Jason's Daily Notes

Watched The Godfather. Classic. Cooked and ate thick spaghetti.
Went to Westwood BrewCo afterwards to meet with Ruchi, Anurag and Apooram. Ankina left soon after.
Returned at 1am. Watched some Weeds then slept.
I left the window open in the car. It started pouring rain overnight. The back seat was soaked.

I got to work 9:30. F-yall. End of the pay period. And a lot of people are gone already anyway.
I'm wearing my thick frame eyeglasses; there's a screw loose.
Lunch: Soup from Gelson's - Mexican chicken, butternut squash.
Planning to go out for drinks (happy hour) and dancing tonight.
It's still showery and chilly.
Music: Arctic Monkeys

Dinner in Artesia - there was an exhibitionist couple outside that provided for some hilarious. We also got Indian sweets afterwards. Yum - but I'm so full.

Met up with Ruchi and her friends, and with Andrew at Barney's afterwards. Shared laughs and sweet potatoes.
Felix is at Joshua Tree today with his parents. I slept in til 8:45.
I feel sore.. like in my joints and elbow.
I get the day off Thursday! Oh joy!
Lunch: Food bar from Gelson's - including lobster mac and cheese.
Disneyland is so popular they stopped selling tickets today - I don't understand its appeal to those of us without a family.
Music: A Whole New World; Scotty Doesn't Know

Back to work. And I just don't really wanna.
Felix had revamped the apt for his Christmas with his parents.
The bathroom sink won't drain.

Work: I had to put away tones of files / binders.
Jack is sick, Ryan and Mike are out. It's quiet. Star and Hubbel are now manning the front desk (JD and Rachel are now gone, what a change in staff it's been lately).

Music: Pendulum
Lunch: Courtyard Cafe
Password fatigue - remembering too many passwords
Capital One bank has a credit card with zero international fees. I should get that.
And I did just apply.

A slow afternoon at work.

I'm gonna meet up with Jenn, Juan and Cassy tonight. In Artesia

Thursday night: Watched Nothing but the Truth. Good movie.

Friday: Drove home in the morning. Took a detour into Baldwin Hills to capture the brilliant views and the snow in the distant mountains behind downtown. I wanted barbecue.
I ate so much food at home. Especially the roast. I'm not used to consuming so much meat.


Saturday, Christmas Day:
Churched it in the morning.
Tried to work on my grad school essays. But I really have no idea where to go with them. It's hard, since I have no guidelines really.
Watched Leap Year. It was corny and felt forced.

A quiet Christmas overall. No major gifts, no stress. Good.
There was (heavy) rain overnight.

Sunday, December 26: No church for me. Stayed at home, worked on my essays, making a bit more progress. Still so much to prepare for grad school - it's overwhelming and all I need is time.
"To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - that is to have succeeded."
"Not all who wander are lost."

I cooked pasta last night and watched Jeopardy. I also streamed Zombieland - a surprisingly good movie (at least to me)!
I dreamt I was celebrating Christmas in Seattle with relatives.
The rain has stopped. For now.
I GOT CALLED INTO PB'S OFFICE FOR A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION. HOLY SHIT. I need to do better at work, people are noticing. They're also gonna start cracking down on personal internet use. So this may be the end of my frequent blogging/tweeting... Fuck.

I should just pre-emptively give up all online distractions at work for new years.
Lunch: Mrs. Winston's. They'll be closed through new years.
Making resolutions for 2011.

The annual Office party was last night.
Mostly spent it talking with Harry and Ryan. About ranking celebs.

I dreamt I was having lunch with friends at the food court (outdoors) and I got Take A Bao.


I finished watching Into the Wild this morning just as Felix awoke. He and his parents rented a big car (which was blocking my car).
I drove to downtown LA to get docs from court archives - I found free 2 hour parking only a couple blocks from the courthouse. The archives office is in the basement of the building, down several shady werehouse hallways. Damn bureaucracy. Grabbed Tommy's for lunch on my way back to work.
Today should be the last rainy day, finally.

Lunch: Tommy's

Big rainbow across the sky this afternoon!

The rain continues.


Finished watching Scarface last night.
Went to bed early, like 9:30. Slept til 7:30 am.
It's been raining non-stop for like 5 days now. Everywhere is drenched and it's now annoying that things are so soggy.
Felix returns tonight from Miami with his parents.

