last-nite: Mountain Goats.
to-nite: Rehersal Dinner.
tomorrow-nite: Wedding Fun.

check, check, check it out.

it's 4 days until maria's wedding. so far everything has gone smoothly with the plans. i can't wait! it's been quite a while since i've seen my extended family and i'm much looking forward to getting drunk and goofing around with everyone. i'll post pictures as soon as i can - i just found out today that my camera that i've been waiting for repairs to finish on is "not covered by warranty". it took them 6 weeks to tell me "Oh wait, lens malfunctions aren't covered. You can have your broken camera back, though." So i'll be looking to borrow one for Friday and Saturday's events - if anyone is willing to entrust your camera to me, i would be much obliged. (i have my own memory card).

i've been cooking much more lately and it's been a lot of fun. last night i prepared tuna steak, asparagus, and parsley potatoes ^_^. in other news i just started reading catch22 upon recommendation from max, it's slow going so far - the only read time i had so far was sunday during my lunch break when i went to primanti's during the steeler game... it wasn't the best reading atmosphere, but they have really good sandwiches!

lists:

it's been a while, so i'm bringing back my love for list making. my recent activities (in no order):

i. listening to a lot of The Decemberists (especially: Sons and Daughters)
ii. 勉強してます
iii. teaching chinese people how to drive
iv. studying for GRE's and realizing i've lost critical thinking skills
v. made guacamole for the first time and ate it all
vi. finished the series Gundum Wing
vii. read American Psycho and was smitten with it
viii. read the Communist Manifesto just because i never have
ix. finishing final preparations for maria's wedding
x. started weight training at steve's in hopes of getting in shape (and fending off osteoporosis)

this and that

last week, jam, emily, jason, beth, tessa and i went to Ohiopyle for a day of adventuring. (though we mainly went for the natural water slides to cool us off). it was a lot of fun. i'll hopefully post some of the pictures taken by em shortly. tessa and i were forced to ford the creek/river barefoot since we didn't come prepared with watershoes. overall things went well, even though i ended up sliding and ramming my foot into a (conveniently placed, pointy) rock underneath me. i now, 4 days later, don't feel the need to limp anymore, and my bruise is disappearing. i wish we had more time to explore the woods, but the evening crept on and we left before dusk. we didn't get too lost, but i will say this, "Dunbar, mark your signs better!"

i'm still awaiting my camera's return home. it's away at some bestbuy warehouse, i'm sure just sitting on a self, being "repaired". i didn't realize how much i like to catalog the little things in my life with it, and it's becoming irritating that it's taking so long to fix. thanks, bestbuy, customer service - top notch.

japanese is going well, even though one of my sections induces a coma nearly every time we meet, i feel like i'm at least getting better at my listening comprehension. aside from my (one) class, i'm getting more serious about narrowing my grad school search. i have a lot of trouble forcing myself forward at times. i'm scared of making a bad decision, thus leading my life down another unwise career [see: nursing] path. i have trouble overcoming my hesitance, and actually progress -- at least for the time being. my next big hurdle is taking the GREs. i purchased supposedly "the best" study prep book today, so we shall see if that claim holds true.

i am also in the process of making curtains for my kitchen. for those of you who don't know me very well, this is a big project a.) i don't "make" things and b.) i definitely don't sew. hopefully i'll come out of the situation a little more self sufficient, we shall see. i bought the fabric already as well as the rods to hang them. i mean, i have a degree, this can't be that hard ... the only thing easier to make would be a blanket. hell, i'm even cooking my own dinner these days...

Donald Kaufman: Oh, God. I was so in love with her.
Charlie Kaufman: I know. And you were flirting with her. And she was really sweet to you.
Donald Kaufman: I remember that.
Charlie Kaufman: Then, when you walked away, she started making fun of you with Kim Canetti. It was like they were making fun of *me*. You didn't know at all. You seemed so happy.
Donald Kaufman: I knew. I heard them.
Charlie Kaufman: How come you looked so happy?
Donald Kaufman: I loved Sarah, Charles. It was mine, that love. I owned it. Even Sarah didn't have the right to take it away. I can love whoever I want.
Charlie Kaufman: She thought you were pathetic.
Donald Kaufman: That was her business, not mine. You are what you love, not what loves you. That's what I decided a long time ago.

And the wind began to b l o w and the trees began to pant
And the world in its cold way started coming alive
And I stood there like a buisness man w a i t i n g for the train
And I got ready for the future to arrive.