Friday, June 30, 2006
My "Sooo LA" Date
I've been asked what I'm going to do with this blog once I move to Washington, DC. Although the focus of this blog is moreso on my personal life than the city of Los Angeles, it is entitled "My SoCalled Life," a little pun to play on the fact that this is what my life is like in Southern California. Whether I realize it or not sometimes, there are parts of my life that are quintessentially Californian. Last night would probably be a good example.
On a whim, Alex and I decided to have a date night out on the Sunset Strip because he got tickets to the Laugh Factory. Lacking a car (which is actually very un-LA) we hopped onto the bus. After riding for a while with a very ecclectic mix of people in the horrible horrible rush hour traffic, Alex and I decided to jump off the bus just to get some air and an interesting restaurant on Sunset caught our eye. Yatai Asian Tapas, what a cool concept for an indecisive person like me who wants to try lots of different things. It's kind of like an upscale dim-sum where you order lots of little dishes that were all really good, light, and flavorable, not soaked in oil like normal Chinese food. If you go to the website, the food tastes as good as the pictures make them out to be. Only in LA would I get to sit in this cute little allyway and eat tofu skewers, green curry chicken ravioli, and even was bold enough to try the house special, the Creamy Chili Soft Shelled Crab.
After our tres fantastique dinner, Alex and I walked up the Sunset Strip to the Laugh Factory. We'd heard rumors about a famous sitcom star coming to perform but we weren't sure if we could believe it or not. After a few really funny amatuer comedians, someone we all know and love came out for a short set... 
Yeah, that would be Michael Richards, better known to most people as Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld. He is just as funny and spastic (if not more) as he is on the tv show. Let's just say that the microphone stand was not intact by the end of his set. Wow, even though all the 6 comics were really good, nothing beats having someone like Michael Richards make a cameo, especially for Alex who is a huge Seinfeld fan. And we were sitting in the third row too! Once again, only in LA would you have a guy who used to make a million dollars an episode jump on stage for a hilarous short standup act for a room that couldn't have had more than 100 people, and then go back to his normal life.
I must admit that I'm very spoiled over here. Perhaps it's better that I'm leaving to go to law school. The weather is way too nice and there are far too many distractions to actually study in this city.
posted by Kristina |
12:26 PM
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Thursday, June 29, 2006
He's Back!
Alex is back after a week in DC and I'm a happy camper. We bbq'ed some steak and lots of veggies last night and it was the closest resemblence to the pre-graduation life since all my roommates have left. I was almost expecting Megan to walk through the door and have her eyes light up once I offered her food. There was no roommate cameo, but at least I have company again. It's a little bittersweet though knowing that our summer days are very limited and he'll be moving out to Syracuse soon. For those of you who don't know, he'll be starting an Assistant Residential Director position in Syracuse in the fall and most likely starting a masters degree at that school in the Spring. I'm very proud of him and I guess all I can do now is enjoy what time we do have this summer.
posted by Kristina |
1:50 PM
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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Flag Burning
It's that wonderful time of the year again: when Congress is about to go into recess so they roll out all the ridiculous "wedge issues" to put members of Congress in favorable or unfavorable positions when they go up for re-election in November.
While banning gay marriage is the most ridiculous wedge issue to me, flag burning comes in a very close second. Nevermind that it totally goes against the first amendment, it's not a pressing issue at all! Is this really what we're spending our time arguing about when there are actually a lot more pressing issues out there in the world? Democrat or Republican, I think we can realize that there are larger problems and there isn't a flag burning pandemic. I heard on the news there's been all of 2 incidents in the past 5 years. So all those 66 Senators who voted for this amendment aren't on my good list (especially the people who brought it up again and the Democrats who voted for it).
But more than anything, my stupid petty personal reason for hating this issue is because the American Legion pushes this every single year. They happen to be the same people who run Girls and Boys State for high school juniors. In their selection process, they asked me what I thought about flag burning. I'm sure on the whole they're nice people and I don't know if they're politically biased in all their selection committees, but the people in my interview scoffed when I mentioned the name Hillary Clinton and were not pleased when I said that I belived flag burning was constitutionally protected. I had a feeling they wouldn't take me if I gave them that answer but I gambled on the issue being idealististic thinking they might actually look at my merits. This was a forum to learn about state government, it wasn't like I was auditioning for a conservative camp. Alas, I wasn't chosen. I'll always be slightly bitter at the flag burning issue and the American Legion committee who rudely interviewed me. However, I guess there's part of me who is proud that I stood up for what I believed. Civil liberties, that's what I love and I guess I was a little liberal rabble rouser even back in the day.
posted by Kristina |
10:43 PM
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Tuesday, June 27, 2006
I Want to Be Like Bill...