Lunch: Leftover pastrami burger from The Hat
There was a total lunar eclipse last night. But it was raining here so no one obviously could see it.
Sending out Christmas cards...
Office party tonight!

The rain continues. It's supposed to last through Wednesday.
I'm in no mood to work. I wish I just had time to focus on my grad school applications.
We have a new automated gate entry system for the parking garage downstairs at the office.
Lunch: Leftover chili fries from The Hat
Music: Phoenix - Lisztomania
I got a letter from a shareholder currently in prison.
I'm so tired / unenergetic today... ugh.

A RAINY WEEKEND -
Went home Friday night, it was raining. First I met with mom and Nancy for dinner in Downtown LA (Colori restaruant), then headed out to Montrose to celebrate Ang's birthday! I gave her my "soul" on paper as a gift.

Saturday: Slept in til noon. I stayed home for the afternoon, watching TV. Mom made lumpia. I drove back to West LA ~ 5pm.
The girls (Isabella and Shelly) who were renting the room for the night arrived. They didn't come on Friday as planned (having stayed in Fullerton).

Sunday: All day celebration for Michelle's birthday. I drove to Pasadena, hydroplaning on the freeway along the way. Justin was there. Met Jessica and her bf Andy. Brian arrived and we drove in three cars to Hollywood, where we brunched it (with all-you-can-drink mimosas and screwdrivers and a disgusting bloody mary). Natalie and her bf were there. Brian had work so he could only sing three songs with us at the karaoke in downtown. Andrew then arrived. We left karaoke and walked to Wurstkuche. Then Andy drove us back to Pasadena and, due to a lack of other things to do, we (MR, JM, and I) watched Black Swan. I got a perfectly functioning umbrella out of a trash bin. Then we had dinner at The Hat. Good times.

Watched Away We Go. It wasn't too interesting (or I was just too tired to pay attention). Uploaded fb pics.
The weather is showery. And it's supposed to rain for the next week! :/
Music: BED INTRUDER SONG! (He's climbin' in your windows...)
No work to do today. Literally. Just answered a couple phone calls. Isabella arrives tonight.
Continuing with grad school apps... er, just looking at grad schools, that is.
My mom got good results! Whew.
On my mind: Juggling replies to my Craigslist posting, organizing dinner tonight with mom, worried about my guests' arrival, getting a gift for Angela, and mailing Christmas cards.
Google has released ngrams (searching through thousands of books at once).

Watched Girl with a Pearl Earring last night. I was exhausted and napped through the film.

It was Sandra's last night. Brian came over to go bowling. But no one else could make it. So Brian and I had sushi then picked up Sandra around 9pm. We ended up just having drinks at my apt (Boddingtons and spiked egg nog!), and we played poker (I won). I slept around 12:45, woke up at 7:30, but slept in until 8:30. Yawn - I'm not getting enough sleep.

Chase will start charging $10 for "free checking"?!

Music: Pink - Raise Your Glass; Titofelix - Nice and Slow; Chris Brown - Yeah 3x
Lunch: Trimana veggie burger. Good deal.
Slow day at work. Got to update my travel blog a bit. :)

Christmas party last night for WFG. Drove straight from work, wearing professional attire. The dinner was nice, the food was good and acceptable, and the Christmas music really got me in the spirit! Mom and titas were there too. Left at 9pm - headed back the West LA, changed, and went to Christina's apartment. Hung out, met her grad school friends - Jane, Mizu, Oliver, Daniel; and the couchsurfers Gabriel and Nicholas from Canada, who are hitchhiking from Quebec to Argentina, and documenting their trip on a website. Went back home ~1am.

I have the apartment to myself now.

--

PAYDAY. Fuck yea!
With Lionel and Jack gone, work is slow. Just how I like it. :)
Lunch: feeling very omnivorous: Mrs. Winston's salad and tofu; soy chili soup; soy nuggets, and SUSHI left by Kevin for the office.

I am left-eye dominant.

Bowling tonight for Sandra's last day.

Tutored Chris at the food court (with his son!) right after work. Then I drove straight to Mark's place to help him with some review before his econ final tomorrow. On the way back I had food at Trimana. Good burger and sauces! Impressive.

Several birthdays today.
Dense fog rolled in last night and now the weather is much cooler. Watched HIMYM (Barney's favorite things!) with Felix, who is now gone to Miami as of noon. His parents' flight is delayed.
Jack is in New York for the rest of the week.
Lunch: Leftover Korean
Drawing a map of realigned state boundaries.
WFG Christmas dinner tonight.
Potentially hanging out with Christina's couchsurfers (was going to last night but it ended up being too late).

