I am alive! Alive, and in Los Angeles. My work schedule is all kinds of a headache this week, but before I drag myself up and out the door, I wanted to say that I love my raelala, regala_electra, ignited, and elrina753, and memphis86 too. I had so much fun, and it was fantastic seeing friends and former coworkers, and meeting shiny new fantastic people. I wish I could have met up or spent more time with certain peeps, but quite frankly I think I'm lucky to have gotten to the airport in one piece, and it gives me reason to come back again!



Eew, real life. Go away and let me eat my baklava in peace.

Recent things I appreciate:

• Walking down to the Redondo beach and back today with my mom.
  
• Gossiping with her about my brothers. Panda's girlfriend's parents invited our family to a BBQ tomorrow, and when my mom mentioned how great it'll be to meet her parents, he PANICKED. "Oh, you don't have to go if you don't want to..." ::Snorfles::
  
• Talking to C for over an hour yesterday morning.
  
• Watching Bolt after talking to C, and then watching it again with Steph after we got out of work. "I am be-awesome!!!!". Yes, you are, Rhino. Yes you are.
  
• Walking to and from El Segundo yesterday, 2.8 miles each way. I will get in shape, dammit!
  

Recent things I do not appreciate:

• Showing up to my babysitting job on time, only to find out they had called and left a message that the young'n was running a fever, and they would get her down for the night and have me come at 7 instead. Granted, they didn't call until I was already on my way here, but it's still annoying my cell didn't ring.
  
• Also annoying is the two hours of babysitting pay I'm losing, since they're forgoing their original plans for drinks before dinner.
  
• As I as driving away, another one of my families called and cancelled on me for this Friday (she forgot she had scheduled her son's check-up at the same time).
  
• Taking/prepping two to-go orders at work, and making a grand total of 32 cents in tips.
  
• Working two doubles and a third lunch and dinner this past week (6 shifts total), and still only clocking in 13 hours.
  
• Only working that many shifts because one of the other hosts is out of town.
  
• A class it turns out I have to take over the summer is completely booked up, and I can't take three of the classes I was planning on in the fall if I don't have this one as a prerequisite.
  
• I'm finally eligible for health insurance again, but not for another two months, and only if I'm a full-time student, which will be a waste of time and money if I can't get these classes.
  
• I still haven't watched the last two episodes of Supernatural.
  
• SS buying me the most ridiculously amazing cookie almost every time I babysit, and I have absolutely no willpower to resist.

...No, I lied. This cookie is too delicious not to appreciate.


Bottom line: I was already strapped for cash before, but with the above losses and lack of hours, I basically need to scrounge up $200 from somewhere by Saturday. Oh, JOY. I'm re-posting my book sale entry here, please please please take a look and see if anything catches your fancy. There are some autographed titles included in there as well!

Also sending good vibes, spreading the link to my book sale around, or crossing your fingers that I get a decent number of to-go orders that actually tip would be very helpful and totally fantastic!!

Thank you for stopping by and taking a look- I've having a hard time covering rent, student loans, and tuition, and any sales from this post will really help.

The details: Almost all of these books are in New or Like New condition. Any books that are not new, but in good condition will be noted as such- I don't sell books that are ripped or in a horrible state. You can request a photo of the books you would like to order, I'm more than willing to oblige. Paypal is preferential, but if you would like to use another method, let me know in your comment. Shipping within the U.S. is $2 for the first book, and $1 for each additional book thereafter. I ship using the United States Postal Service, usually first class unless you specify otherwise. For more than 5 books, I'll combine shipping- just give me a head's up, and I'll give you a quote. If you have any questions, just shoot me a comment or an email! (vorpal [dot] pen [at] gmail [dot] com)

( All paperbacks unless marked otherwise, with genres ranging from mystery to horror to romance to television tie-ins to chick-lit to classics to children's books. Several titles have been autographed, and will be specified as such. )

As a big thank you from the bottom of my heart, I'll include a pristine advance reader's copy of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman for the first order I get over $50.

“...the body, step by step, teeters on the edge of catastrophe” (Napier, 1967, p.56).


I feel this quote, while referring to bipedalism, is actually an amazingly accurate analysis of my life. Definitely much more accurate than the horoscopes my coworkers keep referring me to.



