another christmas eve here in throop (pronounced without the “h”) a small town in pennsylvania right near scranton. spent the day in the back of a workshop, not santa’s but my uncle’s. he owns an electrical business that has been in the family since my great grandfather came over from spain so every christmas he holds a party for all his old “buddies.” which really meant my aunt, sister and i being the only girls amongst a bunch of the most endearing older gentlemen ever collected- chowing down cold cuts, drum sticks, hard rolls and black and white cake. my sister and i sat on old stools in the back of the workshop with them hearing them talk of the old days, tell jokes mock each other, and laugh till it hurts (which for their age surprisingly takes a while). a couple hours passed and it was time for them all to gather their coats and head home and for my sister and i to walk the block back to my uncle’s house.

i got my key ring out, that by now is beginning to resemble that of a janitor’s, though i don’t know many janitors that have a hello kitty, jesus, and a hawaiian key chain my friend bought me that flashes “tough guy.” i opened my uncle’s door and walked right into his blue lazy boy chair, put on law and order svu and fell asleep. awoke from my cat nap to find my aunt and her husband digging into the leftovers from the party and reheating them in the microwave. after we all had the grub we had for lunch it was time for the beginning of the celebrations.

you see my uncle’s birthday is on christmas eve so we always get cake. and so it went we got out the blue iced cake and sang happy birthday as a family for my uncle then we all gathered in the living around the tv and watched a christmas classic: rudolf the red nosed reindeer with the almighty burl ives. just a normal christmas eve eating cookies off paper plates, bottles of perrier instead of cocoa, and not enough chairs for everyone leaving a few sequestered on the mustard yellow carpet that’s been here since my grandparents first moved into the house. it’s 11pm an hour and christmas will be here. it’s one of those surreal moments before the storm where it’s hard to believe that its really here. but as old saint nick says “santa clause is coming to town”.

for f*cks sake

this week as i struggle through finishing my finals while still keeping all limbs attached and hair follicles to my scalp, i would like to dedicate this week to pitbull. not the dog well he is a dog but the rapper. he is the epitome of for f*cks sake. below i have an array of photos that are pretty self explanatory. and a video posted by "lil chico" himself that put me into an hysteric state of drunkenness, not that i know what that means as a i am square as they come- like unbelievable so. he looks like pinky or the brain after a full body wax. and he also would be the last one you'd like to see in the mirror of your bathroom as you brush your teeth (large fear of mine)














and thank you

i heard some one whistling the theme from the harry potter movies today in the stairwell

for f*cks sake

i had my first almond roca on my flight back to SF and i feel like my life is about to change. it's just nutty how i could have never had tasted it's sweet goodness prior to the virgin america snack box.

for f*cks sake

hey arnold on instant play

for f*cks sake

12/2

after my kanjii quiz i left my japanese class and headed for jfk, i was finally headed back to the left coast. before i left my dorm for the weekend i headed into the twilight zone rite aid (only out of pure time desperation). and i was waiting in line when i heard a raspy cough and soon an adorable elderly woman was pointing to my package of pads and “saying boy i’m glad i don’t have to deal with that any more.” to which i responded “i only wish” but before i could complete my statement she interjected “no be grateful it would mean that your getting old and believe me i’ve been old for a while it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” before i could continue what would sure to be an intriguing discussion between a girl holding a pack of pads and a elderly woman only in the line only to buy smokes but before that perfect dialogue could proceed the rite aid clerk called the next customer and ended it. i guess i’ll never know what kind of wisdom she could have given me on being a woman or the right pack of cigarettes to buy but somethings in life are better left a mystery. like how kraft cheese can be still considered a dairy product when it’s mostly plastic i guess it’s just building a mystery (bad sarah mclachlan reference). a bit disappointed as left the rite aid i found myself more disappointed as i waited for the snail-like-speed elevator up to my room, grabbed my leopard print jansport (that i wish i could say was from my youth) and hugged one of my room mates for a bittersweet goodbye.

after taking my slew of trains i finally got onto what would be the finale of journey- air train. when it stopped at terminal 2 i had the pleasure of seeing a flight attendant dotingly attach his stripped clip on tie and over that his navy sweater vest. i got to the airport like 3 hours early being me and went through security praying there would be some edible overpriced food to ingest but it was wishful thinking as i had guessed. i had to settle for panda express, in high school it was a mecca of greasy foods but now i remember it was more the thrill of escaping the campus for lunch than having to sift through their orange chicken. once i finished i walked over to my gate and sat by a plug to charge my iphone. about twenty minutes of boredom passed before a lovely scottish gentlemen asked if i wouldn’t mind if he used the empty outlet next to me. taken back by his inherent charm i said yes with a bit too much urgency but he was too nice to take note of it. unfortunately for both us his friend’s charger was not compatible with his phone, unfortunate for him because he won’t be able to give his mates a ring but unfortunate for me because then he would have sat in the open seat next to me. a little let down i then called my uncle and reassured him that i made it to the airport okay. then i heard a deep woman’s voice over the intercom virgin flight to san francisco now boarding, one of the best parts about my seat (besides that my dad got me the aisle) was a handsome british gentlemen to my left in frustration actually said "bullocks!". the anglophile (person fond of ie obsessed with english people)in me died. i now await my arrival and my friend to pick me up in his full flight uniform as he is training to be a pilot.

for f*cks sake

thanksgiving was so full of turkey i’m still digesting it i think. i left the city for the town, scranton, where my relatives live, for a wonderful family feast. it seems though no matter how many a pounder our turkey is it manages to leave the plate (which of course has a turkey on it) as fast as my aunt gingerly places it on the themed tablecloth. us weekly of our turkey week would have had my aunt’s new puppy front and center. she’d be perfect for the trash filled “magazine” because she’s been in her new home a week and it’s already clear that she’s a diva. the highlight of the meal was when definitely gracie (diva) found her way onto the table and licked clean my great aunt’s plate with unbeatable speed. it was clear right then she fit perfectly with the rest of the family scheme. my aunt and i were in such hysterics we couldn’t even move to stop scrappy doo from bulldozing through the all of the contents of great aunt’s kate spade lime green trimmed plate. what can you say the pup has got fine taste. after we all emptied our plates (not as fast scrappy) we took a much needed rest.

i fell asleep at five pm and resurfaced at nine pm but then of course i could not find my way back to sleep. so i turned on the television and hopelessly flipped through the channels that is until i saw the light, well a light my iphone: it was a text from my sister proclaiming that our beloved hey arnold had manifested itself to netflix instant play. there was not a show that better exemplified our childhood then the odd quirkiness of a story based on the unrequited love between angry blondie and a boy with a football shaped head. and of course my dad sister and i proudly did gerald and arnold's handshake at any opportunity we got. after nearly passing out from the news i turned off the tv and flipped open my laptop to my netflix homepage. and there it was all four seasons at my finger tips. i began with well the beginning and i went bananas. literally because the first iconic episode is of gerald and arnold in their fruit costumes for helga’s play. i got lost in central park with arnold and before i knew it was 4 am and i was arising for black friday. and i finally figured out why it’s called black friday because it’s still freakin’ dark when we start the escapades of shopping ie killing each other for a striped cardigan at the gap. my goals were not as highly met as the previous year but despite that it was a terrifying, overwhelmingly, fun day that went from 4 am to 8 pm.

for f*cks sake