One door closes, another opens

Today was my last day at Peachpit, where I've spent the last 6.5 years! It feels good to be done, but I'm sad that I can't take the friends I made there with me to law school.

I've been waiting all day to get my law school class schedule, which they said they would be posting today. I can't wait to find out what classes I'll have my first semester!!

Trailer for The Darjeeling Limited

As I mentioned in a previous post,Wes Anderson has been working on a new film called The Darjeeling Limited. I'm happy to report that a trailer for the film is now online!

Enjoy!

Facebook vs. MySpace

This morning I came across an article on Forbes.com about the socioeconomic distinctions between the Facebook and MySpace communities.

The article referenced an essay written by researcher Danah Boyd. As Boyd states at the outset of her essay, her conclusions were drawn from informal research: she spoke with less than a hundred teens from seven states.

The Forbes article doesn't encapsulate most of Boyd's points, so I highly recommend reading her essay (it's short). While she admits that her points and thoughts are not fully developed, I think there is some interesting stuff there. And apparently, her thoughts have created a bit of a stir.

While I'm skeptical of some of her statements (an appreciation of Facebook's design is a class issue? College-bound kids "desperately want in" to Facebook? Really?), I think there is something to her contention that social networking sites could be helping maintain class divisions. Until recently, Facebook was exclusive to college students, which was offensive to me (I was excluded for being too old! Damn them!)

Actually, I really didn't care at all. I had no interest in either site until I found that 1) some people I knew in high school have MySpace pages and I couldn't defeat the urge to stalk them and 2) my law school class started a group on Facebook so I joined.

I definitely think Facebook is much more sophisticated and easier to use than MySpace. It has a cleaner design and is less of a hassle to deal with. I found my high school-age cousin on Facebook, but none of my friends are on it yet and probably won't be. It's a good communication tool - a nicely-designed message board - but will I try to connect with my friends via Facebook? Of course not - who has time? That's what this blog is for... or better yet: why I have a telephone.

New computer!

I'm happy to report that my lovely little MacBook arrived this week! It's a powerful little baby and so elegant. Here is a pic:



My new little friend has an Intel chip, which means that with Parallels Desktop I should have no problems running Windows apps (which I'll need to do in school). I almost bought a Dell because the school recommended it but it only took a chat with a few Mac enthusiasts to set me straight.

My little baby will treat me right, both in school and after... Yay! Also, thanks to Karen for the cleaning tip, in case I scuff up the lovely white keyboard!

Happy Hour Friday (12) - update!

As I mentioned, Happy Hour Friday 12 was sort of a work in progress...

So yesterday afternoon, I mixed up another batch of Gin & Poms for me and PR (my dad). After realizing I didn't have superfine sugar to work with, I decided to make some pomegranate syrup. I combined equal parts regular sugar and unsweetened pomegranate juice over a sauce pan, brought it to a boil, then turned down the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring all the while. The syrup came out yummy!

After it cooled, I used one part syrup to two parts gin, added juice from 1/2 lime (it was an especially juicy lime), shook it and poured it into a sugar-rimmed glass, and it was really yummy and strong.

I have to say, pomegranate juice has a unique flavor. It's very earthy, and pairing it with the floral Sapphire makes for an interesting flavor. I'm not sure it would always be my first choice, but I'm glad I gave it a whirl!

By the way, last night I headed down to Malibu (the 'Bu) to Duke's for dinner. Now themed restaurants are not my thing but the restaurant is right on the water. My dinner was really yummy (parmesean and herb crusted Mahi Mahi) and the really strong mai-tai helped with any family-related drama that reared its ugly head. We even saw dolphins swim past!

A seagull hoping for some food.


The view from our table.

Somebody got the new Beastie Boys CD today

...and I love, love love it! It's been on constant rotation since I opened my mail today.

As I surmised before, the new LP is comprised of brand-new instrumental tracks. If you liked the instrumental tracks of Ill Communication, or The In Sound from Way Out you will dig The Mix-Up.

They've rounded out their sound somewhat - the groove/funk influences are still at the forefront but there are layers of dub, ska, punk and rock thrown in. While the sound overall is a bit more mellow, the boys are still having fun. Check out this video for the track "The Gala Event".

If you are looking for something funky yet chill to play at your next soiree, I highly recommend this.

Thanks, Somebody, for the gift!! XO!

Happy Hour Friday (12): Ahem, it's a bit late

Sorry for the delay!

This installment is a bit of a work in progress, as I'm still learning how best to undermine the benefits of pomegranate juice by combining it with booze.

One thing I learned: you need sugar in your pomegranate-based cocktails!

