Halloween Party!

Allison and I went with Shannon and Shawn to an awesome Halloween party. Earlier that evening, we had been to see 'The Grudge', and didn't actually arrive at the party until about 10. By the time we got there, everyone had taken off their costumes and playing music and skateboarding. I didn't get home until 5 (after the time change), and stayed awake to catch the sunrise by myself...Such a good night.

Shannon marching around while Shawn plays the drums. Shannon and Shawn were super-fun kids last night.

There was a ton of music last night, and I decided to jam out on the drums for a bit....Pretty fun for me, not so fun for anyone with sensitive ears.

This is one in a series of photos I did last night (I caught Allison on the drums, dragged the shutter a bit, and time-lapsed the flash), and is the first photo in a while that I've taken and actually loved (niiiice feeling)....Click on the photo to check out the full-sized pic.

This is Lee. He decided to dress up as a sumo, and go into the quarter-pipe in his backyard. This was one of those times that I was so glad to have a camera with me. Later on, he went into their half-pipe, but I was too trashed by then to take photos.

The Awesome Store called, they want their pumpkin back.

Wonder Pumpkin may seem to have a rough exterior. Here's what you don't know: he did not have a very good life (that is, until he came to live with me 3 days ago). He was raised in some dirt by a very strict farmer, who forced him to grow at an alarming rate. He was fed steroids daily, and insulted for hours by the farmer. One day, he escaped on a truck that just happened to be passing by. He ended up in the supermarket, where I found him selling his body for 99 cents/kg. I couldn't stand to see such a young and vibrant pumpkin in such a dangerous place, so I bought him and took him home. For the first time in his life, he could feel safe.

Mind you, life has been a bit hectic with him around. He isn't used to being in such a civilized environment, and often resorts to physical violence and verbal insults (behavior learned from the evil pumpkin farmer). I have been dealing with this the best I can. For instance, when he calls me "honkey", I gently remind him that it doesn't matter if I'm white and he's orange, we're all the same color on the inside, and we should all love each other, no matter what. At this time, he lets me know that we are not the same color on the inside, as he is orange, and has a glowing candle in his head...He is a very clever pumpkin.

I am so glad to have Wonder Pumpkin in my house, and we will remain the best of friends (until Monday, when I turn over legal guardianship to the loving arms of Mr. Compost Heap).

Will write more later on various Halloween adventures.

This is Wonder Pumpkin. You may be saying to yourself: "Wonder Pumpkin is ugly, and I do not care for him at all", but you should care for him, or he will throw lawnchairs into your pool while you are sleeping, and track mud into your house so that your carpet gets really dirty. Wonder Pumpkin is mad at the world.

A new idea.

I've been thinking about throwing a party. I've got a good-sized house with a ton of room, and a good fridge for, um, storage. Now, I've thrown parties before, but this time I want to do something awesome. Normally, I'd throw a party on a Friday or Saturday night, like normal people. This time, I think it would be a good idea to have a party on a weekday. Maybe starting it at about 11AM. I think a party would be much better if people had to skip work to go there....Just a thought.

This is my best friend Allison and I. You'll hear a lot of stories about Allison, and they're all going to be hilarious and pretty radical. She is one priceless girl.

A few things I know for sure...

I'm approaching my 23rd birthday (in January). I'm at the point in my life where I'm realizing that there is not much that I will ever know for sure....Nothing in the world is black and white. However, there are a couple of things that I've finally figured out, so I thought I'd post them (and continue to post as I think of them).

*While I was in high school, someone said to me "You'll only ever have a few true friends in your lifetime...All of the rest will eventually become acquaintances." I thought that they were crazy, as I had a ton of friends, and was pretty sure that they were all true friends. At the time, they were friends. However, most of us gradually drifted apart (except, of course, Allison and I, who have remained the best of pals), and many people that I thought would always be in my life are no longer around. Keep this in mind: as your life changes, so will your friends....Accept the changes as a part of life.

*No matter how awesome you are, keep your ego in check. The coolest kids are the ones that don't know that they are cool. There is, however, one exception to this rule...When you are at a club, you should try to act as confident as you possibly can. Otherwise, a bunch of really gross guys will try to pick you up, as they'll assume that you're vulnerable. This is not fun.

*Electronics are not as fragile as you'd think, so you should carry your camera everywhere (even if you think it will be bad for the camera...Trust me on this one), and always keep your I-pod on you (you'll never know when you'll desperately want to hear a certain song....You don't want to have to wait).

*Keep a journal with you at all times, and write down everything. Seriously, write down every thought you have....Let this be the one place that you never, ever censor yourself. Go back and read through it once a week, you'll learn a ton about who you really are. Believe me, you'll surprise yourself.

*What seems important now may not seem important later in life. Your priorities will change as you grow...Make sure you allow them to.

*It sounds stupid to say, but don't take your intuition lightly, or you will end up in a spot that you don't want to be in.


Okay, I guess my little advice session has come to a close....Must go carve a pumpkin that will go down in history as the hottest pumpkin ever (will post pictures tomorrow).

A run-in with karma.

Yesterday, I decided to take the afternoon off of work. I really had no reason, I just went in on Monday morning and told them that I needed to take Tuesday afternoon off. Surprisingly, nobody asked any questions. That afternoon, I took my dog for a walk, had a bath, and generally enjoyed the daylight that I rarely see on weekdays....Nothing too special. It was great to be away from work, but I really shouldn't have taken the time off.

You may be asking yourself: "Why would you feel bad about taking an afternoon off?"

Well, if someone at my work needs a problem fixed, or has a task that they'd rather not do, they come to one of two people: Wenda or I. Wenda is a sweet girl who came over from China last February. She is a very hard worker, and people take advantage of it. Most of the people in the office leave early every day (some of them at about 1PM, an hour after lunch) , and leave Wenda and I with a ton of work.

My intent was to have everyone do their own work for a day, which hasn't happened since I began to work there....However, deep in my heart, I knew that they wouldn't. I knew that they would probably leave Wenda with a ton of not-so-fun jobs. I was right, and feel horrible.

Now, I am a firm believer in karma...What goes around, comes around. I have experienced this countless times, and in the end, I've always gotten what I've deserved.
Karma paid me a little visit today.

The morning began at a pretty steady pace....I was busy, but could handle the work that was given to me. Then, it hit. I'd never had so many things to do, and no matter what I did, the jobs just kept piling up! I kept going into panic mode, and kept making a ton of stupid mistakes, so I had to re-do a whole bunch of projects. I ended up staying an extra hour and a half (meaning I worked an 11-hour day), but still didn't complete everything, and will have to go in early tomorrow. I felt so bad, as I wanted to let Wenda go home early today, but there was too much to do, and she ended up staying just as late as I did.

It wasn't a fun day, but my punishment was fair. Next time I'll consider Wenda before I take time off of work....Wenda needs to take vacation days at the same time as I do...Problem solved.