One of the little kids I babysit has a bunch of bath toys shaped like sea animals, much like these. They're all cute and fun to play with, but I especially love the octopus. It's not anatomically correct (it's squirter is placed on the face, like a mouth or nose), and every time I see it it makes me think of Cthulhu. Specifically, My Little Cthulhu.

Excuse my blasphemy here, but how awesome would a line of Elder Gods bath toys be? They came from the deepest depths... of your bubble bath.

I went from being too exhausted to function, to being wide awake and completely unable to get to sleep. ...Yay.


Things are still really stressful around here. The most pressing is my rent- sadly, my dad would charge me more to move back home than my roommate currently does, and I can't afford that as it is.


I'm trying for a hail mary pass of sorts tomorrow- my parents are letting hold a garage sale at their house. My mom is taking the opportunity to sell off some of her remaining inventory from her bookfair biz, and I'm hoping I can scrounge enough to, combined with whatever to-go tips I get during dinner service tomorrow, cover my rent and the remainder of my tuition and tax expenses. CROSS YOUR FINGERS, PLEASE.

I'm putting a ton of books up for sale. I wish I could list them here first, but the time crunch is super-crunchy. However, here is a list of most of the books I'll be selling: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/858395-suzette?shelf=for-sale. I'm pricing them consistently with previous book sale posts, though I'm always willing to negotiate. If you see something you fancy, drop me a comment or an email, and I'll do my best to set it aside for you.


Have a good weekend, everybody!

1. Tonight was kind of a really horrid night. The kind of night a friend says, "come on, let's get you drunk" and you don't argue. Only without the me getting drunk part. Steph did try, though. We had the lovely J make us a dirty girl scout and a Ruby J at the tiki bar once I had gotten off work, and then met up with Bree at the Pitcher House. Randomly enough, A, who works at the tiki bar, was at the Pitcher House with her roommate, and they bought me a shot, which was super sweet of her.

2. I can't sleep.

3. I wasted an hour thinking through my predictions for typicrobots's http://winter-baby.livejournal.com/263502.html#cutid1 http://winter-baby.livejournal.com/263791.html. Fill one out! Go on, all the cool kids are doing it.



So. Awesome.

4. I haven't been around lately, and I'm sure I'm at skip=eleventy-billion on my friends list. The last time had a moment to sit down and read my flist was in... January. I tried really hard to remember birthdays, but I'm sure I'm behind on everything else. If there's something you think I should definitely read/catch up on, please send a link my way!

5. I've been up for 23 hours.

6. I'm going to try to sleep on the couch.

7. Good Morning!



E.T.A. I can't believe I fucked up my a href tags in such a ridiculous way. I'll fix it later when I actually feel like a person, click on the image winter made in the meantime please.

My 23rd birthday's officially over. All in all, I think it was a good one.

I drank too much coffee.


Too, too much.


I brewed a big pot for my aunt and I to share, only as it turns out, she can't drink it anymore. Decaf only. Eww. What a nightmare, I don't even know how she can do it. But that left me with a full pot that I kept returning to for refills. And more refills. And more refills.

Dammit. now copperbadge has me craving Nutella rangoons.


I've got an interview tomorrow morning, after which I have a lunch shift at the bistro and a tutoring session with R. Oh, and it's J's birthday too, and I committed to making a GI Joe cake. At least he's better than his brother- A kept calling from Disneyland with more and more demands for his birthday dinner, even going as far as to promise his friends a specific dinner after I told him it would be impossible. I'm sorry, but there's no way in hell I can afford to drop $30+ on ribs. OH YEAH, AND HE DIDN'T TELL ME HE INVITED HIS FRIENDS OVER FOR DINNER UNTIL I GOT A BAD FEELING AND ASKED HIM POINT-BLANK, AFTER WE HAD ALREADY STARTED MAKING EVERYTHING. J doesn't want to be any fuss or trouble. Bless him.


Soo... I have more caffeine running through my veins than actual blood. And I need to go to sleep so I am rested for tomorrow. But before I do, I need to write a response to a office manager job opening for a bookstore where I manage to walk a fine line between gushing about their books and not sounding like a twit.

I don't have high hopes.


MY BABY BROTHER TURNS 18 IN 18 MINUTES. He's already signed up for the Marines. I don't know how to handle this.

