fangirljen

My brain is too tired to come up with any real description of today's trip to Long Beach, in specifics to see the Star Trek Tour. I'm not a Trekkie, or a Trekker, by any means, but it was fun. Hung out with friends, three who were hyped about it, so that made it very awesome. Also, what I witnessed? Even more awesome. Katie met people from the Star Trek fan series Hidden Frontier and it was such a beautiful moment to witness. Goodness knows she's seen me meet enough people I like!

Besides the meetup with the Hidden Frontier guys (which was so random! This was their first time at the tour. What luck! And you know what I say to that? Not luck! It was meant to be. :D ), seeing the Zach Quinto look-a-like was one of my fav moments! He was running this booth where you can get filmed into three minutes of an ep of Classic Trek. He had thick eyebrows (though they weren't Sybrows), the hair, the smile, the ears. The only thing was he probably had about twenty pounds on Quinto and wasn't as tall, but aside from those two things, daamn. He might just be some distant relative or something! So crazy. And I wasn't the only one to think that he shared a strong resemblance to Quinto. We all agreed. Usually it's just Jen imagining these things, but nope, not this time! LOL I told him he should be Zach's stand-in and tell people that he is Zach. :D What a place for him to be working. *L*

Besides Katie, scififreak, hystericblue42, and sarumann were with us, too. Good people. This is only the second time I've met sarumann in person, but I feel like I know him better than that--likely because of LJ! I felt loved. These are good people. I love having friends offline who are as geek as me. It's a blessing.


Edit: Check out Sarumann's report for pictures and Katie's report for more info!

Since I last wrote, four hours ago (how'd that happen?!), I didn't get to writing. Instead, I checked my new pedometer (there's a nice little story there, but I'll shorten it to this: it was listed as 4.99, though it rang up for 21.99. Target is cool with their policy and they gave it to me for 4.99! Woot!) and it said I had gone about 4000 steps since I started wearing it. I couldn't have that. I wanted 10,000, the number of steps medical people suggest is needed in a day. So I set out to get 10,000--which doesn't include the steps I made at work or the ones at Target. Most of the steps I made in my room by dancing and moving to a good dozen different songs that I listened on my new CD player (also a wonderful buy for 9.99!) What seems so amazing to me is how far 10,000 steps is: roughly 5 miles! Whoa! o.o I'm toying with the idea of taking part in the 3Day. I mean, if I was physically fit enough come November to do that? That would be fantastic!

Besides going 6,000 steps, I did something I've never done before: I chopped off a few inches of my hair. :D It dawned on me that I didn't necessarily need to go to a salon to get my hair cut (I know, really stupid..*L*). I'm being tighter with a buck in some ways. Or, maybe not exactly tighter, but I'm weighing expenses more. So now my hair is about three inches shorter. Still so thick and I wish I could get it thinned out a bit, but it feels lighter and is a good style for Spring. :D

When I was in my room working out, I found my copy of A Lifetime of Love: Poems on the Passages of Time, by Leonard Nimoy. :D I was shocked to see that not only was Nimoy an acclaimed actor, photographer, but he was a poet as well! And sappy love poetry is his choice. Perfect for the season! :D

So I'll now share with you his first poem.
( Leonard Nimoy's sappy love poetry! )

But not too bad, all things considering. Eighteen days out of 31. But that's not exactly true, because I have a few days of writing that I still have to add. I was hoping to have that done by now, but it wasn't meant to be. Okay. I'll work it out next month.

January was a rollercoaster month for me. My interests changed so much, my focus shifted from one thing to another. It feels like more time occurred and there were times that I was sure that more time than a month has passed. I keep on thinking to things I did in December and can't believe that the events were then. The Jules Verne Festival? The WGA Heroes Day strike? They seems like ages ago!

