Monday, December 25, 2006

Kafka

Sooo here's a little update on the life and styles of Chelsea, rich but definitely not famous. Finished The House of the Spirits this evening, started Kafka on the Shore by Murakami. I might be up pretty late, despite a back-of-the-mind plan to test out my dad's new bowflex machine tomorrow morning.

Went to visit the present yet distant grandfather today. It may be a little sick, but we made a non-official bet that he wouldn't recognize anyone, not even Uncle Bill, who'd been visiting with him earlier in the day. "So Bill (grandpa and son have the same name), have Steve and Tammi visited you yet?" "No." "How about Al and Bill? Did they stop by?" "No." (And here was the real test.) "What about Lil? Have you seen her today?" "No." My mom was sitting across the table from him. So he's not very lucid, but Brent did catch him saying something like "You better look at your watch, Lil." It comes and goes. Maybe he'll remember us sometime next week.

Here's the exciting bit. Christmas Eve saw RJ and I driving around looking for Christmas lights. We're heading up 340th St (you know, that road that goes by Safeway and Jack in the Box) when some crazy oncoming Christmas drunk swerves out of her lane, across the turn lane, and straight into the driver's side door of RJ's truck. As soon as her car started, she took off, leaving only her entire front bumper and licence plate as a souvenier. I'm okay (plus some sore muscles), RJ's okay, the driver of the other car that got hit and all his kids are okay. The black woman that caused it all gets to pay all the damages and go to jail. So. I may not have gotten a new car for Christmas, but at least someone I know did.

I also still fit into my prom dress. Tomorrow Tom and I are getting together, dressing up in our old prom digs, and doing some afternoon wine tasting. If you look past the shouting match I sat in the middle of this evening, this visit's shaping out to be pretty neat.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Personal Note #2

Lagaan was excellent. I've been putting off watching it for a while because I thought it would be dumb. Instead, it was intense. Three and a half hours went by without me even noticing. I got intense chills and goosebumps during the rain song, and haven't been so interested in sports since... well, never. I think it's the first Bollywood I've seen that didn't have a cringe-worthy sappy scene. So Chelsea. Search ebay when the drugs wear off and the checks are in the bank.

Also, went shopping at H-Mart with Tom today. I only wish Bellingham had something to compare to it. Endless rows of rice cookers, piles upon piles of asian cookware and decorated dishes. An entire aisle of noodles. Six or more different kinds of Pocky. Too many asian candies to count. And I didn't even try to explore the other aisles, my limp didn't want me to. I'm going back there before I leave Fedway, if only to buy some more dishes for la casa verde, and maybe a few fancy teacups.

Tom was also fantastic. We linked arms and limped all over Fedtown together. He got me some crazy deal at Al's Music because, well, smokers make friends wherever they go. We wrapped Christmas presents and listened to Christmas music, and the 3-foot long pipe he bought at H-Mart really does work. (He was adorable, sticking his head in the sliding door with soot smudged on his face. "Chelsea! It works! And the paint's not melting off, either!")

Ramble ramble ramble... I'm terribly sorry for anyone who's still reading this. It's keeps me occupied while I wait for the drugs to kick in and I won't feel my foot anymore. (They've clouded my mind pretty well but! the throbbing is still there!) I should have brought my paper journal home with me, to spare y'all this drivel.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Still Awake

MY FOOT FUCKING HURTS. Why didn't I ask for pain meds when the thing happened last time?! Hopefully by tomorrow the throbbing will be gone. But right now? Right now I know I'll kill my husband while having his babies, because I am a complete wuss about pain.

Chalte Chalte

made me cry. This is really just a note to myself to consider buying the movie if I still love it when I get back into Bellingham.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Ay Ay Ay

Sitting in my parents' living room, watching real cable for the first time in months. Do you know what I've decided to watch to reintroduce myself to the privileged world? Yup. Spanish channel. Spanish soaps, to be exact. Los Dos Caras de Ana.

But hey, it's not like this was my entire aim for the day. Jessica and I ran all over Redondo this morning, joined Chanel for breakfast at Shari's, then I spent 2 hours in an office off 320th getting my toenail ripped out. Yumm. It was actually excellent fun, talking to the doctor and watching him inject all the anesthesia. Then he started cutting my foot open and tearing stuff and scraping things and I got all sorts of woozy from watching. Tonight I get to sit on the couch and watch movies, doctor's orders. Never before have I had such a great excuse to watch 3 Bollywoods in a row.

Just waiting for the mail to get here...

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Leon

Today:

Read a lovely book about Latin American society and culture.
Got to see a 50 year old woman get excited like a 5 year old kid about the water slide.
Ate Boomer's burgers (yum! delish!)
Ran to/around the mall.
Heard a song called Chelsea (much better than Chelsea Who)
Did laundry/washed my sheets.
Drank white wine with my love.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Dearest

Lately I've been feeling a bit sad. Let's be honest. I've got an independent streak that smears pretty much across my entire face, with a colorful dash of antisocial behavior streaking through the middle. Oh, I do love it that way. Today I walked downtown and uptown, wearing my seal fur coat and enjoying the brisk cold air. I baked some brownies for the sheer joy of baking.
But I'm missing something. My neighbors, the most fantastic bunch of girls in the world, are up right now dyeing lacy old skirts into an assortment of wild colors on the middle of their kitchen. Yes, at 3 am on a Saturday night.
I think I need to change some fundamental behavior about myself. Let people into my life more, encourage a kind of puppy-like attitude of fun and physical companionship.
Mostly I'd just like someone to bake with.
Oh hell, I don't even know how to explain it. Mostly I've just been in a funk of missing Chanel and Tom. Maybe I'm glorifying them in my memory, but I'd like to sit and eat pineapple poolside again, faux-punk myself out in the middle of Chanel's apartment. Here's to the hope that when I go home for a week, it won't be a complete disappointment.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Minimalist points: 20

I have a new desk!! Hurrah! Rather than spend the day studying for my final tomorrow, I decided to take apart the big hurkin' Ikea Mikael desk and sell it for $100. And in exchange for the buyer's old desk. Honestly, I don't know why the kid wanted to trade up. My new desk is old and brown and shaky (it's a foldable one) yet with plenty of room to hold all the essential desk-stuff. I also got to rearrange my room so it would fit nicely. Thank you, random acquaintance Matt, for now my room is slowly being de-cluttered and starting to look like a decent bedroom.

I'm going to use the $100 to buy a whiteboard, the only item that I truly regret losing from the Ikea desk. The rest goes bankside.

Monday, December 11, 2006

Now What?

Dearest Whitey,

I do not like ribs. Never have, probably never will. However. Your ribs made me see God. As I took my first bite, the sun broke through the stormy Bellingham clouds - angels sang sweet songs of joy in my ear. Never before have I enjoyed eating slabs of sauce-covered meat and chunks of succulent fat. Never again will I taste a spanish mambo on my tongue.

And never again will I desire floss after a meal as much as I did when I ate your ribs.

Thank you for the best distraction from studying accounting a girl could want. If that's how they taste after sitting in tupperware in my fridge for over a week, I can't even imagine what would happen if I were to eat them freshly-made.

Sincerely,
Chelsea, slightly off-kilter now that the love is gone

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Like Eating Glass

I'm obviously still not ready to take my life seriously.

I read a few chapters of accounting, yeah, that was pretty productive of me. I also ate half a pizza, drank a liter of Coke, and just finished playing a game called Smite Thee where you throw thunderbolts at infidels trying to take apart your temple. Momentarily I will begin constructing various "Bollywood Dancers Use Back Door" and "Dance-Off This Way" signs to post around the houses.

It's possible that I'll find the motivation to take a few online tests, maybe do some helpful optional assignments. But I doubt it.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Friday's Payday!

I'm sure a non-musical related post would be appreciated. A darling student from my swim class bought me a root beer after lessons today. Then asked if she was going to pass. She's going to be a pro manipulator when she gains a few more years.

Went to Osaka with the lovely colored-house folks, both current and past. Number one quote from the evening, Tiana's impression of Martha Stewart: "This is how you fold a napkin into a shiv." I'm being overloaded with great foods this week. Leftovers galore. Ribs, chicken fried rice, spaghetti, and yakisoba noodles. Tomorrow I get free dinner at Lychee, which never fails to amuse.

Also, going home for a week is looking more and more bright. Lauren offered me free imax Happy Feet tickets (I'm going to see what I can do by way of Dead Sea Scrolls, too.) Jessica will be around, but duh, that was already a given treat. No, what I'm really looking forward to is seeing Tom. Yes, Tom! He's legal now, which means our prom love can finally be explored. We're going to get all classy and drink wine by the fire. And if Jessica's work won't let her take off the day after Christmas, then Tom and I are road-tripping to Bellingham. It's basically the fulfillment of my most far-fetched fantasies.

missinglunchbox: naturally, we're tom and chelsea, the coolest cats ever to cross the atlantic in search of exotic teas.
apollolandon: take from the savages! and give to our wives

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

"yeh dil huwa fanah"

After deciding to dedicate today solely to the pursuit of Financial Accounting, I promptly set about procrastinating. When neighbor AJ got out of class, it didn't take long before we decided to check out East/West Fashion, a 3-month old store with all sorts of Indian fashions. I got myself a sari, a few bangles, earrings, and a nose ring for the upcoming Bollywood dance competition. The lady running the store was absolutely wonderful - she practiced her henna skillz on AJ and I while we chatted about our dance-off (she might come just to see) and where to buy Bollywood videos in Canada. Naturally, the love for henna spread quickly, and AJ and I ended up on her floor watching Humko Deewana Kar Gaye while decorating our feet. And after? Oh, you'll love this. We busted out a Bollywood Dance Workout video to get prepped for Saturday's exhibition.

Folks, mark your calendars for Saturday. It's not an evening to miss. BYOB, dancing shoes, and prepare to watch us make fools of ourselves.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Mahi Ve

Chelsea's Christmas Wishlist:

Kal Ho Naa Ho DVD
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Salaam/Namaste

Thank you that is all.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Gulag Orkestar

My, but the internet is slow today. I've been waiting for Happy Feet to download, and it's been driving me mad.

Whitey and I finally got that mexican food we've been discussing for the last week or two. My, but I love that boy. "Anyone who can watch that guy cry in Doctor Zhivago every 5 minutes can handle Bollywood." From now on I'll be heading to the Miami Vice apartments for my 3 hour silly sessions. And in general, Matt helps a person become more educated. I was so inspired by our book conversations this afternoon that I FINALLY! finished Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and am thrilled with the idea of moving on to better things.

Of course, now I'm left looking about the room, trying to decide which of the unread/unfinished books I should pick up next.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Pornographers

Not quite sure what's going down tonight. Maybe I'll go see Sharron. Maybe I'll go to a birthday party. But I am definitely excited about tomorrow's prospects.

I burnt my tongue on an eggroll last night. How annoying.

The streets of Bellingham are becoming trickier to navigate as the snow gives way to ice and slush. Bike riding is not a smart choice right now. Trust me.