After checking I don't know how many times online to make sure the Pacific theater in El Segundo was playing My Bloody Valentine in 3D, and even calling the movie hotline to double check, I get a call from JB saying... well, sucks to be us. The only 3D showing was all the way at the Bridge. After debating other movies, we went ahead and saw the 2D version. I mean, it's a bad horror movie. If our expectations are low to start, how bad could it be?


( spoilers for My Bloody Valentine <s>3D</s> )

My lungs feel heavy, much like they did before I took antibiotics for the pneumonia. Frick. This is what I get for crashing at my parent's place last night instead of coming home and doing something about my resume and portfolio. That, and a lack of a usable resume. And portfolio.


As a plus, it's 4:30am and I've been up since before 8am yesterday.




Is it too early for Cheerios and hot chocolate?

This is just a starter list- I gave up trying to code everything in order to get this posted before the Community Sale midnight deadline. All books listed are for sale through paypal- I'm trying to manhandle my library into something actually manageable, so I'm going to have to pass on (normally awesome) trades.

If you're interested in purchasing anything, please comment here, and I'll respond with your total. Shipping within the U.S. is $2 for the first book, and 50¢ for each additional book thereafter. If you have any questions, just shoot me a comment or an email!

( All paperbacks in good-to-new condition, with genres ranging from mystery to horror to romance to television tie-ins to chick-lit to classics to children's books )

I saw the LJ spotlight of mission101_2009 and was intrigued. So, on December 31st, while babysitting in Long Beach, I set M up with paints and a freshly assembled wooden helicopter, sat across from him at their kitchen table, and started scribbling. This list is in no particular order, I just transcribed it straight from my original.

I'm curious: What would make your 101?



101 Things to do in 1001 Days

1. Go to Prague.
2. Read 100 books in 2009 & 2010, and be on track for 2011. (2009: 1/100) (2010: 0/100) (2011: 0/74)
3. Watch 50 (previously unviewed) movies in 2009 & 2010, and be on track for 2011. (2009: 0/50) (2010: 0/50) (2011: 0/37)
4. Volunteer an average of one day a month with Project Angel Food and/or AIDS Walk LA, minimum. (0/33)
5. Work out for at least and a half an average of once a week. (1/143)
6. Work out for at least 20 minutes an average of 3 times a week. (1/429)
7. Write a piece of snail mail to my aunt once a month. (0/33)
8. Start my own company.
9. Sell my creations online.
10. Call/talk to a New York relative at least every two weeks (3/71)
11. Get an Wacom Intuos tablet.
12. Get an office and/or education job.
13. Take the CBEST exam (and pass!!!).
14. Take the CSET exam for art (and pass!!!).
15. Create a font.
16. Cook a completely new recipe from a cookbook an average of once a month (minimum). (0/33)
17. Enroll in a 4-year school.
18. Be on track to finish, if not have already finished my B.A.
19. Complete my FAFSA each year. (0/3)
20. Visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art no less than 3 times a year. (0/9)
21. Visit the Getty and the Getty Malibu at least once a year. (G: 0/3) (GM: 0/3)
22. Visit the Museum of Contemporary Art at least twice a year. (0/6)
23. Organize my yarn.
24. Organize my fabric.
25. Organize my embroidery materials.
26. Organize all my other art/craft supplies.
27. Participate in Postcrossing, and send & receive 100 postcards. (sent: 0/100) (received: 0/100)
28. Participate in Bookcrossing.
29. Make something using Ponoko.
30. Create a PDF of an original knitting pattern.
31. Go to San Diego.
32. Go to the Long Beach Aquarium.
33. Go to the LA Zoo.
34. Go to the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
35. Pay for a stranger’s order at a drive-thru.
36. Create a journal for 1001 Journals.
37. Host the Hippo.
38. Try venison.
39. Bake baklava.
40. Unpack all my boxes.
41. Plant a garden.
42. Organize my photos.
43. Create themed photo albums (ie: Europe, Girls Scouts, Family)
44. Write to at least two friends in other countries. (0/2)
45. Mail Christmas cards before December 17th. (0/2)
46. Donate to the Salvation Army.
47. See Sara Bareilles, Gavin Bellour, and/or Common Rotation play.
48. Walk in an AIDS Walk.
49. Lose 20 pounds.
50. Go to Stagecoach and/or Coachella.
51. Set up my iTunes to run off my external hard drive.
52. Replace my iPod with one that works.
53. Organize/burn my CD collection to my computer.
54. Complete my DVD spreadsheet.
55. Input my library into goodreads.
56. Apply for the Next Food Network Star.
57. Get a new cell phone and plan when my current one ends, instead of just renewing it.
58. Embroider a skirt.
59. Sew an article of clothing from a pattern.
60. Bake 10 different kinds of Christmas cookies. (0/10)
61. Bake a birthday cake.
62. Go to Las Vegas.
63. Complete a large needlework pattern.
64. Create different Christmas ornaments each year. (0/3)
65. Write a restaurant review.
66. Write a book review.
67. Go to Disneyland.
68. Create an illustration for a short story.
69. Go to San Diego Comic-Con.
70. Go to Book-Expo America.
71. Design, create, and wear my own jewelry.
72. Find a good Thai restaurant.
73. Help organize a Thanksgiving Classic Turkey Tournament.
74. Coach a soccer team.
75. Organize a fundraiser.
76. Subscribe to a computer arts magazine.
77. Participate in a swap community.
78. Illustrate a story for a livejournal challenge.
79. Make sure my brother registers to vote.
80. Wear earrings every day for a week. (0/7)
81. Go on a second date.
82. Re-pierce the 2nd holes in my ears.
83. Go to San Francisco.
84. Take my youngest brother out for a driving lesson.
85. Go to one of his wrestling matches.
86. Go to his high school graduation.
87. Create a personalized cookbook.
88. Knit a portrait.
89. Knit a personalized blanket for my mother.
90. Stay current in my 5-year diary.
91. Sign up for an Amazon Associates account.
92. Decorate my room.
93. Frame my Todd Klein prints.
94. Participate in 24-Hour Comic Book Day each year. (0/2)
95. Learn how to bartend.
96. Take a cooking class.
97. Bike to Venice.
98. Get health insurance.
99. Fix my printer, instead of waiting until I’m at my parent’s house or on campus to print whatever I need. OR, make a robot.
100. Finish at least 10 abandoned knitting projects. (0/10)
101. Come up with 101 new things for the next 1001 days. (0/101)



