Happy Halloween to everybody who dares to visit this blog.

SlagleRock has a holiday safety warning for all parents. When i was little, my parents took me around to malls for trick or treat, but even then, i rarely got to eat any candy. Halloween was mostly about the dress up for me.

Last night both myself and Matt Scofield had something to cheer about. Cal humiliated ASU by a score of 27 to nothing. (Matt's a Wildcat fan.) Cal is playing great. Too bad USC is too, but the Rose Bowl is a definite possibility for the Golden Bears this year. If it can't be Cal, i'd love to see USC and Auburn in the Orange Bowl because i think Auburn will spank the Trojans.

i'm not doing anything for Halloween this year. Since i took Saturday off, i need to study today. i had planned to go to the game with Francine and some other Cal friends, except i fucked up my ankle on Friday. i didn't want to walk on it yesterday, since Memorial Stadium requires so much hiking. Thankfully, it's feeling much better this morning.

Posted by: annika at 09:43 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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i cooked tonight, and there were two requirements: be done in time to watch The Apprentice, and include the four major food groups. Those food groups being 1) meat, 2) bread, 3) vegetables and 4) alcohol. My roommates don't get enough veggies.

i accomplished this task with the following menu:

• meat stuffed tortellini with my own sauce (leftover)


• Brussels sprouts with mustard-horseradish cream sauce (non-fat)


• crusty romano cheese sourdough rolls


• $5 chianti

The $5 bottle of chianti was indeed a hit, though.

Posted by: annika at 07:43 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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If you had been in the cafeteria today, you might have overheard a conversation that went something like this:

"Hey Quan, where've you been?"

"Oh . . . uh . . . hi Annika."

"i haven't seen you in, like, weeks. Where'd you go? i thought you quit after the test or something."

"No . . . uh . . . I just moved seats."

"You did? What for?"

"Umm."

"Didn't you like sitting behind me?"

"Well . . . uh . . . to be honest . . .uh . . . I had to move."

"Oh come on. What, did i smell bad?"

"No . . . uh . . . no it's just . . . uhh . . . "

"You're fucking kidding me. Quan? You're kidding, right?"

". . . uhhh no it's not . . ."

"Please tell me you're fucking shitting me. Aren't you Quan? i really smell bad?"

"No . . . uh . . . you see it's . . . uhhh . . ."

"What the fuck? Just tell me!"

"It's . . . uh whenever you wore those uh blue warm-up pants . . . it got . . . uh . . . kinda distracting uhh . . . 'cause I could see your uh . . . your . . . uhh . . ."

"Oh . . . well . . . uh . . . sorry about that . . . uh . . . Quan . . . i uhh . . . "

"No problem, Annika. Don't worry about it."

The lesson to be learned from that little vignette is this: When the professor grades on a curve, consider converting butt cleavage into extra points.

Posted by: annika at 06:51 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 You have no idea how familiar that story sounds. Back in first-year torts . . . But it'd be really nice if you could fix all the " " stuff. It'd make the post a lot easier to read.

Posted by: Matt at October 06, 2004 08:55 PM (eWM9Y)

2 What was supposed to be inside those quotes was "& n b s p" (without the spaces).

Posted by: Matt at October 06, 2004 08:56 PM (eWM9Y)

3 Quan is clearly the slave of his masturbatory fantasies.

Posted by: Casca at October 06, 2004 09:59 PM (Y671w)

4 "Quan is clearly the slave of his masturbatory fantasies." yea blame the guy for this god given hormones. not blame the woman for sexual harrasment....

Posted by: cube at October 07, 2004 07:23 AM (nyNr0)

5 Poor Quan. But it's still funny.

Posted by: ken at October 07, 2004 03:37 PM (xD5ND)

6 Um, isn't there a problem with the plan due to blind grading? I have to admit, I'd probably would have been in Quan's situation, but for having OC standards while going to school in SF.

Posted by: Tony at October 07, 2004 06:14 PM (tjFjH)

7 Aha, Tony, see the beauty of the plan is that it doesn't involve the professor at all. The key is to distract the competition in order to lower the curve and thus move one's self up in rank comparatively. And theoretically, of course.

Posted by: annika! at October 07, 2004 08:00 PM (Gy1zC)

8 How deliciously devious of you.

Posted by: Tony at October 08, 2004 10:08 AM (QwFky)

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Well, i made it through the first week of school. i have three new best friends too. Mr. Black, Mr. Emanuel and Mr. Gilbert. These three guys have been so nice and supportive throughout the whole week, and as i fought through each impulse to cry, simply lay down and cry, these three boys waited patiently until i was ready to return and continue working. i think i love them.