I know this month had some good highlights. I got lots of new character ideas in this month, and picked up another canon char. But that's for writing fun, not regarding my life and career. I'm still having trouble with writing cover letters. I finally found a good one. I have another job I'm going to apply to, so I'll think the night on this prompt, and hopefully have a better idea tomorrow what to say in mine. :D

Today I just feel like I'm in a mental slump. Brain is all...blah. And I got extra sleep, too! Darnit. It's PMS time again.

LJ's pimping it, but it looks cool! thenicestthings

Howie Day - "Collide"

Confetti cake and coffee with vanilla creamer are so yummy together. <3 Good way to end an uneventful evening. Four hours of sleep was also good. :D Still need a different job. Nothing has come in yet with any of my apps I've sent, and I don't really expect to hear anything--except for the RCC one. I'm really hoping on that one. One good thing about working from 6-10 means that I can be home at 11 and watch Gilmore Girls. I'm catching up on all the Milo eps that I saw a few years ago, but when I didn't care so much about Jess. Like with Boston Public, I remember these scenes and watching the eps.

Once again, I'm thinking of doing a Literati layout. I'm still very much in the mood for romantic love, even if it's by vicarious means and my life is at a standstill.


Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah

It's nice being tired not because I've stayed up too late, but because I've worked out a lot. It's a...weird to say it, but a clean kind of tired. The sort of tired that doesn't make my brain wobbily, just my body. I think it's easier to find dreaming that way, too. And I had yet another dream last night. This one had me at work and asking for a raise. I'm basically ignored. :( Then I start crying in front of co-workers and managers.

Today I went with Kristen to church. Lots of fun. Kept dancing during Worship. The afterward is always fun. I talked with Ulysses again. He's so easy to talk with. Another short post today...more when I'm awake enough to post. *L*

Chilling for a few minutes online and what do I find? My friend made a new Heidi/Nathan icon! It's so sexy, it hurts. Why fore can't they have more time together like that on the show? Bah. I need some fic now. And the Writers Strike to end. And for Rena Sofer to be on Heroes more than 24. But until then, there's fic and pretty icons! Yays! :D

Originally written on January 2nd, 2008

The hallmark of the new year is to make resolutions and then break them. With the blank slate, people dream big of things, sometimes unrealistic to what they are actually able to achieve. I think that anybody can achieve the resolutions they set out for themselves if they have the resolve (heh, there's your root word right there) to. Resolve is difficult to build. I think of a car that is stuck in a mud puddle. The faster you go doing the same thing, you'll just tire out but will remain in the same place. There is no forward motion until something (that's the change) that pushes you out and gets you moving and the push by momentum--unless you stall out. But I'm not going to think about that. What I am going to think about is being pushed by momentum. That's how I got through two NaNoWriMos and my last year at UCR. This is why I thrive so well with a plan. I know where I want to end up. With that in mind, I can use any means to get there. I also know what resources are available to me. Like, for instance, my plan for a change in lifestyle.

The Game Plan

Walk - for at least an hour and once a week. I'd like to walk an hour a day, but I don't know how that will look in reality, especially when the weather is less than agreeable. Today, Katie and I walked around the Ontario Mills. It wasn't an hour, but it was a good walk. It helps me when I'm going somewhere in my walking. I like having a mission. A few days ago, I walked to downtown. And while there, I bought myself an iced tea. Very tasty. :D Those small rewards are very nice.

Sleep more - Go to bed between 11-12. Even after I get another job (though should be 10-11 by then, especially if job is going to be in LA or Riverside), 5 hours is the minimum. I'll shoot for six or seven when I get that down. Eight is definitely preferable, though.

Time for myself once a day - This can be anything that isn't demanding something of me. Meditate is the best thing. I feel better when the blood is pumping and my brain is clear. This seems logical, but feeling it is different. When I have had panic attacks in the past, I could make them go away by focusing on my breathing. Focus on that and I can't keep the uncomfortable thoughts around.