I don't think I've tried pomegranate juice before yesterday, even though I've often fancied those Pom bottles at the grocery store. I didn't use Pom in my drink yesterday, instead I used Knudsen's Just Pomegranate.

You can sweeten up unsweetened pomegranate juice in one of three ways:
1) add triple sec - which increases the alcohol content of the drink;
2) add simple syrup - which adds sweetness without more booze; or
3) add superfine sugar to your pomegranate juice before mixing your cocktail. (The amount of sugar you add depends on your preference for sweetness. It's important to use superfine instead of regular sugar because superfine sugar will dissolve easily in cold/room-temperature liquids.)

Here's what I'm going to try later today:

Gin & Pom
Combine 1.5 cups of unsweetened pomegranate juice with 0.5 cups of superfine sugar (adjust for your desired sweetness) and set aside.
Fill a shaker 3/4 full with ice.
Add two shots of Bombay Sapphire Gin over the ice.
Squeeze one lemon over the gin.
Add your pomegranate/sugar mixture.
Shake enthusiastically.
Split mixture into two sugar-rimmed martini glasses. Garnish with lemon peel (if feeling fancy) or a small lemon wedge.

Enjoy!

Two Buck Chuck wins at competition

Bizarro: The $2 Charles Shaw wine you get at Trader Joe's was entered into some wine tasting competition... and won!

Too funny... and on a personal note: I think of it as "two-buck up-chuck" after one evening several years ago, when a fellow bachelorette drank too much of said wine, then vomited it all over me and a few other people in the back of a limo. Since she drank the stuff on an empty stomach, I'm happy to report that the vomit was all liquid (no chunks!). And, the smell wasn't as bad as you would imagine - so I should have known that the low-brow swill would one day have its day in the sun!

(This is just a little teaser until I post my Happy Hour Friday later today! XO)

OK, can you make Jon Stewart's job any easier?

Quotes from today's press conference with W:

On the Valerie Plame affair: And, you know, I've often thought about what would have happened had that person come forth and said, `I did it.' Would we have had this, you know, endless hours of investigation and a lot of money being spent on this matter?... It has been a tough issue for a lot of people in the White House, and it's run its course, and now we're going to move on.

On Congress challenging him on Iraq: I value the advice of those senators, I appreciate their concern. ... I'm going to continue to listen to them.

On a possible terror attack (Stephen Colbert-style): My gut tells me that, which my head tells as well, is that: When we find a credible threat, we'll share it with you.

I'm a sucker for this kind of crap

Some good legislation on the way?

I read today that the Dems in both the House and the Senate are trying to pass legislation to lower the interest rate on federal student loans. The House bill proposes to cut the interest rate in half (from 6.8% to 3.4% over the next five years) and it passed successfully by a wide margin!

The bill provides "the single largest increase in college aid since the GI bill" and is summarized thusly:

Cutting interest rates in half on subsidized student loans over the next five years.

Making student loan payments more manageable for borrowers by guaranteeing that borrowers will not have to pay more than 15 percent of their discretionary income in loan repayments, and allowing borrowers to have their loans forgiven after 20 years.

Increasing federal loan limits to provide borrowers with additional assistance in paying for college and to help them rely less on costlier private loans.

I assume this applies to grad students, and a portion of the loans I'm borrowing are subsidized (phew!). So maybe over the life of the loan I'll see my interest rate reduce? Hope so. Also, it's good to hear they are increasing the federal limit so that more of the debt can be under these more-favorable terms.

This bill also ends the huge financial incentives private banks get in order to get in this business, and banks will have to assume more risk should the student default. As I mentioned in my other post, the banks are all about profit and no risk, so it will be interesting to see what the banks do in response to this.

UPDATE: I just read that the White House is threatening a veto of this bill.

Sedaris via the Web

The lovely folks at The New Yorker have a collection of essays by David Sedaris. In case you are looking for something funny to read online...

A few drinks and many laughs in Hollywood last night

Last night I met up with the lovely Nasol family, who were in Los Feliz this week visiting family.

We headed over to Birds in Hollywood, a cute, cozy and low-key place that serves perfectly-made cocktails and yummy comfort food. We sipped drinks in our vinyl booth until it was time to get in line for the live show down the street at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

On weekend nights at the UCBT, Jimmy Pardo hosts a modern-day version of The Match Game (remember that game show from the 70s?). Jimmy was really funny, and so were the guest comics - especially Paul F. Tompkins!


It was great to get live entertainment that costs less than a movie ticket! And just like other improv acts like The Groundlings and TheatreSports it's impressive to see how witty and funny people can be.