But for tonight, i'm going to catch up with some old friends i've been neglecting: Mr. Jack and Mr. Coke.

Tomorrow, i may hear from Mr. Puke.

Posted by: annika at 07:29 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 Wow, I didn't even crack a Black's until I was a second year. It appears you are ahead of the curve.

Posted by: Tiger at August 27, 2004 08:05 PM (G5PGV)

2 GOUGE OUT MY EYES PLEASE! About an hour ago I was walking up Fifth Ave in Midtown Manhattan. I noticed this strange looking creature looking into one of the store windows. As I got closer I saw he had on a huge "Fuck Bush" shirt. As I got even closer I noticed he was staring in at the mannequins, and beating off! Yes, the left brought in only the finest quality individuals to protest! Now I'm off to scrub my eyes with steel wool! (Annie, did you send him my way to get back for the Ted Rall mails?)

Posted by: Radical Redneck at August 27, 2004 10:47 PM (n2hZV)

3 Annika: So now you begin to see what it is like having to learn to think in a new language. Don't worry, after a while, it'll seem like you've known it all your life. But don't ever fall into the trap of talking like a lawyer,like John Kerry, who gives lawyers a bad name. And, stay away from lawyers at parties; they don't want to discuss law school cases, most of which they have forgotten, as will you. By the way, about your friends; stay close to them, and in about three years, they'll introduce you to their good friend, Mr. Green. You are liable to really fall in love with him.

Posted by: shelly s. at August 28, 2004 02:58 AM (My8fB)

4 Some people will tell you that study aids are a bad idea. I disagree. That said, I never used them regularly during the semester -- mostly around exam time, and to fill in blanks and help me with organizing my outlines. My personal advice: Begin outlining early, and do it consistently. (This is much harder than it sounds, in my experience.) I never used study groups because it was a practical impossibility for me. But if you can commit the time, a lot of people strongly recommend it.

Posted by: Matt at August 28, 2004 09:03 AM (eWM9Y)

5 I'm with Matt on this: study aids can become a crutch and a hindrance during the semester, but more useful during exams. That said, if you really don't know the meaning of a term, trying to glean it all from the cases rather than quickly looking it up in Black's is probably unnecessary masochism even for a law student. ;-) But, of course, while it sounds a bit like touchy-feely PC bullshit, different people really do learn in different ways, so I'm sure you'll take all of our advice with a justified grain of salt.

Posted by: Dave J at August 28, 2004 09:20 AM (GEMsk)

6 Study guides are great. I found the best to be the Examples and Explanations series...it's not just outlines -- it's summaries of the topics, and then questions. When I first started law school, I was given the advice to work through the entire E&E (written by Joseph Glannon) for Civ Pro, and I will get an A in that class. I did, and I did. Every law student loves Glannon!

Posted by: ginger at August 28, 2004 12:15 PM (Otp/6)

7 I'm not sure if anyone has told her this yet, but I know a good lawyer nickname that should intimidate her opponents, "The Annikonda." She will put the squeeze on her opposition.

Posted by: reagan80 at August 28, 2004 12:45 PM (hlMFQ)

8 It doesn't surprise me that, since your commentors have been mainly lawyers, this has been over looked. Perhaps it's seen as morally acceptable in the profession (which would explain a lot)... But your first week of law school has you going out to get (ahem) jacked up on (double ahem) coke???? I can only assume this is a result of the kinds of people your assoiating with now & possibly a side effect of your pro-reptillian stance. I miss the sweet, innocent miss Annika. Hopefully she's not gone forever.

Posted by: Publicola at August 28, 2004 12:53 PM (Aao25)

9 I agree with Ginger - get all the Examples & Explanations books - they do a great job of getting you set with the concepts. The Civ. Pro. by Glannon is great (although weak on discovery). The Blum on Contracts is good. If you are using Dukemenier and Krier as the casbook on property, then Gilbert is the best, since it is written by Dukemenier.

