Last Blog of My Least Favorite Year So Far

Tonight, according to a lot of the world and the Gregorian calendar, is New Year's Eve. We transition tomorrow into 2011 CE and begin anew or at least promise to anyway. So far this year has pretty much sucked. 2009 was better, but these last 365 days had their good spots. I made two new friends and spent some time with my manager/friend outside of work. I started UCR. I still have my job and health, and my family is mostly well, too. But there is plenty of room for things to be better. As I am sometimes a sucker for the cliche, I have some things I want to start doing differently. They mostly involve seriously getting ready for grad school and getting back in the shape I was in five years ago. You could say those are my New Year's resolutions. I also want to work on finishing my stories and actually get some of that done this time. I need to become more disciplined. That right there is the root of most of my issues and the reason for the changes I want to make.

So here's to another year or being safe, sane, and successful. There is so much more to come, and I want to get there more than anything. I know I can do it. I just need to stick to my plan. This year I know things will finally work out in my favor. And you know what? Having to work in the bakery for a while will be kind of fun.

Year in Review: Personal

January
-start as a junior majoring in anthropology at UCR
-go to Disnelyand with one of my supervisors, Lynne

March
-Sprained knee on the day of my first final
-first UC research paper due (90/100)
-get the Droid phone along with Mom

June
-finish first year at UCR (ended with honors: A, A, A-, A-)
-start summer school; make a new friend (Jill); start using my scooter again
-sell my Droid
-pass the CBEST

July
-join night crew temporarily while in school as someone else is on leave
-visit Hsi Lai Buddhist temple
-get straight As

August
-vacation (hiking, clean room, get back into Pokemon)
-Pokemon Red: death and rebirth

September
-start fall 2010 quarter at UCR (first full year)
-make a new friend (Angela)

October
-renewed Pokemon obsession
-Halloween as a Pokemon trainer
-field trip for bio to Solana Beach; see lots of inverts in the tide pools

November
-register for winter quarter
-apply to go back to Chaffey
-invited to join Golden Key International Honour Society
-gain school pride finally

December
-new plot for Lost in Hyrule/GS Distress series'
-register at Chaffey
-visit Dampe, Windrows, park
-finish anthropology subfield upper division requirements
-play lots of Pokemon Red
-spend Christmas Eve with Lynne and her family

A Common Theme

So I have been playing Pokemon Red lately, and before that I was playing FireRed from the point I stopped (sixth badge, Fuschia City). Then I thought of something. My teams are very similar in both, even though I started and played them six years apart.

Red
Pikachu, level 43
Pidgeot, level 42
Lapras, level 38
Hitmonchan, level 39
Dugtrio, level 45
Bulbasaur, level 42

FireRed
Pikachu, level 43
Pidgeot, level 46
Lapras, level 39
Hitmonhcan, level 41
Geodude, level 38
Charmander, level 49

Just realized

When I was a teenager in nigh school (not that long ago- I'm not complaining about my old age of 24 or anything) we had AIM. Now these kids have Facebook. (We both had texting.) The difference? Everyone that you want can see your FB, including what you write, even if it is terrible grammar/spelling wise. It's preserved unless you delete it. It doesn't go away when you close your session.

Sigh. Even I, someone who was a fledgling MySpace member, do not like all of this social networking.

So yeah

Two things about yesterday:

1. I was stocking the pots and pans display on the front of aisles 5/6 when a customer approached me. I thought she needed help, but all she wanted was to tell me that she thinks I was the hardest working person there. IMMD

2. A guy I knew two years ago at Chaffey and the internship at UCR walked by the counter with a friend and looked surprised to see me. When they left, I think he said see you or something like that. He moved up north right after UCR. It was a surprise to see him and that he remembered me.

Year in Review: TV/Movies/YT

Legend of the Seeker (and its cancellation :O( )
Dragonball Z Kai on Nicktoons TV
Pokemon: Best Wishes online subbed
Shrek Forever
Alice in Wonderland
Shane Dawson
communitychannel
Pokemmon/Pokedubs

So...that was random

Just now I was on YouTube and clicked on a recommended video. It was from Tenchi Universe episode 24 where Ryoko gets Tenchi to Jurai to save Ayeka and take out the imposter Kagato. One of the comments was from someone with a screen name exactly the same as someone I knew in high school. A little more clicking and checking it out revealed that it was, in fact, her.

Also, her videos are...interesting. Props for dancing in costume and putting that online. I would never do that.