Gates that is. As evil as people may believe Microsoft the company is, Bill Gates is certainly not. In case you missed it, Gates is the richest person in the world and decided to step down as the head of Microsoft to focus on philanthropic endeavors. His foundation focuses on bringing "innovations in health and learning to the global community." From helping to rebuild public libraries destroyed by Hurricane Katrina to giving loans to students in South Africa so they can get their Business degrees to giving a $8 million grant to help AIDs research, Bill & Melinda Gates are doing something good with their money and celebrity. Not really surprising coming from people who's only real lavish expense is their nice home in Seattle. It's almost surprising to see how modestly they spend their personal wealth, like the fact that they rent a home on an island when they could probably buy the whole island like most other rich people.
I guess there can be critics about how this money is exactly spent. Sure, it's not good when celebrities swoop into a country and try to give handouts and actually do more damage. But I get the feeling that the Gates Foundation runs like a very professional non-profit and researches the best ways to help people. Yet, more than anything, I think it's cool because it sets a good example. Just look, a few days after Gates announcement that he's going to step down from day to day operations at Microsoft, William Buffet (richest guy #2) is giving away 85% of his personal wealth to charities. That's $44 billion dollars, most of which is going to the Gates foundation.
Now Gates and Buffet certainly aren't the first people to do something good with their money. There are tons of everyday people who work for others and don't receive, nor probably want, headlines written about them. However, I think what makes people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet unique is that people look up to them because they are in the spotlight and they have used their noteriety to do something selfless. They can set the tone, and they have. It's like when Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr. came together to raise money for Katrina Relief.
All in all, I hope that this isn't a fad because people want to be like Angelina or Bono. I hope that this is a fundamental shift in our culture. Whereas the 80s was a decade known for its over the top wealth and greed, I want the following decades to be about our responsibility to the global community. Perhaps it's a little inspiration to people like me, who gets to make decisions about how I will use my privlidge and solid educational background. Sell my soul to corporate law (which probably does in a way help someone, it just gets a bad rap) or use it a tool to actually help people? Now how cool would it be to work for the Gates Foundation, or any nonprofit for that matter. Hmm...
posted by Kristina |
8:34 PM
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Monday, June 26, 2006
Hotel 309
So I'm back in Westwood apartment and it hardly feels like my apartment anymore. That's because none of my other 4 roommates live here any more. It's full of subletters who are nice, but I hardly know and are hardly around because of summer school and internships. I feel like it's just this flow in and out of strangers and I'm the old inn-keeper who answers all the questions and manages/cleans the place. I do have one good friend who is subletting Megan's half of my room. I guess since she went home for the week it seems especially empty. If it weren't for my other friends in the area, I might have moved back home for the summer.
It's another one of those things that you don't realize how good you had it until it's gone. As much as I complained about the dishes that stacked up in the sink or the 6 jars of pickles in the refridgerator, I really loved having my old roommates around. I realized it wasn't the huge brand new rooms, big comfy couches, or huge tv that made me love this apartment (though they were an added bonus), it was the girls I live with...their dirty dishes and all. As one of my friends pointed out in his blog, it's the end of an era.
posted by Kristina |
6:16 PM
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Sunday, June 25, 2006
The Time Warp
There's this thing we like to call College Standard Time. It's a time zone where going to bed before midnight just seems crazy and classes before 10am (or even later for many people) are just evil. I realized that despite operating in our own schedule, time doesn't really move here. Even though people come and go here, that constant rotation in the population keeps everyone looking "fresh" and the same age. Even if you're moving up the age ladder, you're constantly surrounded by people generally in the 18-24'ish age range.
It was really weird coming home to Santa Clarita. I feel like the whole world changed while I was frozen in a block of ice or something. As I was riding in the car home, so many things looked different. "When did they build that housing tract?" "When did that store move in?" "Where did that mountain go?" Then it was really weird going to the Children's mass for church and seeing kids who were like 4 feet tall when I left now taller than me. I didn't really expect the world to stop while I was at college; I guess I just didn't know how much could change in 4 years.
posted by Kristina |
10:16 PM
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Everything You Need to Know and Little Bit More...
My SoCalled Life
Well I have to give credit where credit should be given so major kudos to mon ami Kyle Terwillger
for coming up with the ingenious title! In case you missed it, its a play off of the TV show my So Called Life and the fact
that I live in Southern California.
Why Blog?
Where better to provide a snapshot of experiences as a young woman and
college student in one of the most unique places in the world. And where better
to rationalize the unexplainable, appreciate the goodness, and share my point of
view. This isn't my deepest secrets or a place for me to mope, it's just my
socalled life.
The Basics
Birthdate: June 7
Birthplace: Minneapolis, MN
Home: Stevenson Ranch, CA
Occupation: UCLA Student
The Academic Side
Major: Political Science,
American Politics Concentration
Minor: Public Policy
UCLA Activities
Bruin Democrats
USAC Internal Vice Pres.
Student Alumni Association
Poli Sci Research
University Catholic Center
Archives:
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