Posted by: OS at August 29, 2004 03:46 AM (aPNMH)

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You ever get those crazy IMs from people you don't know who just want to chat? i do. Mostly i just ignore them, but sometimes it's fun to mess with them. Here's an example:

expletivedeleted: hi sexy
annikagyrl: hi
expletivedeleted: how's you
annikagyrl: fine
expletivedeleted: so you live in LA ?
annikagyrl: no, sacramento
expletivedeleted: ah, moved since updating your profile then
annikagyrl: yah
expletivedeleted: so how's sac town
annikagyrl: fixing it now
expletivedeleted: how so
expletivedeleted: oh, nevermind
expletivedeleted: what do you do for kicks up there?
annikagyrl: not much
annikagyrl: its pretty boring
expletivedeleted: so i hear
expletivedeleted: i have friends up there
annikagyrl: where do you live
expletivedeleted: san diego
expletivedeleted: i'm martin
expletivedeleted: and i am assuming that you are annika
annikagyrl: are you the martin from san diego?
expletivedeleted: well, i am one of probably many
annikagyrl: i know you
expletivedeleted: how do you know me
annikagyrl: kindergarten
annikagyrl: remember?
expletivedeleted: you teach kindergarten?
annikagyrl: no we went to kindergarten toghethe
expletivedeleted: really now?
annikagyrl: i cant believe you dont remember me
expletivedeleted: have we spoke online before and you were under a different name?
annikagyrl: no you sat in front of me
expletivedeleted: where?
annikagyrl: in front of you
expletivedeleted: so what was our teacher's name?
annikagyrl: oh god, i don't remember
annikagyrl: started with an l
expletivedeleted: no it was a B
annikagyrl: b started with a b
annikagyrl: baum somehting or other
expletivedeleted: it was Brown
annikagyrl: brown yah thats it
annikagyrl: remember i used to shoot spit wads at you
expletivedeleted: you didnt go to kindergarten with me
annikagyrl: no im just fuckin with ya dude
expletivedeleted: of course you are
annikagyrl: i do that to everybody
annikagyrl: some people believe it tho
expletivedeleted: not me
annikagyrl: yes, that is why i do not like you
expletivedeleted: ah
expletivedeleted: hostility
annikagyrl: yes
expletivedeleted: why's that
annikagyrl: i dont know

annikagyrl: say something funny

annikagyrl: lol
expletivedeleted: fear the lords who are secret among us
expletivedeleted: the lords are w/ in us
annikagyrl: that is funny
expletivedeleted: born of sloth and cowardice
annikagyrl: i cant believe how funny you are
expletivedeleted: see, perhaps i am good for something
annikagyrl: what is that, the bible, or jrr tolkien?
expletivedeleted: nah, just a thought
annikagyrl: thets fuckin hilarious dude

expletivedeleted: your name is annika then?
annikagyrl: yes
expletivedeleted: and have you always lived in california?
annikagyrl: yes
expletivedeleted: married? children?
annikagyrl:: nope
expletivedeleted: well, so what are your interests
expletivedeleted: ?
expletivedeleted: you there?
expletivedeleted: hello
expletivedeleted: cmon

Posted by: annika at 09:54 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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1 That's hilarious. How on earth does someone just randomly IM you?

Posted by: Neil Uchitel at August 15, 2004 12:40 PM (Q+NnP)

2 Neil, On certain messenger programs there's a list of people who are online. You usually have the option of logging on so as not to appear on these lists but most people just log on & ignore any unsolicited IM's. On certain messenger services there are a fair number of people who send messages to anyone if they find that person's profile page interesting whether they appear to be online or not. Mainly it's young guys look for some kind of internet hook up, but I have received IM's from people who just thought some aspect of my profile was interesting enough to comment on (though this mainly happened back in the days I hung out in a Star Wars specific place) Miss Annika, I dunno. Personally I shy away from unsolicited IM's (sending & receiving) but there are a lot of people who don't. I'm afraid that your attempts to rebuff the guy might have intrigued him. There's probably some kid walking around the streets walking around Diego with baggy pants & a cap on sideways telling his pals about this hot chic & the totally dope rap he threw on her & how well it worked cause she was talking some mad inawindows. But be forewarned - if you continue any sort of online relationship with this person I have a feeling it would quickly devolve into the following: http://www.b0g.org/wsnm/news.php?artc=4599&s=e3e04398cf433b09abb0c1f249daac97

Posted by: Publicola at August 15, 2004 01:33 PM (Aao25)

3 I think the IMer was 8 years old and his mother told him he had to do his homework.

Posted by: Jake at August 15, 2004 05:45 PM (h4tU8)

4 I use to have ICQ, IM, all that stuff. But I got tired of the unsolicited chats. Total freaks dwell amongst us. But your conversation was funny!!