I have from January 1st, 2009, to September 29th, 2011 to cross off this entire list. No time to waste!

My brother just called, and wanted to know if I liked D+D-type games, because he hasn't bought me my Christmas gift yet and he found a Serenity themed game of that sort. I tried to dissuade him delicately.

"I would love to play something like that. However, can you think of one person who would play it with me?"
"Er..."
"And that's my point."


At least he didn't try and get me the BtVS Conversations with Dead People Ouija Board.

You have GOT to be kidding me. There is no way this company is accurately representing itself. Dalí? In Redondo Beach? Seriously?


Can't sleep, so I'm trolling Craigslist for office jobs. I asked for this past Tuesday off since I've been trying to get in to see a doctor in person, and they told me they weren't going to to put me on the schedule at all this week, just in case I call out sick the night before my shift. :( This is especially annoying, because tomorrow's the last day of my antibiotics, so I've been "non-contagious" since Monday, and I'm really good at hiding discomfort and working through headaches/pain/illness. It's like when I was in Bye Bye Birdie in high school- I might be coughing like I had consumption all day and night, but out on stage? Not so much as an unscripted peep from me. Add that to the past couple of weeks of only working 1 or 2 shifts, and it's only because I've been socking money away to pay loans in January that I have any money left at all. ---And as I typed that, I realized that since my schedule this past week has been all screwed up, I forgot to pay my bills. So I just did that, and now I really have no money. Frick.


Well, I was going to ask if anyone uses/knows of an electric kettle that they'd recommend for purchase? My mom really wants one for Christmas, and since my brother and I are going in on it together, I'd rather get her something a bit nicer than a $15 model that she'll have to replace in 3 months. Only, I either forget to write down the model of the ones I've liked using at other people's places, or I can't find them online. The selections have been really limited in stores, but even after reading a bajillion customer reviews, I'm not completely comfortable buying one sight unseen. Amazon say I have until the 17th to make the purchase for Christmas, and I have other purchasing options, so since I'm babysitting before then, I'm sure my brother and I can make it happen. Suggestions?