Felix's friend dropped off Ina at a hotel last night and the three guys stayed over (now with Heike, who came from Santa Barbara). Today they're at Joshua Tree, but Felix has some last minute stuff to prepare before his flight tomorrow so he couldn't join.

Emailed Rob S. (prof) about a recommendation letter! Whew!
Lunch with Felix today - I had Korean.
Music: Every Avenue; Jimmy Eat World - My Best Theory; Bruno Mars - Grenade
Helping plan New Years party - drinks from around the world!
Our firm is getting sued by a former employee (whom I know)! :X

WFG meeting - went to Porto's first (at 9am - it was packed). The mall parking was already full... Valet parking closed off my area. The meeting went until around noon. I walked to Borders afterwards and bought a Thomas Guide! :)
The weather is warm :)
Went back to West LA around 7pm and had a party! Primarily for Jan (it's his last day in LA0. It was great. A and P came. I got Pizza, Christoph arrived early, and there was plenty plenty of beer! Felix arrived with his friends from San Diego/Irvine - Benjamin, Fabian, Ralph, and Ina (from Sweden). Ruchi and Jess came too.

Sunday: Woke up 9am. Everyone was still asleep. I cleaned up all the bottles - Benjamin helped me too. The Germans/Swede left with Felix to sightsee. Brian joined me to the beach! We took separate cars, I picked up Sandra (around 1pm) and headed to Zuma. We played tennis (for lack of any other activity). Michelle came with Justin, much later than I had hoped (around 4pm), after the head had given way to a chilly breeze, but in time to catch the sunset. We ate at CPK. Ruchi couldn't make it. Julia and Camilla hung out with us. Froyo at the mall, Coffee Bean, and Michelle's new car.

Was gonna give up on Artwalk last night, driving back in traffic along Wilshire in Westwood, when Michelle called. I was convinced to turn around and head downtown. I needed to gas up but the station in downtown was too expensive. I was there early, started walking around, and ran into Jeff A-O from work! He was with a couple ladies - Sharee from London and her friend Kirsten visiting from Germany. We hung out, saw some art, and said bye just as I met with Brian and Michelle by the food truck lot. Hungry, we went straight to the other lot and got Kobe beef sliders. Oh hell yes. And we actually ended up just discussing politics and economics and not seeing any art. Haha. Beers in my car. It was already past 1am when I drove back (gassing up in West LA).
Felix was still not at the apartment! He was at the library working on his paper.

--

I have a zit on my lip and it's annoying.
I noticed that I didn't know my license plate number, so I glanced at it as I left my car at work this morning. Then, this afternoon, my manager asks for my car's license plate! (I actually forgot the ending - how embarrassing.) Psychic moment!
The weather is ocean cooled and gentle today. It's gonna be warm this weekend! :)
- I'm still looking for subletters to stay this January.
Lunch: Pizza (from the food court) - it's Friday!
Staying at work late. Again. Last to leave the office.

Going home to Glassell tonight.

Watched my TV shows and also The History Boys. Interesting, off-putting yet charming movie.

Party at Ruchi's last night. I met Sandra at Chipotle (she was early, I was late), Stephanie joined and we walked up. But I had the wrong apartment. So we stood outside of the 2nd floor instead of the 3rd, me just drinking some of our wine. How idiotic! The party was nice, though I left relatively early. And Juliana apparently had quite a night (with what was going on with Adam right next to her). I drove Louise and Sandra home and got to sleep around 2am.

--

I woke up, and my alarm hadn't gone off. It was 9am. Oh shit.
Rushed to work, no shower, no breakfast. Luckily no one noticed my slight tardiness.
More research to do at work. Finding attorney fees for this objector to our case.
Lunch: Salad from California Crisp (my first time)
Music: What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?
Shareholders commented on our address - "Avenue of the Stars"
I am all over facebook this afternoon. Wow.

My dreams are sometimes really entertaining when I remember them: I dreamt I was driving down Cahuenga (or Highland) into Hollywood and got sick and threw up out the car's passenger side - splattering the outside of the door. My solution? Go to Jack in the Box and order broccoli (after much deliberation). The cashier girl found that disgusting and instead made me get something with bacon. Sourdough Jack.

