Jason's Daily Notes

Had my doctor's appt this morning. Everyone there was so friendly!
Went back to the apt to get my lunch and jacket.
Uncle's getting passport work done. Mom has an appointment at the hospital too.
Got to work 10am. Jack had to take over my follow-up with the MI board of medicine.
It's still chilly but pleasant in the midday sun.
Pulling research on web retailing for my interview tomorrow.
Collecting responses to my tutoring ad.
I might be going to grad school in NORWAY!
Lunch: (Final) leftover turkey with lettuce and ranch dressing in a pita
Helped move furniture out of Neal's former office.
Looking at MSc programs all over Europe!
Music: Taio Cruz - Dyanamite

Alvaro leaves today, flying to London then to Madrid.

I have a very busy week, with an interview, doctor appointment, tutoring appointments, and WFG meeting. I have to worry about researching

It's cold. It's been cold this entire Thanksgiving weekend. I'm wearing a jacket at my desk today.
I think I forgot my work keys at home. I also forgot my notebook.
Somewhat busy at work. But I feel magically more productive. I'm organizing files on the computer.

Music: The Big Bang Theory theme; Phoenix - 1901; A-ha - Take on Me

Leslie Nielsen died. :(
I'm going through the day without checking my email. Good so far...
Lunch: Mrs. Winstons salad bar. Got some sides of tofu too.
The internet is slow at work today.
I'm pretty sore from this weekend's snowboarding.

"Don't leave until you're done" - I'm clocking in some overtime tonight. And working too!

So the little idea that Stephanie suggested actually came to fruition: We went snowboarding!

Saturday - Hitting the Slopes
Alvaro and I got enough sleep after arriving back around 2am. The girls (Stephanie and Sandra) arrived at 8am as they promised. But I had just gotten up and was in the shower. We ended up leaving around 9am, with a stop at my mom's to get my beanie and all my winter stuff. And a stop at Jack in the Box for some breakfast for me. (A sausage croissant was all I ate the whole day until dinner - we were all so hungry!)
We arrived at Mountain High around 11am; luckily I got a parking space in the closed-off lot. We bought our lift tickets and rentals - $85 total. Alvaro was the only one who chose skis. I was the teacher for Sandra and Stephanie, who had the hardest time just standing up on their boards. The snow was packed and not very powdery, but at least the slopes were open! After an hour or two of teaching the girls, I joined Alvaro and Felix on the more advanced slopes. I was slightly intimidated (and I still can't get off a lift without falling), but I actually ended up doing really well. I can control myself on a snowboard! I can't carve turns or twist backwards yet, but I can cruise down even advanced slopes without crashing. I definitely prefer snowboarding to skiing now! Our four-hour passes expired around 4pm, just as the resort was closing for the day; I went up by myself for one last run (and to practice how to spin around). The rest of the gang had met each other and was worried that I wasn't there and told the Red Cross to page me. How silly. But they did have to look at me and check me out for my "headache" because I hit my head. Psh whatever. We ended up being late and I felt embarrassed and violated. And I didn't get the picture of all five of us that I wanted. :(
Felix drove back. It was dark and there was traffic (from Vegas?). We had dinner at Chili's in Covina. Adrian was our server. Presidente margaritas. Brian met up with us. For some reason, there was water falling out of the sky ("rain") when we left. After stopping by Covina for Brian to get his stuff, we then went to downtown for a quick bout of karaoke. 1 hour. It didn't feel like enough. And the music had no backing vocals. Eh. Then back to West LA for a semi-party; Julia and Camilla came, and so did Jan. Alvaro wanted to play beer hockey. The girls took a cab home. Felix went to bed. Jan wanted Oaxacan tacos. No one wanted to get up. It was cold. Finally Brian drove us to the taco truck. A delicious torta for me. Jan left our slumber party and I finally got to bed around 5am.

Sunday
Brian and I both had work Sunday morning at 11am. He at Target, me tutoring in Studio City. It was a sleepy morning as we got up and ready, Felix and Alvaro still asleep. I drove up Laurel Canyon to a big house just north of Mulholland where I tutored Mark in his economics term paper for 2.5 hours. An easy $80. I'll be following up with him on Tuesday and Wednesday.


I returned to the apartment. Jan soon returned and he and Felix and Steffen went out to the Lakers game. Exhausted, Alvaro and I fell asleep for like an hour or two before heading out to watch the Lakers game. First we went to Backstage Bar & Grill in Culver City, which has a great vibe and lots of TVs but hardly any table space off which to eat your food. So we left at halftime and went to the SF Saloon. I liked that they have free-range turkey burgers. And Newcastle on tap. Hanna and Madelyn were too busy studying to join us. I finished watching the Chuck DVD (I'm now on season 3). The Lakers lost to the Pacers, btw.

Alvaro arrived Wednesday night. I discovered the awkwardly shaped packaging for the darts with the steel tips. We went out to Q's with Felix and Jan. Lots of beer. And I got into a shopping cart to get raced back to the apartment. And I fell. Both my knees are bruised; one tore open.

I drove back home on Thursday morning around 10:30. I was greeted by a pile of food, and no turkey (finally)!
Spent the day catching up on my backlog of TV shows. The Office, Big Bang Theory, Outsourced, Community, Parenthood, and Glee.


My mom, uncle and I went for a walk/hike in Griffith park. The sunset from the trails just behind the Observatory was gorgeous.

Watched

Friday. No shopping for me. I watched more TV. I helped teach my uncle a bit more about using the computer.

Back to West LA in the afternoon. Apparently Alvaro had been locked out after a party at Ruchi's because Felix slept through his texts. So he slept by the beach then.

Alvaro and I went out to Q's with my Swedish neighbors - Hanna and Madelyn (who will be gone in a few months :/). Cigarettes. Beers. They wanted to dance. But Alvaro and I had to get back early - it would be an early (ish) Saturday morning...

Watched Glee. Didn't go to my meeting.
Went to Cabo Cantina to meet up with Saskia, Stephanie, and Sandra. The bouncer was a douche. Jeez, why do people take themselves so seriously?
Dropped off the girls. Said bye to Saskia.
Felix was working on an essay due next week, so it doesn't look like he's going to SF this weekend.
I dreamt I was sort of on TAR. There was a "trick" clue, and we ended up hiking in a canyon in Encino, just a group of friends, not competitors.

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Work. No traffic this morning (finally). Someone took my parking space :( Way to start my day off the wrong way. Now I just feel foul.
Music: All Time Low - Damned if I Do Ya (Damned if I Don't); Lucy Woodward - Dumb Girls; Bruno Mars (via Glee) - Just the Way You Are
I want to go back to Germany.
Drawing with MS Paint at work. For most of the day!

I'll go back to 90065 tomorrow. Probably will only stay for one day. No big family Thanksgiving; I really just want to do nothing and eat pizza. No more turkey, please!

Alvaro's coming back tonight.

IT'S FUCKING COLD.

Watched HIMYM - "Blitzgiving". I know I have often felt like the Blitz. Aw, maaan!
I dreamed that I was somehow on Wheel of Fortune, which filmed in a sketchy part of East Hollywood.

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I learned that turkeys were first thought by the English to come from Turkey. And the Turkish word for turkey is "hindi".
News: Tension between North Korea and South Korea
Music: The Gaslight Anthem; The Dangerous Summer; Blink-182 - Dammit
Lunch: More turkey. Avi asked about my German; he speaks Yiddish. And Rob is half Indian (Punjabi).
Uncle came to West LA looking for jobs; he visited me at work.

Saskia's last night in LA tonight; we're going out. Forget my WFG meeting!
At work til 7:10.

Yawn. I am still so sleepy. Having ht eheater on constantly must make the apartment just so cozy.
I'm eating turkey leftovers all week.
It's so cold now. I'm wearing my purple sweater. It's a little too small.
Uncle needs help with email.
I'm living with the anticipation of having the time of my life on my round-the-world trip. Thus, I am subliminally limiting how much fun I can have in LA.
I'm feeling more snappy today. When I talk to shareholders on the phone.

Friday night: Stayed in. Enjoyed my new shredder. Saskia, Stephanie, and Sandra dropped off cooking supplies for the Thanksgiving feat. We ate pasta.


Saturday: The big Thanksgiving feast / going away party for Saskia.
There was rain overnight. Sandra arrived first, around 10:30am. Felix and I went to Von's (recycling and supply buying), Smart & Final, and Ross. But no gravy boat was found. The girls (now with Stephanie's friend Charlotte) had arrived and began cooking the turkey. It was a 20 pound bird!
6 hours of cooking: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, Glühwein, sweet potatoes. Whew!
More people came. Gavin from Ventura. Juslia, another German. Jan and Steffen. Jenn. Brian. Later, Michelle and Lawrence, and Ruben. Saskia's boss and her boyfriend (an animator for the comic The Tick. We played mafia for several fun rounds and then switched to a guessing game. I was Hello Kitty, Darth Vader, Greece, and strawberry shortcake.
Brian stayed over. "Let's Go to the Mall"


Sunday: It was cold and windy. Spent much of the day cleaning up. There were sooo many dishes to clean. Felix cleaned the floor. Later he went to Universal Studios with chris and 2 friends.
I went to Koreatown to tutor Alex on his UC transfer application essays. Easy money!
Felix arrived at the same time I did. I was so sleepy back at the apt. Stephanie and Sandra came around 7:30 to pick up their dishes. I was drowsy. Watched The Amazing Race go to Bangladesh.
Later, watched The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It was good.