Starting the 16th, I'm house-sitting for friends of folks I've baby-and-house-sat for since high school. I've met the people several times over the years, and they're wonderful, and it's a fantastic job- the house is, like, a century old and gorgeous, it's literally a block away from my parents, so I won't have any trouble getting over there for Christmas Day proceedings, their dog is adorable, and they have two chickens. Chickens! I only wish now that I had agreed to take a half-payment before they left, instead of going with my usual habit of collecting upon their return, since they're not getting back until January.


I'm not worried about my citibank loan- I was a full time student until about a month ago, and even if I take a break and don't sign up for a full 12 units in the spring, I still have 5 months before I have to start making payments. However, my personal loan absolutely has to start being paid back this January, as per the terms of the note. Also, the college never received my scholarship funds, so I had to pay the rest of my tuition myself, which screwed me over even more.

I guess it's really time to start selling books. :( I've been planning to set up a selling post here in my journal to offer y'all a first look for months now, but I keep putting it off. I think it's because it's honestly painful to have to sit down and trim my library, but it's so, so necessary. I have stacks everywhere because I don't have the shelf space, and boxes and boxes in the garage, sadly unloved for lack of hours in the day. This is probably something I should take care of this weekend: step one in the polishing of my ragged brain?


Since I was pronounced sick last week, I couldn't justifiably bake/send out cookies, and this week was devoted to the craze of finals, so that was a no-go as well. I'm still sending out Christmas/Chanukah/Holiday cards, so if you haven't already commented on my card post, please do so now! Yes, now. Go! :D

I have two term papers, two 1-page papers, and an excruciatingly detailed 5 page report due tomorrow.

My brother just gave me my Christmas present early- it's The Dark Knight, so, y'know, AWESOME.

Question is- WHY DOES HE HATE ME SO MUCH??? Would a decent person give the gift of Gary Oldman, Heath Ledger, & Aaron Eckhart when I have 5 different papers due the next day?

I also have a final for American Art History, but since I thought I bombed the last one, and I got a B (89.5! A half-point from an A!), I feel that maybe that should be the least of my worries, maybe. I'm also annoyed, because I was going to try and knock these out this past weekend, and I kept crashing hard and waking up late. Yesterday I conked out before I could even open my notes, while clutching my still-warm (but thankfully empty) mug. Today was spent working, going to the Getty for an assignment, & racing back for work.



My pneumonia is so not going to appreciate this all-nighter I'm about to pull.

I'm not even half-way through the wikipedia article on pneumonia, and I'm freaking out.

I hate that the only reason I know I have it is because the pharmacist at KP finally looked up my chart and saw the note that my x-ray was positive for it, that the x-ray was taken Monday, that the only time someone tried to inform me of it was when they called my mom on Thursday to say I had an antibiotic prescription waiting for me, but didn't leave a phone number or reason said prescription was issued, that nobody was able to determine who, exactly, issued the prescription (!), that I keep getting disconnected every time I talked to someone at new members services, that because I didn't have a primary physician new members services was the only department that was willing to help me, that before I knew I had pneumonia the only advice I could get from KP over the phone was to go ahead and take the meds, because the chance that they were meant for someone else and the patient #s got mixed up was "extremely unlikely", that because I went ahead and choose a doctor by my house while on the phone, no subsequent department I went to at the harbor city location could print out anything or help me with my questions because "only [my] doctor can release that information", that I can assume it's bacterial pneumonia because of the antibiotics, but other than that I don't have a freakin' clue what's going on, if it's contagious, etc., etc., that the guy who set me up with a primary wouldn't give me her contact info, because "her office will get in touch with you", and that said office has, in fact, not done so.



Also I hate how much my chest hurts. Ow.

ONLY ONE WEEK OF SCHOOL LEFT OMG THANK GOODNESS.


To celebrate, a Christmas/Chanukah/Holiday card post! You know the drill, if you would like a card, please leave your name and details after the beep. I'd like to mail out the bulk of them after my last final next Wednesday, but my complete lack of time management is infamous for a reason. (I have stuff for people from Comic-Con (July), Book Expo America (May/June), and from before I moved back here (January). Yes, I have no shame.) ::DISTRACTS YOU WITH HOLIDAY WELL WISHING AND CONFETTI::



::beep::