Lunch: Chicken Tikka Masala and stale lettuce.
Hella busy at work. Researching attorney fees is such dry and dull work.
I am officially STRESSED over impending grad school apps.
Party tonight (at Ruchi's). Artwalk tomorrow.
At work late - til 6:30. Felix was at the apt when I got home.

Tutored Mark last night with his homework (at my apt).
Began watching The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. Classic western.

Things weighing on my mind:
- grad school apps
- RECOMMENDATIONS! FML
- Christmas preparation stuff
- finding a subletter for the apartment
- saving enough to travel next year
- coordinating all the upcoming events/parties (holiday, birthday, end of quarter)
- making progress on my insurance licensing
- the landlord finding out I'm subletting the apartment
- juggling all this with 9+ hours of work a day
- my car's registration is still expired


Today at work: on hold with the MI department of health, scanning and bates stamping docs.

I'm worried about applying to grad school.

Yawn. Not much today. It rained last night.
Felix has a final today and one tomorrow.

Lunch: Mrs. Winston's. It was busy at the salad bar.

Tutoring Mark tonight.

I spent the weekend back in Glassell Park eating watching all my DVR'd TV episodes. I'm mostly caught up with them: Community, The Office, Outsourced, The Mentalist, The Amazing Race, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Parenthood.




Saturday: My only activity outside the house was to drive with mom to Marshall's, Lowe's, and Whole Foods.

Sunday: I lectored. Watched more TV and ate more stuffing. It was raining in the evening as I drove back to West LA. The Amazing Race went to Korea, and the final three are set for next week! Felix was at a concert. I went out into the rain.

I have been getting compliments on my beard.

Worked late, til 6:30. Traffic was HORRIBLE.
Watched From Paris with Love and the new Big Bang Theory.
Met up with Stephanie, Sandra, Julia, Julie (from Lyon, France), Camilla, and (CS) Evan from Australia for a night out in Santa Monica. Camilla's friends' concert at Monsoon was cancelled so we ended up at Hooters. Everyone else left. Stephanie, Evan and I then went to Busby's and, around 1am, hung out at my apartment. I drove Stephanie and Evan back to their respective places around 2-3am.

--

Thinking about my future - travels, volunteer/work next year, or getting my Masters. I'm feeling a lot of pressure on myself, even if it isn't really there.
The weather today is absolutely perfect. The temperature is such that I feel gently warm in the sun and refreshed in the shade.
Everyone has their own story.
...sending out requests for university prospectuses. Looking into MSc programmes in Europe.


Feeling Epistemologic - trying to understand knowledge.
- met Jeff, a new (?) lawyer (temp).
Lunch: Microwaved mac and cheese. Read more Omnivore's Dilemma.
Music: The Black Keys - Tighten Up
To do: Mail rent, organize grad school apps, buy gift for secret santa thing, get OJ and carrot juice, Christmas cards?

Left work early yesterday afternoon (snuck out) to get to Woodland Hills by 3:30 (I just made it). The interview went well, but I could tell that it was not a good fit for me, personality-wise especially.

I stopped by In-N-Out for some animal fries on my way to Mark's for some last-minute paper writing. In 3.5 hours we pounded out his term paper. Whew.
I returned to West LA at 10:15 - the plan to go bowling with Stephanie & Co. was cancelled due to a lack of participants. So we'll do something tonight.

--

I was awakened by Felix leaving, around 6am (?) for something school-related.
I didn't eat since my In-N-Out at 6pm, which counts as having "fasted," so I went to the hospital to get my blood drawn for the some laboratory tests. It was quick and easy, and everyone was so friendly!
Got Del Taco for breakfast on the way to work.
News: Wikileaks's Assange potentially in legal trouble. Russia and Qatar will be hosting the next FIFA World Cups.
To do: Decline the job, ask for help with grad schools
It's Hannukkah.
Lunch: Leftover Panda.
... calculating people's unpaid OT, complicated. The dates overlap and are all out of order too.
Reading about Jason and the Argonauts. Cool.
Music: Katy Perry - California Gurls (still?!)

Yesterday was a busy and eventful day. And today is shaping up to be the same.

Last night I tutored Mark then rushed to my WFG meeting in Glendale (where they basically told us to just recruit more people - wtf?). We also are having a holiday party and gift exchange.
I rushed back to West LA, saw Felix as he left out for a "date."

--

Work is busy today. LG keeps piling stuff for me to find/research. Just when I least need it. I gotta prep for my interview this afternoon!

Lunch: Panda Express
- free personalized business cards
Feeling STRESSED about my interview

Music: