I'm writing this on Aaron's powerbook.
Waiting, waiting, waiting for him to get off work at 2!

Last night, Aaron dropped me off at the hostel (which has no air conditioning! and plastic mattress protectors that stick to my sweaty legs while I sleep) so I could take a shower before leaving again to watch a movie. We walked through the collection of people playing guitar, smoking, talking and generally being very hostel-like, and I leave Aaron sitting in the lobby while I go up to the room.
When I got into the room, I saw that no one was there, so I set my purse on my bed and went into the adjoining bathroom to take the shower. Halfway through, after conditioning and before soapage, the lights go out, along with the fan, and I'm left in the shower, with the water running, in total darkness. If anyone remembers the preview for The Grudge with Sarah Michelle Gellar, I was imagining that ghouly hand reaching through my hair immediately, thinking that this would be the exact time that I would fall prey to exactly such an entity. (I think about that hand even when showering at my own apartment, with all the lights on...so it was a thousand times worse in this strange hostel bathroom.)
And then I worried that it might be a fire. Or an elaborate ploy by a rapist to set me off guard in the darkness. But I continued with the shower (thinking that if it was a fire, Aaron would definitely come and get me). The sound of running water is really freaky in the dark. And I almost pee'ed myself when a car pulled into the parking lot across the street and the glow of its headlights moved eerily through the bathroom.
In any case, I finished the shower, blindly grabbed my towel, and ventured into the room again, which was also pitch black, and felt my way to my purse, where I found my cell phone and turned on the flashlight feature on the phone. Then, I looked out into the hallway and saw that that too, was dark. Then got dressed hurriedly, hair still dripping, and went back downstairs to meet Aaron. Who has his own part of the story, coming up.

Let's see, what else have I done in LA?
-Venice Beach on Saturday, where I longed for a boogie board, but was too cheap to shell out $11 for one, and too lazy to have to lug that thing all the way back to TX as well. We parked a long ways away, and it felt like an authentic hike, because we'd both brought our backpacks and a bunch of stuff...video camera, cameras, extra clothes, etc. It all became quite a burden once we got to the beach and realized we didn't trust leaving it on a towel while we went into the water. But we did eventually get in the water...
We saw a topless girl too.
And found that Venice Beach is called Venice Beach because in the neighborhoods around it, there are actually water ways between the houses, and all the houses have canoes and kayaks.
-Then Sunday, we went to Disneyland, and it rained like the dickens (like charles dickens?) for the first hour or so, and then brightened up.
In line for the Indiana Jones ride, a tour group cut in front of us in line, and just kept going! I was feeling a little pathetic for not saying much about it, but then later saw that they had cut in front of a lot of people, including a group of three large guys. So then I didn't mind as much.
other rides we rode: The Matterhorn, Splash Mountain, Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Alice's Teacup ride, It's a Small World, and Space Mountain (which was the best).

On another note...has anyone else noticed that growing up involves writing more and more painfully tactful emails, letters, and general communication? It's giving me a headache, all this tactfulness.

L.A. in a week!
For right now, I'm just keeping myself busy reading, etc. and playing checkers and chess with Aaron online. (I kick his ass in chess and he kicks mine in checkers...)
I've gotten through some more of the BBC reading list, so that is updated...and then, perhaps I will start on the reading list that my concert-buddy John suggested.

I'm still going through Rancid withdrawals, and as a result I am listening to them as I go to sleep lately.

Things to do before leaving for L.A.:
re-dye hair
and...other things that i should not mention except under the category of "general primping"

Today, my last day in Austin...well yesterday was supposed to be the last day, but I just couldn't leave.
So I went the Rancid show tonight as well. highlights: ruby soho, acoustic version of L.F. and the Bastards' Skunx, Radio
they also played: old friend, slavation, 7 years down, olympia wa, an acoustic version of tenderloin, and st. mary.

And, me and Elissa hung out all day--lunch at kerbey lane, and then I dyed a "secret" streak of blue in her hair in remembrance of a childhood book...
But it turned out not so secret. ha.

country accents, the crazy day, cold water, blue tub, sweaty hair (not elissa's, mine), kitten pedophiles.

I need a shower so bad right now, my shoes are destroyed, but...Lars signed my arm, and I got to shake Tim Armstrong's hand and he patted me on the back.
Yes!

This makes my year.
yipee yipee yipee

Playlist: (not in order, and i'm missing a few from their 1993 cd.)
Time Bomb
Fall Back Down
Sound System by Op Ivy
Gonna Find You by Op Ivy
Roots Radicals
She's Automatic ("no cocks in the pit!")
Tenderloin
The Ballad of Jimmy and Johnny
Nihilism
Black & Blue
Hoover Street

Acoustic:
11th Hour
Wars End
To Have and To Have Not ("this one goes out to Bush!")--> this one's a Motorhead cover done by Lars & the Bastards

Then, back to electric:
Maxwell Murder
Knowledge (op ivy cover)

Rancid tonight!
It might be lame to wear a band's tshirt to their show, but alas, I am doing it anyway.

