion, was of the bride and groom coming back down the aisle. The sky behind them... yeah. I'll post the link later.

The reception was also beautiful. It was indoors, in a large room. Everybody had a CD with their name on it, which also had the name of a famous performer from days past. Mine said Frank Sinatra. So... I went into the room, and found the table that said Frank Sinatra. And we were joined. heh.

it is important to note at this point that outside of the groom and a groomsman, none of my friends were at this wedding. Hah. So, I was at a table with a bunch of the friends of the bride and groom (which was thoughtful, because it put me with people near my own age), and my friend's wife and kid. It was not as bad as I initially thought it would be. I had some good conversation.

The only thing that really sucked was that the wedding party was taking pictures for probably close to an hour. Wow. So, by the time they came in, everybody was very happy to see them.

Part 2 above.

143708 | posted by arty at 23:28

I am sitting by my gate at LAX, paying way too much to be on the Internet right now. But, I wanted to send my girl and e-mail, and I thought this a great way to kill time.

The weekend was fantastic. I got to spend a lot of time video conferencing with Rachel. I am so smitten, it is not even close to funny. Wow. Just... wow.

So... my internet time is about to run out, unleses I want to drop $20. I don't. Peace.

143683 | posted by arty at 12:51

It's ALIVE!

Post coming tomorrow.

Rachel is hilarious.

143654 | posted by arty at 3:23

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Yep, this is certainly going to become a more active blog.

I have closed my other blog, which was at CGR. Part of the reason was that I want for this blog to improve. So, I am going to be working on this a bit more, working on the design and getting some better content in here.

I am also thinking very seriously about starting a blog that would be a collaborative effort of creative writings. Basically, just a bunch of people posting stories, songs, poems... anything creative. That could be fun.

So, look for some possible improvements to be coming around here soon.

143598 | posted by arty at 15:10

I have a feeling that this blog is about to become more active. On my part, I mean.

By the way, I find it funny that I mention only having two readers, and Julia and Jeff comment on the next post. heh.

I am not entirely convinced that I have anything to say tonight. But here goes.

Oh gosh, this is going to get mushy.

I am just sitting here right now staring at my computer screen. I just looked over at the other window I have open behind this one, and lost my breath for a second. I am so blessed to have her. She is so smart. She is so talented. She is so beautiful. And she just smiled... Wow. Just... freaking wow.

I need to stop writing right about now.

143574 | posted by arty at 0:08

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Jimboy's Tacos are gut bombs. They are greasy, they are filled with things that might make my life end, and they should not be consumed by me ever.

But I love them. I had a couple of them for lunch.

I've realized that if I were a garbage man, I would have to shower twice a day. Once in the morning, and once after work. My brother is a garbage man. He only showers after work. That would not work for me.

I got called out of bed this morning for a transfer, and I had to work through the transfer and a few other things before I got my shower. I just felt gross all day. It mostly has to do with my hair, which is nasty/greasy in the morning. If it is not clean, I do not feel clean.

143424 | posted by arty at 18:45

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Haha. I spend money on this blog. This little piece of Internet realty that nobody else would probably even want. I have spent many hours designing, redesigning and fixing my errors. I have put time and money into this blog.

I have two readers.

This is just funny.

143402 | posted by arty at 23:40

I have never felt such pain from distance.

I have never been more excited to see what was going to happen.

I have never been so willing to strive to make something work.

I have never wanted to know someone more.

I have never felt like this before.

143388 | posted by arty at 3:13

Thursday, June 9, 2005

I had quite a good call today. It kept me away from where I wanted to be, but at least I got a good call.

Basically, it was trauma. A guy wrecked his quad. We ran a good, tight call, though. He got flown from scene, and Zak and I rule.

Tomorrow is payday friday. Fantastic.

143349 | posted by arty at 21:03

Tuesday, June 7, 2005

I hate According to Jim.

In the first four minutes, he insulted his wife, faked jealousy, stole mashed potatoes and claimed a cake for his very own. Disgusting. *needs to change the channel*

I am so confused. Everything is confusing. And I am freezing.

143254 | posted by arty at 21:58

I feel less sick right now.

I did not go to work today, because I am smart. Instead, I slept rather late, making up for the night where I was up twice an hour to vomit and otherwise release fluids. This was interrupted only twice to visit my porcelain friend, but at least I did not throw up today. Yay!

Anyhow, I seem to be finished with all of the nastiness. I still feel yucky, but I will be a good boy and go to work in the morning. Darn this stupid work ethic.

I would love to find a good job where I did not have to get up before 6 in the morning. That is something to work on for the near future.

I have not told my boss yet that I did not get into school. Of course, I am sure that she has probably heard by now. Word seems to have spread very fast. I only told maybe three people at work, but already people are saying "sorry you didn't get in," including Christy, my ex-girlfriend.

Oh, and on that front, it lead to a civilized conversation. The first we have had in a good long time. I look forward to there possibly not being as much animosity there.

So... I just hope tomorrow goes well. I need to not regress in my getting better.

143210 | posted by arty at 0:23

Sunday, June 5, 2005

I spent most of last night throwing up and making liquid poopy.

I feel a lot better right now, which is to say that it has been a long which since I last puked.

I have spent a long evening daydreaming and watching Love, Actually and Phantom of the Opera. Wow. These two movies are amazing.

I am not going to work tomorrow. I got very little sleep last night, and I am still of the liquid arse of fire.

143145 | posted by arty at 23:23

Saturday, June 4, 2005

Good switchfoot song on the commercial for yet another terribly stupid looking reality show. Boo.

I did not get quite as much sleep as I had wanted, but I feel good, so it must be okay. Now, for whatever reason, I am watching WNBA basketball. The Monarchs and Sparks. I don't know why, but any time a norcal team is playing an LA team, there is intrigue.

I don't know what to spend the day doing. I suppose I will sit around and do nothing unless I get a call or something. I also have a house full of junk food (dang it), so I guess I'll start eating right again on Monday.

143096 | posted by arty at 14:12

Friday, June 3, 2005

I love my friends.

Jon asked what plan B is.

Giving up never felt so good. Welcome to plan B. ~Five Iron Frenzy

Just kidding.

There is a plan b. It is as such.

I am tired of being where I am. I can not stay here another year, only to make a decision to apply to a program that doesn't want me, and/or a program that I don't want.

My immediate plan starts with getting some new struts for my car. Next is to use the school money to pay a lot of bills. The credit cards are first to go. Then, the tires. The computer is next.

Next, I am working a lot of shifts in preparation for the weddings, as well as in prep for... life.

It should be easy to build my savings back up with so much less in the bills department, as well as not getting interest charges.

Then, a few months down the road, I plan to move down near Sacramento. Of course, I will be finding a job there first. But I also plan to have a large financial buffer. I may even keep doing weekend on call up here or something. I have no idea. It would be nice to do that and be able to see my family.

The benefits of living down there are plentiful. There are way more schools down there. There are more people, and more opportunities to make friends. There is much more to do in the city in general. And, I would be much, much closer to Rachel.

So, that is the basic plan. I am, of course, still working on it.

143085 | posted by arty at 22:45

3 comments

Thursday, June 2, 2005

I was rejected. Game over.

On to other plans.

143022 | posted by arty at 21:02

3 comments

Wednesday, June 1, 2005

I was supposed to find out about paramedic school. I have often heard that no news is good news, but in this case, no news is really freaking frustrating. So, I really hope that I find out today. It not, I just might scream.

We are losing EMTs. I predicted that this would happen at the beginning of summer, and I guess I was right. The result of this is that I never get to go home at 3:30 anymore, which is the end of my regular work day. I consistantly have to stay here until 7:00 PM. This makes five 12 hour days a week. Plus my weekends. I am tired of it.

Plus, driving home interrupts my conversations with Rachel every night.

Anyhow, I am going to be picking up extra shifts amidst all of this. Night shifts and weekends. The more money at this point, the better. The more money, the easier it is to go see Rachel again soon.

142941 | posted by arty at 10:04