Fire in the Taco Bell

My feelings can be summed up in one word:

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!

Damn My Luck and Damn These Friends

After all the tears shed saying goodbye to TEC I felt joy when Doug and Gaz came to visit LA. My brother managed to get them a room at the hotel he works at. We spent days exploring the city and hanging out at beaches. It was an amazing experience. I took them to Hollywood, LA, and even though we didn't see much of the touristy Los Angeles we had a blast.We even took a trip to San Francisco! The trip was amazing we left on the 24th (MY BIRTHDAY!). We explored the city, shopped like crazy, rode the railway (we tried high-fiving as many people as we could), and just soaked in as much as we could. We ate Indian food at a really "posh" restaurant where Casey tried Indian for the very first time (she's absolutely addicted now!). It was hard leaving San Francisco. Not because I fell in love with the city, but because I knew that once we were in LA we would have to say goodbye to Doug and Gaz and say hello to responsibility and school (gag). We got to LA okay and we hanged around apartment until it was time to take the guys back to LAX. It was a teary goodbye to say the least.

(Doug, Gaz, and Casey at the Crown Plaza in Redondo Beach)

Now it's time to get back to the routine filled with research papers and notes. I have to say this time after camp and before school was just amazing. In camp we had so much responsibility. One mistake can put a kid's well being in danger. With school there's the pressure. This time, the middle, has been a weight off my shoulders. It was a time to be a stupid kid again. A time to make mistake, get piss drunk, get tattooed, and not being afraid to give someone a bad impression of yourself. It was living for the sake of living. Fuck man, that's deep!

(Me being gross and unsightly in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf)

(Alcatraz and Fun, Fun, Fun photos by Casey)

Under Winter Skies I Will Hold On To This Feeling

Summer has been great. I don't know why I was worried about camp at the beginning. I won't lie it was scary at first, but if you put yourself out there you will not regret it. I've honestly changed so much in my short stay at Trail's End Camp. I have not only changed physically (I'm way darker and I now have a little bit of muscle on my skinny), but I've matured. I've learned to trust my instincts and to honor the values I was raised with. I also have a lot more respect for my parents. I've made so many friends and so many memories. Whether it's pitching a tent in the rain, running like a madman, telling ghost stories, laughing constantly, pranking kids, long chats in porches, motel stays gone wrong, or just acting like a dang fool, these memories will make heart feel lighter and will make smile on those horrible gloomy days. It's hard not to fall in love with such a place filled with so much warmth and happiness. A place you can call your second home, where you make lifelong friendships and are surrounded my such magnificent beauty. I hope that next year is the same. I can't wait to return.

(Luke, Jon, Mike, Scally, and I)

I Find a Map and Draw a Straight Line

I leave for camp tomorrow. For two months! I'm scared, I really am. It's the longest I have been away from my family and from anything familiar. The only person that I know is Casey which is comforting, but there's still that fear of the unknown. I guess it's similar to the first day of high school. What should I wear? What if they don't like me? Will they understand my humor? That feeling of second-guessing yourself. Hopefully I can muster some strength and courage and make a fantastic first impression.

Listening: Karen Elson, The Ghost Who Walks

A surprisingly solid and good album.

Teenage Dreams in a Teenage Circus

Yesterday a couple of friends and I went to the Strawberry Festival in Garden Grove. It was really fun just messing around making people feel uncomfortable. I, of course, had to wear something totally fierce! Alicia, Valerie and I wore sailor hats and nautical stripes. Hey it is Memorial Day weekend! We were just doing our civic duty and honoring the U.S. Navy!

I have to say for a "Strawberry Festival" there weren't a lot of strawberries. There was, however, a large amount of cholas and scene kids! We only rode one roller coaster and the bumper carts, but the most of the fun came from waiting in line. In one instance we almost saw a fight between a chubby chick and a group of scene kids. It was intense! The food was typical carnival food: sweet, fatty, fried and super mega delicious! It was expensive though ($7 for a corn dog and soda!). Anyway, I really enjoy moments like yesterday. There's something fun and nostalgic about them. Maybe it's the sugar, maybe the bumping techno. Whatever it is... it's magical.

(me, Carlos, Andre, Alicia, and Valerie)

P.S.- Oh today I wen't to the American Apparel Memorial Day weekend sale and I got some clothes which I promise to show later.

Listening: Björk, Homogenic

One the most beautiful albums I've ever heard.

The Animals in Collective

I went to the zoo last Sunday for my Physical Anthropology class. I had to write a paper on the Evolution of Primate Locomotion and Body Configuration. The essay was 10 pages long and it was pretty bad. Mostly half-assed. Anyway, the LA Zoo is pretty cool I thought it was going to be totally lame, but I really enjoyed myself. Mainly because my brother and I kept saying: "That animal looks delicious!" We mostly saw hominids, but I did get to see flamingos since they're really close to the entrance.

They're so gorgeous! Their plumage is so beautiful and the shades almost reminded me of the ombre that Rodarte did for Fall 2008. Not the palette per say, but more of the way the color moved throughout the garment. I just wanted to pluck a handful of feathers!

The gorillas were next. I don't remember much about this one. I know there was a female out there named Evelyn. They were very docile. Later I saw the orangutans, lemurs, giraffes and chimpanzees.

I loved the giraffes. They're like my favorite animal! Oh I also got to witness a lemur pleasure itself orally. That's some flexible spine they got there. Overall it was a good day. The only thing that sucked was the food. I highly recommend grabbing some chow afterwards.

Listening: MGMT, Congratulations

Super awesome, psychedelic, and unconventional.

I'm Good, I'm Gone

"Look, I know you think she was the one, but I don't. Now, I think you're just remembering the good stuff. Next time you look back, I, uh, I really think you should look again." -Rachel Hansen of (500) Days of Summer

Story of my life.



Listening: Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles (II)