Dance, Dance Revolution - When I was in LA last weekend with Katie and Jessica, I first experienced this marvelous game. I've seen it before but just never played it. The game is both fun and challenging. I like keeping score. I know it would keep me busy for hours. I'm going to buy an at home unit when I have more money. Between this and walking, I think I can get pretty trim. I thought dancing might be a good thing for me after I watched a special on Richard Simmons. I honestly haven't found a sport or exercise that works as well as DDR. I think it even made me start wheezing, but my mind felt great afterward.

Eat better - I am going to keep fastfood mostly out of my life as it has been for over a month now. It is more for financial reasons, but it will be for food choice reasons, too. When I go out, I'll make choices for food that isn't fried, but fresh. Veggies, fruits, whole grains. Less processed. When I have the money, I am willing to buy the healthier stuff. I need to look into foods that promote stronger thinking (grapefruit, according to Richard Gilmore on The Gilmore Girls) and definitely fruit juice regularly when we have it (which hopefully will be constant). When I had my year with OJ, I didn't get sick that much. I've had blocked sinuses for ages now. It doesn't do much with preventing good thoughts, only fuziness. I'd like to finally get over that.

Creating/maintaining a better living space - This has always been difficult for me, likely because I have a lot of things and then don't put them away. I'm honestly not sure how this always gets out of hand for me. Maybe because it wasn't important to me. If it isn't, I seem to miss things. Blinders are on, or something. But with my outside environment being encouraging, that will help my brain.

Heroes: A Nathan Petrelli Tribute - "The Shadow of the Day" (Linkin Park) (Spoilers for "Powerless")

5:23AM

I look forward to the time when I actually get up at the time my alarm first indicates (today was 4:40...but I changed that to 5:00 when I had to get up a few minutes after four to let the dog out. She always seems to want out twenty minutes within the time I'm supposed to be getting up. Would be nice if she had the decency of waiting!)

I was talking to brokenbacktango last night about blogging. She, like other people I know too, blog her daily life. I'd like to do that, but my life is boring. I mean, I don't think I'd want to read about it.

Here's my usual week-day: wake up thirty-forty minutes before work starts at 6; find something to eat (cereal, toast, or yogurt if I have it); get dressed (hope that my pants are washed. Lucky, haven't had a day where I couldn't find any); go to work; spend four hours shelving, alphabetizing, shifting; go home; go online for an hour; watch Gilmore Girls if it's a Milo episode; nap for a few hours; back online and take care of RP posts, look for a job (and hope to send app...I have a difficult time with the follow through), SNP business. Stay online until I get offline between 11-1.

No wonder I'm depressed, honestly! *L*

My mom asked me outright if I hated my job, and I said with complete certainty that I did. There are aspects of the job I like--the store, the employees (most of them)--but is it challenging? No. Is it taking me anywhere? No. I'm wasting away there. I haven't heard back on most of the jobs I've applied to in the last few months. There was a job in Claremont I was hoping for, but it was a no-go. They let me know by a handwritten notecard. Their thoughtfulness was taken into account, but it didn't make up for the fact that I didn't get the job. I have a lot of trouble 1. finding jobs that I qualify for; 2. finding jobs that are in areas that I can get to (I'm not familiar with LA's mass transit; however, now I know I can get to a great many places in North LA by train. Hollywood, Universal, places like that); and 3. following through (leaving out 3 was just an example of that! But everybody reading now won't have seen that 3 wasn't there until now, after I re-read what I had written). Gahh. This is still ever getting old.

Who out there has gone through this? Just waste away and then get their lives back on track. I know that I have things better than a lot of people. I have a house, food, people who love and care about me. It's just the happiness that I don't have. Gah, bloody fucking hell. *kicks self* I want what Nathan tells Linderman he wants: a life of happiness AND meaning. WTF. I really wasn't trying to make this fandom-related in any way. I've had these things at the same time, too. I just feel like I'm...something out there is meant for me. And that's why it bugs me so much that I'm letting myself do this.


The Weepies' "World Spins Madly On"

Okay, I said no Memes, but this one just...damn. Wow. It's just, well, ask people who know me in real life and they can vouch for this. I'm dumbstruck here. I mean, it's a fucking meme. It's not supposed to be accurate. Yoinked it from sampaguita_blue.

What Jennifer Means

You are fair, honest, and logical. You are a natural leader, and people respect you. You never give up, and you will succeed... even if it takes you a hundred tries. You are rational enough to see every part of a problem. You are great at giving other people advice. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are loving, compassionate, and ruled by your feelings. You are able to be a foundation for other people... but you still know how to have fun. Sometimes your emotions weigh you down, but you generally feel free from them. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

For fun, I tried Jen the Fangirl and got some other results, one being this one:

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.
You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.
You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

Which is probably more true about Jen the Fangirl than Jennifer, in all honesty. *L*

( Personality traits of Jen the Fangirl )

One Republic's "Apologize"

Seriously? Who does? I guess I should be used to being off today after last Tuesday, but it really struck me this time. And now 2008. Weird. Is it a sign that I'm really getting old when I say, "Oh, 1998 wasn't that long ago." I have vivid memories from it. You know, those fresh ones that still feel new or newish. Bah. Maybe I'm trying to hold on to my late teens-early twenties-twenties period. Or I just have a memory of the awesome. And oops. I've wandered. I also meant to say that today feels weird because it's 7:30 AM and I'm at home, lunging in bed. Should be getting familiar with Julia & Julia as I wonder where I'm going to put the new copies (I had taken this "God won't give me anything I can't deal with" method at work (though I should know otherwise after being avalanched by Manga and then sending it back--I think it was sent back. God, I hope it wasn't tossed or something. Would that happen?) but it seems that the company sends things indiscriminately. WTF! Shouldn't they know that thirty-five copies of Julie & Julia is just too much?! I only use this book as an example because it's getting turned into a movie for a 2009 release (suddenly you're not so far away ole year to end the decade and marking of last year with two 0's. Hmm. 2008 is like double affinity: two 0's and the 8. Nice touch. Speaking of other "doubles", that's one part of the actual name of the statue used for Kirby Plaza--The Double Ascension, by Herbert Bayer (now that, while makes me think of Stargate: SG-1, has interesting connotations in Heroes, as there are multiple 'ascensions' going on. Double-doubles (just not the cheeseburger, which shall be what I get when I spend my In-n-Out 5 dollar gift card! Thanks Lyly of Borders!) Peter and Sylar and Peter and Nathan--though literally in the Petrellis' case. Oh yes, prop to scenery scout person who found this gem. I can just imagine it: "I know this awesome status downtown. We have to shoot there!" And, ironically, that statue really looks like the Godsend helix while viewed from above. I went back there with brokenbacktango and make_me_shiny. They reenacted Peter's and Sylar's scene as I took a couple of snaps.)

Okay, just stating this for new folks here (Allo!): my brain wanders like nobody's busy and I do my best to follow. My voice posts are much more scattered. I make no apologies, but wish to inform. At least I hope it is a fun and/or interesting ride. OCD with ability to draw weird connections \o/ (little guy who will now represent for the win or Yatta!)

( Things I like to talk about and hopes for this journal for the year )

My main hope for this year is that it is a good one. I live, I love, I learn. I be easier on myself and not dwell on my deficiencies and errors. I give more. I take time out for myself everyday when I have nobody to worry about, not even myself. I think about what makes me angry, and look to correcting it. I think about what makes me depressed, and work on correcting that. My future is in my hands. Nobody else can change me but me. I am responsible for what happens to me. If I want to change, if I want to get better, I make it happen. If it doesn't happen as quickly, or as I want it to, I don't hold this against myself, either. Somethings things aren't meant to be even as much as we want them to. I just have to do my best with what I'm given. And my best is what I do at any given moment. How I perform now may not be directly comparable to how I performed ten, or even five years ago. I look at where I am now and go from there.


"Rewind" - A Nathan Petrelli Tribute