This week I was yanked out of my blissful ignorance with the start of classes at Berkeley. All of a sudden I realized that I had to start applying to grad school relatively soon. Have I done anything to prepare in the last 3-4 months? NO! So now I'm looking at all the crap these schools want from me and hoo boy am I going to be running around in circles for a while.

What I love the best is that there charging me to try to get in to their schools and pay them even more later. I hate that. So I'm going to have to pay $40-50 per school (I'm applying to 3) and then pay all the lovely places I've previously attended money to send each school two transcripts. I even have to drag my ass to College Park, a place I really want to return to, because UCSD wants to make sure that I complete the requirement for "sensitvity to second language acquisition." And they say what you do in High School doesn't matter. The stupid language requirement matters.

I'm just frustrated with all the hoops they make you jump through. It's almost like they want to continue to have a teacher shortage. One example is the fact that I have apply to both the Graduate Division and the School of Education for each school. Don't you think they could make this process just a little bit simpler for me and everyone else? The beaucracy at these schools is amazing.

I'm almost done with all the tests I had to take at least. I only have one left, I'd be done with that one too if I had remembered the test was on Saturday and not Sunday. I think I was test dead at that point and my brain convinced me it was Sunday instead of Saturday so it wouldn't have to think.

Another requirement I have to complete soon is volunteering in the school so they can see this is what I really want to do. I get to take my two weeks of vacation to do this. OH boy fun!

And after that I just have to write a statement of purpose. How I hate them. does anyone ever say anything sincere in them? I doubt it. Here's what UCSD says I should write about:

1. Your reasons for choosing education as a career and for applying to the Teacher Education Program at UCSD. (Lack of anything better to do and you have a program where it's sunny)

2. Your experience working with students from various cultural backgrounds in the public schools and any related experience you feel is appropriate. (None as I have been volunteering at a school where the kids come from middle class mainly white families.)

3. Your community service experiences, especially those in culturally diverse settings. (what community service? The last time I did that was in Girl Scouts with again middle class white girls.)

You see how screwed I am? VERY VERY SCREWED.

This is a better late than never entry. Just wanted to say thanks to all those gals and pals who made my birthday a nice experience this year.

Michele and Kristen: Thanks for going to all the trouble to organize, and plan everything. You were great, even when I was a basket case.

Sumit: I loved the flowers, I loved the necklace, I'm glad you came and thanks for getting me drunk. hee hee.

Max: It was great to see you and FINALLY be suprised about something

Everyone else: Thanks for coming and hanging out. Playing balderdash drunk is fun.

Mom: Thanks for the great dinner oh and for bringing me into the world these long 23 years ago.

Until next year: MUAHHH! (Big kissy noise)

First of all how can you not already be fascinated with this movie when it has a man dressed up like a bird, wings and all, as the poster for the movie! The other day when I mentioned to Michele and Kristen that I had rented Disney's Classic Condorman for nostalgia value they had no idea what movie I was talking about. I was shocked. And so I thought to myself, "Self you should really educated the other two people who read your site because EVERYONE should know about Condorman."

The link provides a synopsis which is probably better than anything I could write or explain, but here are a few observations/memories of my own to add to the mix.

1. When the movie came in the mail for me to watch and I told my mother what it was she shook her head and said, "That's something you and your sister will always have in common, horrible movies." I looked at her outrageously and said, "Come on, you have to appreciate at least the nostalgia value." And for you readers for the record it is not a horrible movie. It's brilliant.

2. This movie has got it all. Intrigue, jealousy, love, spies, comedy, a pretty russian girl, fast cars, a car that turns into a hovercraft, a truck that turns into a fast car with flame that leaps out of the back, a two dimensional mercenary with a silver eye. It even has a church brawl for christ's sake! (You think I make this up? I do not. It's all there in the movie for you to see.) They travel from Paris, to Istanbul (not constaintinople), Moscow, Yugoslavia (the former), the Alps, and Monaco. They're everywhere!