Posted by: Brent at August 16, 2004 05:57 AM (w+y2e)

5 Sorry Annika, but I just don't see the fun in spending that much time harassing an idiot. Worse yet, my spending the time reading the dialogue. School must not have started yet, as if it had, you'd not be wasting time on stuff like this.

Posted by: shelly s. at August 16, 2004 05:42 PM (b/7hi)

6 Leave him an email addy :-)

Posted by: urthshu at August 16, 2004 06:16 PM (kL+PA)

7 Publicola, I have got to say, that stuff you linked was actually so funny it was physically painful.

Posted by: Dave J at August 16, 2004 09:15 PM (GEMsk)

8 Maybe that guy saw the Fash-ism photo album and has a foot fetish. Phear teh pheetphiles.......

Posted by: reagan80 at August 18, 2004 09:48 AM (Wc43W)

9 banal

Posted by: Casca at August 18, 2004 06:52 PM (q+PSF)

10 Chatting up an idiot like that would be like going out into the garage and sorting nuts, bolts and screws for me when I am stressed. It's mindless and easy to do and sometimes you just gotta do it to unwind. It was pretty funny. Thanks for sharing. btw - I am also in Sac. Hi neighbor!

Posted by: Bonfire7 at August 20, 2004 07:39 PM (Ij50v)

11 Haven't stopped by in a while, but I see you're in Sac-Town now. How interesting. You will soon know be begging to go back to LA for more reans than missing your family. Your Sacto-brother in Arms, -Black Glenn

Posted by: glenn at August 22, 2004 01:31 PM (EPZd0)

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When is it going to rain? It's supposed to be over a hundred all week here. i miss the weather in San Francisco. It's sweater weather all year round. i'd love to be there right now.

The A's are still number one. The Giants are struggling to get back on top, and they might just do it since the Dodger's latest acquisition blew a fuse. The Raiders will suck again this year, as will the 49ers. But the Bay Area will be entering autumn soon, and it's a closely held secret that their best weather comes in fall.

Posted by: annika at 12:25 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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i have one week left before law school orientation week begins.

Excitement!

Posted by: annika at 08:48 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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i got the details on bat risk. It's not dangerous to touch a dead bat, but you shouldn't do it. If you see a bat in the daytime, and it's crawling on the ground, something's wrong. It probably has rabies so don't mess with it, it may bite you and then you're in trouble. You can get rabies if bat saliva gets in your eyes, nose, mouth or a wound. In other words, don't make out with the bat.

The source for this info is here, in case you're interested. i also learned that many young bats are unable to fly during summer. So it's possible that i simply saw a lost, but undiseased, young bat.

Here's the proper way to capture a bat:

What you will need:

• leatherwork gloves (put them on)


• small box or coffee can


• piece of cardboard


• tape

When the bat lands, approach it slowly, while wearing the gloves, and place the box or coffee can over it. Slide the cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside. Tape the cardboard to the container securely, and punch small holes in the cardboard, allowing the bat to breathe. Contact your health department or animal-control authority to make arrangements for rabies testing.

If you see a bat in your home and you are sure no human or pet exposure has occurred, confine the bat to a room by closing all doors and windows leading out of the room except those to the outside. The bat will probably leave soon. If not, it can be caught, as described and released outdoors away from people and pets.

Posted by: annika at 01:26 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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i just saw the weirdest thing. A bat. It was right outside the building crawling along the sidewalk on all fours, right where i saw that huge dragonfly a few weeks ago. The bat was gray, about three inches long, and moving very slowly, about the speed of a large beetle. i didn't know what it was at first and i jumped and let out a loud scream, 'cause it was right by my foot when i first saw it. Poor thing was lost, it should have been hanging upside down in a cave somewhere. i thought about picking it up and bringing it into the office to show everybody. Then i thought about rabies and left it alone. Some car is probably going to run over it, over but there's nothing i can do about that. It's getting to be like a menagerie outside my building. i really should bring a digital camera with me when i take my smoke breaks.

Posted by: annika at 10:07 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Besides my family, my best friend and my former-boyfriend, things i miss include: morning runs on San Vicente Boulevard, Bill Handel's radio show, The Hollywood Bowl, and it may sound trite but yes, i miss sunset at the beach. Oh yah, and deli food. You can always find good deli food there. And, of course, convenient parking most of the time.

Things to not miss include: traffic jams due to road construction on every single street everywhere at all times, all tailgaters, and stupid Mercedes-Benz drivers who don't think they have to stop at four way stop signs because they're oh-so-much-more-important than everyone else. These drivers are probably the same pretentious a-holes who sit in Starbuck's and make it a point to talk about their latest "project" as loud as possible.

Posted by: annika at 06:38 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Hey Annika, have you tried the 33rd Street Bistro at 33rd and Folsom east of Business 80? Yummy, yummy, but cheap food

Posted by: Chris at July 14, 2004 08:20 PM (Tatcr)

2 Know the similarity between hemmoroids and Mercedes Benzes? Sooner or later, every asshole in West Los Angeles has one or two.

Posted by: shelly s. at July 15, 2004 12:44 PM (AaBEz)

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i'm back up north again. Mom is doing great. She's tired but the doctors say if she changes her diet and takes her medication she should be okay. She's never had any heart problems before, that was always Dad's thing, so this was a shock to us all. Anyways, i just got into town and i'm going to have a few beers and go to sleep early. It's terribly hot tonight. This post is intended as a buffer since the last post was such a downer and it's been up all weekend and i just want to put the whole thing behind me right now. It was a very trying weekend, with lots of family shit to sort out, but that's another story.

Posted by: annika at 09:08 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Last night i had a bowl of real strawberries, the likes of which i've never tasted my entire life. And i'm a big strawberry fan, too. But the store bought kind are like plastic compared to the kind you can get at a roadside stand out here in the Big Valley.

Sherry brought home four of those little green baskets full of the freshest, reddest, most perfect looking berries ever. Eating one was like drinking pure strawberry juice. Like being in heaven. Inside, they were the color of blood, and not a bit of white anywhere. I ate them like candy.

Later, we sliced them up and smothered them over bowls of vanilla ice cream, with chocolate sauce drizzled on top. That was dinner. Then, at night, i dreamed about more strawberries.

Posted by: annika at 08:58 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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i swear, i can't wait until i can bring my computer up here. i'm borrowing my housemate Colleen's computer to write this, which is such a fucking hassle, it's not even worth it. For one thing i have to wait until she's out to use it. For another thing it's slower than my brother's old 386 with 12 megabytes. And Colleen's is a Pentium IV! i don't know what she's done to it to make it run so slow. Also she's on an ISP that sucks. Also she's fucking lefthanded, so i have to cross my arm over to use the mouse, which is giving me a sore shoulder. The mouse buttons are reversed too! GAAAAK! What an annoyance.

Posted by: annika at 07:54 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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During lunch today, i took a walk over to the Capitol Building and signed this book.

Posted by: annika at 02:16 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Last week has not been easy. On Friday i moved into a room in the four bedroom house with my other new housemates Colleeen and Mike. Mike is a real sweetheart, very easygoing and funny. Colleen, i had forgotten, has a personality that tends to the negative and she can be a moody bitch a lot of the time. On Monday, for some reason, she decided she was going to be snippy to everybody, and i began to think i had made a mistake by moving in. But on Tuesday, she was back to normal. Weird. But i'm determined not to let her get to me. The house is great. The fourth housemate will be moving in tomorrow; it's another first year named Sherry or Shelly, i cant remember.

The Capitol City is like a small town with a few tall office buildings. After living in S.F. and L.A., i'm a snob. This is the provinces. But the people seem nice, and life is definitely slower than in L.A., if not the Bay Area too. On Tuesday, i started work at the local office of the law firm i've been at for the last couple of years. This is the third branch office i've worked at. They must like me. This operation is very small, only 5 attorneys, and i'm to be their part-time paralegal to help the full-time girl, who's going on maternity soon.

i still haven't seen Schwarzenegger, but i'm looking out for him. There's a few things i need to say to him regarding his job performance thus far. Some good, some not so good. The office had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe the other day and i was joking about Arnie's failed venture with Willis and Stallone. What was it called? i don't even remember the name of it. No, i'm talking about the restaurant, not California. Overpriced hamburgers, bad service. Just like the Hard Rock. Damn, i can never remember the name of it.

i miss my family and Jason terribly. i feel weird, like i don't belong. i guess i'll get used to being here eventually. i'm planning to go back home for Father's day though, and i'm so looking forward to that.