(PS: Ramon - it looks like next week your boy Jimmy will be performing in Sunnyvale, and Paul F. Tompkins will be in SF!)

Overdue blog post: 8stops7 plays San Souci

In early June, my friends' band, 8stops7, played at Sans Souci, a local dive that some refer to as "The Sewer". Sans Souci used to be where the toothless would saddle up to the bar for a strong, cheap drink. But it's been overtaken by hipster wannabes. Very odd.

Nonetheless, it was great to see my friends playing again! Especially Seth, who I haven't seen smile like this in a really long time:


Here's a little video clip I took with my camera:


It was great to see you guys play again! I can't believe how quickly the last ten years flew by...

Happy Independence Day

When was the last time you read the Declaration of Independence?

This week I've seen a few documentaries, including Sicko. I'm a Michael Moore fan, and yes, I know that his work is manipulative. He glosses over the details and uses showmanship in order to make a point. Just like the Daily Show or the Colbert Report, satire becomes the way to deliver bad news in an entertaining way.

Sicko is very good, and I highly recommend it. But I also strongly recommend Maxed Out, a documentary about the dangers of consumer debt and the predatory lending practices of the major banks.

There is a common thread in both films: Americans are so overwhelmed with debt that they become fearful and demoralized. As a result, they don't become politically engaged. They don't speak up at work or protest on the streets, for fear of being fired (example: in "liberal" San Francisco, a Chronicle employee was fired after protesting the Iraq war). Living on the edge, they can't afford to lose their jobs or medical benefits, and if they do, there is not much of a safety net (if any) that helps them.

Americans are encouraged to consume all of the time, and with slick advertising we are told that living beyond our means is acceptable because it allows us to attain happiness in life. What is happening to our society?

The government has abandoned us. They pass laws that empower corporations and cut taxes for the most wealthy. They have stealthily manipulated the message about tax cuts so that a good number of the non-rich (not sure how to describe the poor, working poor, working class and middle class anymore, since there isn't much difference apart from the neighborhood they live in) believe that repealing the tax cuts would be a bad thing. Why people don't understand that the tax cuts went to the wealthiest among us and that if they were repealed it could mean more services for those at the lower end of the pay scale, I don't know. Slick propoganda, I guess? Taking the president at his word?

Now, there is a personal responsbility issue here - surely people have to use better judgment when it comes to credit. I consider myself an educated person, knew the dangers of credit cards, and still ended up over my head with credit card debt. It became easy to justify and then very easy to depend on the credit cards. The higher my debt got, the more credit card offers I was sent. I was able to change my living situation last year so that I could pay them off. I'm almost debt-free (thank god) but it took some dramatic changes to get there. One thing I've noticed is that as my debt decreased, so did the number of credit card offers. In fact, I can't remember the last time I got an offer in the mail. Not that I want them, but you would think that my ability to pay them off demonstrates that I would be a good customer? Apparently not...

Maxed Out addresses this: why do the banks offer more credit to people who will most likely not be able to pay it back? Two reasons, according to the film: 1) paying the minimum amount means you will be paying them forever, and that means indefinite income for the bank and 2) at any time they can sell off the debt to a mutual fund or other group of investors who are now buying and selling debt in the free market. Worst case? You default and stop paying. Then they sell your debt to a debt collector, which is essentially a financial bounty hunter. The only way out for many people was bankruptcy... so in 2005, a bankruptcy "reform" bill was passed that made it harder for people to declare bankruptcy. Nice, huh?

Now what?

In my opinion, everyone should figure out how to get out of debt. Sometimes this requires dramatic life changes. But you need to be free from it. I know some people that went to Consumer Credit Counseling - I can't recommend it myself (having not used it) but I know it is working for some people I know.

School loans: borrow from the federal government and only pursue private, alternative student loans as a last resort and only after extensive research. Make sure that you are working toward a job after graduation that will allow you to make your student loan payments (in other words, don't borrow $100K+ if you want to be a public school teacher). There are repayment calculators on the loan website to help you figure this out. If you can, work while you are in school so that you can borrow less. I did this and it really helped me. My grades suffered, yes, but having several years' work experience made finding a good job post-graduation easier.

Never use those check cashing/cash advance places. Ever.

My point in all of this is to say that the government and the political leadership has abandoned the American people. They do not care if you end up in financial ruin, or if you die because your HMO won't approve a medical procedure. These are the people that were elected to represent our interests. But they are funded by corporations and as a result, they are working for the corporations, not us. Freedom, in our modern society, means freedom from corporations running your life... and I hope I'm getting there.