3. My most vivid memory of this movie is the music and watching it again all these years later the music still got me excited during the actions scenes and even now it's still playing in my head. It's one of those theme songs that really never goes away. Kinda like "This is the song that will drive you insane....." Uhh you get the point, although it's not as annoying as that, it just gets stuck in your head like that.

4. When I saw Gladiator a few years ago I recognized Oliver Reed not from one of his other more famous movies, but as the guy who played the bad guy in Condorman. Man was he brilliant as the typical cold war russian villain. I would also like to mention he was in Black Arrow, another brilliant Disney movie from my youth.

5. I'll admit the movie is corny but it's still highly entertaining. It's only fault would for me be the last big fight scene in the movie where they start using a laser gun as well as what look like big canons. This fight scene takes place right of the coast of Monaco. Like someone wouldn't see this? Up till then everything else seems semi probable, like you can let yourself believe this could happen. But a laser gun? Nahhh.

6. In conclusion? See this movie! Laugh at it, ridicule it, I don't care but at least have knowledge of its existance. Why? Because I said so.

WARNING: I feel the need to use excalmation points extensively!!!!! Nuala might be getting to housesit in Lafayette with two kitties!!! Me outa benicia!!! With two new cats!! Can I stress the out of Benicia factor more?!!! This could be fun and exciting!!! woo-hoo!!! I will update as new info comes to me.

So it seems that Bill Clinton is considering and even in negotiations practically to have his own talk show! Does anyone else find this strange? To think that former President will be dishing out advice or conducting interviews like Oprah, it's just surreal. I mean the way they're talking about it, I just keep getting this flash in my brain of a tv screen all black and then suddenly with big bright colors, "THE NEXT PHIL DONAHUE" Black Screen "BILL CLINTON (M-F from 3-4 on CBS)" Does this seem like a step down to anyone else besides me? (even if he will get paid between $30-50 million for it) What is the world coming to!?!

So Kristen has said that Caddyshack has the best date scene ever. Well I believe her so you should believe me when I say that Big Night has the best dinner/food scene ever. It's everything I've ever felt about food rolled into about 10 minute of film. It reminded me of the dinners with the French family or the parties my parents threw where there were at least 3 chefs in the kitchen when I was younger. In the movie dish after dish keeps coming out of the kitchen and everyone is speechless because it's so damn good. And once they get their powers of speech back everyone is having a great time dancing, singing and playing games. This movie shows to me how food creates an atmosphere and brings people together. The rest of the movie is so-so, but the dinner scene is fun and makes my hands itch to get in the kitchen and cook.

So look what my sister emailed to me today:

"Hey do you want to go see Hairspray when you come to town before the
wedding? (for those of you who don't know she is referring to my cousin Kathleen's Wedding in October) Its getting great reviews. Let me know"

So it looks like I get to see hairspray after all. Woo-hoo!

On another note. I'm class deprived. I don't so much miss the homework and tests and all but I want to learn things and discuss. I always did like lecture. Anyways I was looking at all these extension courses and this is what appealed to me. Don't gag on me. I was a history major you know.

Ottoman Empire
Culture of India
Irish
Mystery Books
And here I just want to go on the trip where they travel with a chef. A CHEF! Imagine the food.

But oh so expensive and some so oh far away in SF after work.

So it seems that they have turned my favorite John Waters movie into a Musical in New York. Hairspray recently opened in New York on at the Neil Simon Theatre. I so want to see it. I have such fond memories of this movie. I first saw it in France when I was starved for English. It happened to show up on canal + in English with subtitles and I refused to leave the tv anytime someone came to see me. It was in English man. I understood the plot. And it had cool dance sequences. And the Elvis look alike.

Speaking of Elvis today is the aniversary of his death. Isn't it weird that they make a bigger deal of his death than his birthday? Kinda depressing. But whatever. Elvis like Hairspray will always have a fond place in my heart. The dancing, the clothes, the hair, the music. Need I say more?

