“You have Neil [our boss] choose a tool you don’t really know how to use. Then, whenever anyone has any problems with it, have everyone redirect questions to you.”

Things I’m excited about this summer:
+ Sasquatch Festival in Seattle
+ Japan at the end of June
+ Maybe Los Angeles before Japan– I’d like to go home for a bit
+ Miami in August
+ Getting a bike
+ Moving at the end of July
+ Working full-time if I don’t take classes
+ Learning regex (finally)
+ Would like to take a letterpress class

Things I’m not excited about this summer:
- The weather. If I could make it snow year-round I would.
- Mosquitos
- The rate at which ice cream melts

Also, I am almost healthy again! I met with my professor today and she asked me how I was and I replied, “I’m good it just hurts when I breathe.” She told me about her friend who had a cough for a few weeks and then complained about a pain in his right side and then died. I usually don’t like to visit doctors because I never listen to them, but she made me promise to go after our meeting. It turns out I pulled a muscle in my ribs from coughing too much. I didn’t know I had muscles in there, let alone that they could be pulled.

2. I haven’t done my After Effects assignment for tomorrow.

3. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a spider in my room, and after clumping together several napkins and attempting to kill it, I missed and ended up startling it. He fell between my bed and the wall, and here I sit in fear, wondering when he will return to seek revenge.

I’ve been sick for over a week and just when I thought I was getting better, another wave of illness hit me yesterday. I can’t remember the last time I felt this crummy. When I get sick I usually have the measly cold that I can kill with sleep and vitamin C. So I went to see a doctor today, convinced that I have swine flu and only a few days left to live. Turns out it’s not swine flu, just a fever. I’m going to live after all.

A few things that I like about New York winters:
1. Almost no line at Shake Shack, circa lunchtime
2. Snow! (snowmen, snow blobs, snow falling, throwing snowballs, sticking my tongue out to taste the snow)
3. By the time I walk back to school with my cup of coffee in hand, it is cooled to the perfect temperature!
4. Free ice skating at Bryant Park
5. I’m still amazed that something can freeze faster when set on the porch instead of the freezer. When I made pina coladas for a party, we set them on my friend’s patio and they chilled in no time.

1. Keep in contact better. I’m awful at this. I usually dump my phone in my bag and forget to check it until I’m setting my alarm for the next day. I need to get better about replying to emails too.
2. Eat better.
3. Raise a plant.
4. Fix my sites. I’m very diligent when it comes to working on sites at work or for other people. But when it comes to my own sites, I can’t bring myself to cross-browser check or fix broken links.
5. Fix my room. It makes me sad when it’s 9am and sunny outside, but in my room it looks like it’s 2am and we’re in the middle of a lunar eclipse.
6. Learn how to hold a conversation. Examples of my excellent conversational skills:

(At the grocery-store checkout, where I bought four bottles of wine because you got a free bag.)
Outgoing cashier: Hey! Having a big party tonight?
Me: Umm…no.

(Walking down the street, I spot a co-worker and wave.)
Her: How are you?
Me: Good! What about you?
Her: Good!
Me: Good!
Her: Good!

Yesterday I had dinner with my friend Rosalin. Whenever I eat with her I’m guaranteed two things: good company and delicious food. Earlier that week I was kicking myself because my classmate told me about the Final Fantasy concert a month ago, yet when I went to get tickets the week before (I didn’t think he was that popular!), they were sold out. They also said there were no standby tickets either. After dinner, I thought I would mosey on over to the venue and try my luck.

It seemed a bit shady at first. I asked the man at the door, who told me to go stand near the garbage cans off to the side and wait, which I did. And the guy who let me in said I could just pay him later since I didn’t have any cash on me. Shady or not, I was so happy I got to see Owen Pallett. He was amazing as usual (but, I miss the overhead projector he sometimes used for visuals). And did not make eye contact with the audience per usual, which I think is endearing. I secretly wish I was an attractive gay gentleman so I could have a shot at winning his heart.

1. Attended my first pug meetup

2. Ate at The French Laundry

3. Went to Paris

4. Went to Portland

5. Got a new computer

6. Got a promotion at work

7. Left San Francisco

8. Moved to New York

9. Vacationed in the Caribbean

10. Ate the famous fried chicken at Momofuku (thanks Rosalin)

11. Spent New Year’s Eve with my best friends

This is an amusing read: Readers by Author. Speaking of music (see Readers by Author > Murakami), I own two albums and have heard of five (including the two I have) from this list. Commence cowering in unhipness.

Hermes is infected with the random shutdown syndrome, so I’m checking him in over the break so they can run diagnostics. Hope all goes well!

Here are pictures from my iPhone that I’ve been meaning to post but haven’t. They’re in a somewhat chronological order from most recent to oldest.

Father’s Office, Culver City:

Saul brought me cupcakes on my birthday. How sweet is he?

From my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Brodard:

People said that it would be difficult to work in the NY office because of all the noise; there are about 50 salespeople talking on headsets for 8 hours a day. But I think the most distracting part is the view (also, I have really good earbuds):

The many stages of my Halloween costume:

One of his better days:

Domo-kun + rain + abusive drunk people =

When we dropped him off on Broadway, pedestrians yelled, “Nooo, you can’t throw that away!” I was a little teary-eyed.

Happy holidays everyone!

via designboom

I want to do something I’m good at, but after taking a variety of classes, I realized the only thing I’m good at is web development and crocheting food. The people at school are really amazing and talented and I don’t belong there. I’m thinking of working full-time instead, and on weekends at Michael’s so I can still get my creative fix.

Sorry I’m such a Debbie Downer in this post, but I’ve just been feeling defeated these past few days and have no one to tell.

I also miss my friends in San Francisco. I don’t click very well with people here.

I also feel like I’ve said the previous sentence when I first moved to San Francisco, but replaced San Francisco with Los Angeles.

/end pity party