Four possessions without a single first down, a miracle TD pass after a "running into the kicker penalty," pushing Fresno St. all the way back for a penalty... but sadly we did not prevail. Even the hot coach didn't make it all ok. The two minute focus on Matt Ware screwing up helped a little. Well here's to next year.

It's been a long day.

An ode to Mell: she rocks. Any girl who can keep guys on the edge of being utterly terrified of her and drop dead in love eating out of the palm of her hand has got some magical prowess. Thanks for the December 11 card, you absolute freak who keeps track of anniversarys like THAT one. I look forward to being able to send you one. haha. But for now, I'll settle for morning (well, past noon) chats with sultry voices.

Sat nite was fun. Good cheese pizza. Good yummy-but-strong drinks. Lots of dancing. And the ladies' lounge lime green phallic-shaped veranda. I need to do the going out thing oh, once every full moon. It takes me that long to recover. Now for some quality mother daughter time at Del Amo. :)

Recent observation: movies are so long these days. And I'm not just talking The Neverending Story 3, I mean, Lord of the Rings 3. Here's what's playing at the PV theaters:

1. 21 grams - 125 min
2. Bad Santa - 91 min
3. Cheaper by the Dozen - 115 min
4. Elf - 97 min
5. The Last Samurai - 144 min
6. Lord of the Rings - 201 min
7. Master and Commander - 139 min
8. Mona Lisa Smile - 117 min
9. Paycheck - 119 min
10. Peter Pan - 113 min
11. Something's Gotta Give - 123 min
12. Stuck on You - 118 min
13. Cold Mountain - 155 min

Now, as I said above, we're going to leave LOTR in a league of it's own (and after Alex telling all about people LAUGHING at how long it was and CHEERING at how it ended, I think it's had enough). But let's look at the "dumb comedies" category... Elf and Bad Santa are exactly as expected at about an hour and a half... but Cheaper by the Dozen and Stuck on You at almost 2 hrs?? (though I really do want to see the Farrelly brother's new one...) And the "I want an oscar" category... (Cold Mountain, Samurai, Master and Commander)... does winning an oscar mean being the longest?

Maybe the movie industry has laid off all its editors. Maybe it's trying to justify charging up to $10.50 (plus parking, at the Grove) per movie. But really. No wonder Arun won't watch movies. :)

Merry day after Christmas. Thank goodness it was a 48-hr bug. I only spent half of Christmas day in bed... though it did break my heart to hear Joshua ask "Gu-gu, why are you so sleepy?" After spending almost four straight days with the little ones, I'm going to miss them a lot. The house really does feel more filled and cozy with kids around. Don't worry, I want NONE of my own yet. I need my sleep way too much for that. Patient Cal actually got up in the middle of the night and stormed into the closet to get some rest. It's always fine and dandy so long as mommy and daddy can take them away at the end of the day. I am going to miss all the attention, though, at Grand China Buffett... people were having a field day watching Joshua walk on my feet. You should try that restaurant sometime. $10.99 for all-you-can-eat decent chinese food and sushi. Just don't eat the raw chicken-for-mongolian-bbq raw...

so UCLA IS in a bowl game. I forgot what it was called... I think it's Tuesday. Some fan I am. Oh, the Silicon Valley Bowl game vs. Fresno St. woo. Eh, hopefully it'll be fun to watch. All are welcome to join, though I do yell loudly.

So best case scenario: in a limo, on the way to the casinos, watching Swingers, having a drink, after lunch. very witty.

being sick sucks. merry christmas eve to all.

These last few days have been really tough. Really tough. But I know it was for the best. It really was.

Thank goodness for family. I got to hold Bethany for the first time (and I got spit up on by Bethany for the first time). I got to spend an entire day and a half with Joshua. It was really amazing. I mean, when else do you get to race a 2-year-old (to where? everywhere), eat Honeycomb and Cheerios all day, and drive while only listening to the Sesame Beep Beep song? :) Mom said Joshua wouldn't sleep and kept asking "where did gu-gu go?" Priceless.

I get the genius (jeenyus) award for picking up Mell from the airport. :)

Now let me interrupt all this cherriness with a lament. Given my recent moving violation experience, I have been driving rather minimally and rather exactly at 1mph below speed limit. Needless to say there is no way I can get another ticket. So I'm not really worried there. But today, driving from my apt to PV, I saw no less than 7 cop cars!! Let me list them out for you... 1) behind me on the 405 south near Rosecrans, then passing me quickly... 2) driving south on Hawthorne as I wait at the light to turn onto Hawthorne from the freeway... 3) turning from Redondo Beach Blvd. to Hawthorne, as I wait at that light... 4) following me from the Galleria all the way to (not 190th, not Torrance, but) Carson blvd! and stopping to assist 5) who has pulled someone over just south of Lomita... then #4 reappeared because #5 needed no assistance, and I was going so slowly that he quickly caught up until 6) who pulled someone over just south of Lomita blvd (this one needed assistance)... then there was 7) who started driving behind me at about PCH (who could have been #4, but I can't be certain)... lastly there was 8) pulled over to the side of Hawthorne near Hesse Park with his lights on... that's all, no one pulled over or anything.

absolut ridiculosity. can't they better utilize their time? by, say, stopping dangerous drivers and catching the robber?

one last thought before bedtime. his gift came in the mail for me today. it's perfect.

My work holiday party was actually a lot of fun... well, I still don't know most of the office, and none of my direct coworkers were actually there, but the gift exchange... Let's just say there's a certain amount of satisfaction reaped when you steal a gift from a tenured-professor, and when the gift is actually Bacardi Limon with two fluted cocktail glasses... too bad the gift was stolen from me (damn you webmaster guy!) :)

My spinach salad was a total hit! I should definitely stop giving away the recipe and keep it for my catering business.

wow, I just reread some of my blogs from November. That month really sucked. It's funny how it's so easily to forget things sometimes. I mean, I was absolutely miserable, and yet I recollect very little of it. It gave me a nice buffer on my credit card bill, however, since I spent very little that month... that's nice, given that it's the holiday season, and that I lost money in Vegas, and that I'm trying to save up for France. I'm glad to say that I'm feeling much better overall these days, minus a few notable incidents (i.e. the De Neve dining hall).

I think I love Christmas shopping. There's just something to buying a gift for something that you know they'll like (of course, that only applies when you know they'll like it, and when you actually know what to get them, when they are actually possible to shop for...) And yes, the malls are practically war zones every day, but that's ok... because it's fun being the eye of the hurricane.

more things that suck:
- getting shot from two directions at once

"snipe me now"
and bond music in elevators

It's been almost a month... Let's update. :)
1. Application done and submitted!
2. Vegas trip number... 5? (they only count since I've turned 21) last weekend... BLAST... absolute blast! Bellagio buffet-- kobe beef (and I'm not talkin the bball player)... late night pai gow... afternoon pai gow... morning pai gow... too many rum and cokes to count... a GRASSHOPPER (finally! and like the bartender described... they're badass)... late-night running around the hotel... (ice from floor 15, ice from floor 14, no shoes/ice = service, but with scaring of old women)... the Denver/Cleveland game--heart attack!!!... willing the cards blue, or green, or red... all the cowboys... "So what are you doing here in Vegas? Here for the rodeo convention, aren't you?"...
3. my Amelie list dislikes: a) partially-dressed mannequins. b) uncomfortably warm feet. c) abbreviating over and never (it's NEVER YOU FUCKER, not NAIR!) d) (what's the last one?)
4. 007 Nightfire beat. 007 Agent Under Fire... kinda ghetto, but we'll keep at it.

the guy from Better Luck Tomorrow is doing Dell commercials?