So I took my first camera class last night curtesy of Reed's Camera in Walnut Creek. I felt like a youngin as most of these people were at parental age if not older, but I digress. It was interesting. I definately learned some things I didn't know and now I have a homework assignment. AHEM:

Take two pictures of two different scenes:
a. with your camera set to automatic
b. with your camera set on metered manual

Photagraph a scene (on a sunny day) in metered manual
a. early in the morning
b. in the middle of the day
c. in the late afternoon

Photograph the same scene on a cloudy day

Take a photgraph of the same subject demonstrating
a. Front lighting
b. side lighting
c. back lighting

So I know you're all saying what do I care what you have to take pictures of, but I was hoping that someone might come up with a cool place to take these photos or an interesting subject to use in them. I have some ideas but was hoping someone would come up with something better.

So as you can tell I've moved over to movable type. Michele has been a tad overexcited commenting on anything that showed up. Calm down girl. It's been alright so far except for the fact that I cannot for the life of me figure out how to change colors and such, but I'm sure I will eventually. damn html. So anyways bear (is that the right spelling? I really hate spelling) with me. Hopefully eventually I will be able to get Nuts to you looking the way I want. Let's just hope no one is hurt in the process.

So recently this Walt Disney Classic has come up a lot in conversation. Lorie at work told me about it because her mother was trying to find it as it has been banned in the US because it's set in the old south, but has no bad connotation what so ever. It just shows slaves. Kinda silly as everyone knows there were slaves in America. Why hide the movie? It doesn't make the fact that slavery occurred go away. So silly. Anyways her mom found it but it has Japanese subtitles. And it also came up in conversation with Daphne's friend Emily while we were camping. And then I was listening to the Disney radio station and there was Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah singing away which came from this movie. So I just thought I would share as somebody might remember it. I have vague recollections.

Sumit bought me a camera. It's the Canon Rebel 2000. I'm very excited as I've always loved cameras and I've always wanted to learn to take great pictures. Now most of you will say but Nuala you NEVER take pictures, but I say it's mainly because I have no camera, none, just those disposable ones that I don't care about, and I don't know how to take good pictures, so I don't take them, but all that is going to change. Yes siree bob. So I found out about classes that you can take at the Art Studio in Berkeley. They look pretty damn cool but I thought for those of you that also like art you would want to check out the other classes they have, like pottery. Boy am I tempted. Playing with clay, getting my hands all dirty, and thinking of the naughty scene in "Ghost". Oh yes. (you know you were thinking it too). Oh in fact I think I will because what else am I doing with my time or money...absolutely nothing. Come take them with me! You know you want to! Come on! (Classes will probably start sometime in Sept.)

So Aaron pointed out this article to me today about lap dances in Vegas. Now you would think nothing wrong with that it's Vegas, but obviously someone thinks there's something wrong with it and they are trying to regulate what can and can't be done in a lap dance. They're making LAWS about what parts of the lap dancer can touch the receiver of the lap dance and where bills can be placed for god's sake. I'm sorry Ms. Propriety woman but you can't make lap dances any less sexual/seedy than they already are. Foolish woman. Like people are going to obey these laws. What's even funnier is that these new laws are not to be applied to the city, it's only the county. I suppose they want to contain the seediness to actual Las Vegas which makes sense, but then why even allow these clubs to be built outside the city. You make money off others sins! Live with, revel in it, deal with it, but don't start getting all high and mighty and restricting those who give the city/county it's money. (shaking of head)

So most of you know about my cousin Jenn who is basically the Carson Daly of Canada. Anyways I wanted to rave and link to her because any association makes me cooler. She just recently went to Afghanistan for a MuchMusic special to air in September. I thought you guys might also want to check out her new revamped website and envy her exciting life like I do. Not that I have the drive to do what she does and she totally deserves it, but I still envy the lifestyle without the work. Anyways so here's her website: oneofthose. Oh and did I mention she's in an all girl break dancing group? Shebang.