I leave for Houston tomorrow, that is if I can get everything packed away in time...things are still a mess. And my definition of mess is quite a bit more than yours, I think.

And then in two weeks I go to LA! Aaron has planned our itinerary through food-related activities. Chili-cheese fries at The Hat, burgers at In and Out, The French Bistro, pastries at Portos bakery and...there must be more. Disney world might be in there somewhere.
And we've finally figured out the itinerary for the road trip: LA to Flagstaff for the Grand Canyon, where we'll stay at a hostel, then to Roswell for the aliens, then to Lubbock to see Jenn1 for lunch, then to Dallas, where we'll stay a couple days looking for a room for Aaron to rent, then maybe leave on time to eat dinner at Polvo's in Austin, and then to Houston for a couple days.
It's going to be awesome, and we just sync'd The Hills Have Eyes, so we'll also be carrying a shotgun for the desert drive.

So...here's an IM for you all to enjoy. I've always thought it was pretty lame of ppl to post im conversations, but it's the summer and I have nothing to do, and I have finished the thank you notes, gone to target, and done some laundry...and besides, this convo is HI-larious.
It begins with one of me and Aaron's sad little plots to win things from fast food restaurants:

Yarbrough624: if you eat at Mc D's they are having a Pirates game wher eyou can win a convertiable
Yarbrough624: volvo
Yarbrough624: two door
starkrain24: oh oh...
starkrain24: but mcdonald's just makes me hungrier later
Yarbrough624: oh
Yarbrough624: but its a volvo convertable
Yarbrough624: and look coiol
starkrain24: poop...one in a million chance for a car? or to feel full...i don't know, it's a hard choice
Yarbrough624: I think I heard is was 28 cars in 28 days
starkrain24: oh. indeed.
Yarbrough624: I would check first
starkrain24: but dude, think about the millions of mcd's in the world
Yarbrough624: true true
Yarbrough624: but... alas there is a chance... oh, btw we are suckers for this stuff
starkrain24: no kidding i never became la presidente, btw
Yarbrough624: I didnt either and I played that game HARDCORE
Yarbrough624: its sucked didnt win a damn thing
starkrain24: i know
Yarbrough624: we even entered codes other ppl dropped

and so I went online to check the frequency of volvo giveaways.

starkrain24: hey this is wierd--on the mcd's website they have a link that says "i am asian"
starkrain24: wierd...
Yarbrough624: where does the link go...
Yarbrough624: http://www.hell.com/
Yarbrough624: just kidding
starkrain24: scholarships
starkrain24: lol
Yarbrough624: LOKL
starkrain24: fuck that mickey d racism!
Yarbrough624: No way not, scholarships?
Yarbrough624: no way
Yarbrough624: !
starkrain24: yeah seriously
Yarbrough624: hahahhaha
starkrain24: forget the volvo, i'm boycotting for my peeps
Yarbrough624: ok ok, maybe I'll win one for us
Yarbrough624: ;-)
starkrain24: hey you are honorary asian, you can't eat there either
Yarbrough624: really?
Yarbrough624: ok ;-(
starkrain24: oh poo on you
starkrain24: i think the boycotting mcd's is worth the 15 pts of iq you gain
starkrain24: haha just kidding
Yarbrough624: i actually got happy at you knighting me an honorary Asian
starkrain24: don't be mad that's one of my "mexicans on welfare" jokes
starkrain24: cool
starkrain24: i'll have my parents call you up and nag you about going to med school tonight.
Yarbrough624: oh and I knight you an Honorary Honky

So there it is, the only bright spot of my errand-filled day.
The problem is, I still don't know what I feel like for dinner.

to do list:
1. laundry! and this must be dedicated laundry, no putting a load in and then leaving it there for three days. (not that i'd ever do that...of course not!)
2. thank you notes! (I hate making small talk and I hate even more writing polite notes. But they are quite necessary because I am thankful to a lot of people for a lot of things.)
3. target
4. Pack? It seems that the more I pack, the messier everything gets. At this point, I think it would just be easier if I packed as we pack up the U-Haul...oh and that reminds me:
5. make reservation at U-Haul place

I really need to take up some form of exercise. Maybe jumping rope which my dad swears is the best exercise ever...but I feel lame enough jogging in public, I don't think I can bring myself to jump rope in public. yuck.

I saw Snatch tonight, which I liked quite a lot.
Reading a book by Gish Jen (who could be described as Amy Tan for the Generation x-ers). But it sorta sucks, and though she gets some details of "asian-american" life right, the rest of it is sadly, nothing I've experienced. I guess that makes me lucky.