Blogging is hard these days, because i work in a small office and the boss is always nearby. At home, i don't have a computer yet and i don't want to blog from my roommates' computers. It sucks. i really wanted to blog about Clinton's speech, which i saw last night. He was smooth wasn't he? Damn, that guy is good. Slick Willie, for sure. i plan to buy his book, by the way.

Gotta go, the boss is back.

Highly Recommended: Richie* on Sports at Candied Ginger.

Posted by: annika at 09:06 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Planet Hollywood, kiddo. Darn. When I saw capital city, I thought you were coming to DC.

Posted by: Victor at June 04, 2004 09:19 AM (L3qPK)

2 I think the Governator tends to visit the Esquire Grill on 13th and K on a regular but intermittent basis... I should stop by one time and say hi to you since I'm in Sacramento like every week.

Posted by: Chris at June 04, 2004 09:28 AM (Wj1fh)

3 Perhaps we can both blog about Clinton's book on the same day -- it's on my list too! I haven't spent much time in Sacramento, but I did do the nifty California International Marathon there in December. By the end of the race, all I could think was that the town was too damned flat. And the summer heat... hoo boy.

Posted by: Hugo at June 04, 2004 10:09 AM (APlYz)

4 Oh bitch, bitch, bitch: I'm even more of a snob than you are and I'd trade Tallahassee for Sacramento without a second thought, so keep in mind that it's all relative. Provincial? Not even; this is nowheresville. Two and a half years and I certainly haven't gotten used to it, let alone ever felt I "belonged" here (thank God). But at least I'm not bitter. ;-)

Posted by: Dave J at June 04, 2004 11:32 AM (VThvo)

5 i spent a night in Talahassee when i was 12 years old. i remember it as a beautiful and sleepy town with lots of weeping willow trees.

Posted by: annie at June 04, 2004 11:39 AM (zAOEU)

6 Well yeah, but that gets pretty old after a few days. It'd be a nice place to take a leisurely drive through on vacation, but I wouldn't want to live here (oh wait, I do). With both the legislators and the students gone, it is absolutely DEAD. Not that I'm suggesting a full-time legislature like yours would be an improvement. [shudder] In fact, I think I remember Schwarzenegger talking about going back to a part-time legislature. California's due for a constitutional overhaul: that could go hand in hand with dramatically increasing the number of legislators, so their districts would be small enough to make for some genuine accountability. If NEW HAMPSHIRE, of all places, has 400 members in its House of Representatives, the California Assembly could certainly deal with 200 or more.

Posted by: Dave J at June 04, 2004 12:43 PM (VThvo)

7 Welcome to town, Annie! I'm sure that I'll see ya around Blu

Posted by: Blu at June 04, 2004 01:32 PM (lj3Ju)

8 You BETTER go to the 33rd Street Bistro before you leave. Or, spend $75 at the Supper Club. I'm sure that'll be easy for you...

Posted by: Chris at June 04, 2004 08:52 PM (Wj1fh)

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On Friday i will be moving once again, this time to the great central valley of California. An friend of mine from Cal, named Colleen, will be starting her third year at the law school where i will start this fall. As luck would have it, she lives in a four bedroom house and two of her roommates moved out this month. Since she needs two roommates right away and i agreed to move up early. i spent last weekend packing and transferring some of my belongings to my parents' house. It's been a very busy and hectic couple of weeks. i hate moving.

Posted by: annika at 03:20 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Curious: which part of the valley are you going to be in (the Sacramento or San Joaquin)?

Posted by: Chris at May 25, 2004 04:48 PM (Wj1fh)

2 danger.danger. third year students party all the time, you could become corrupted - get a single!!

Posted by: jimi at May 25, 2004 05:25 PM (lN8eP)

3 also a question to ponder while you're packing...do you still really love all those books!!

Posted by: jimi at May 25, 2004 05:27 PM (lN8eP)

4 Welcome to the Big Valley. Hope your friend has air conditioning. Oh my God! Is it almost June again?

Posted by: John at May 25, 2004 07:53 PM (+xC6N)

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One of the running themes of my work life, my leitmotif if you will, is the "firmwide e-mail regarding dress code violations." i have been the unnamed cause of two such e-mails in the past, at two different offices, and it seems i may have become the inspiration for yet another at my present workplace.

i can't be sure though. My dress has become much more professional as my job responsibilities have increased. Still, on the occasion of this morning's e-mail, i decided to do a thorough examination of conscience, just to be sure.

O great and powerful H.R. person. It has been one and a half years since my last confession. Since then, i have . . .

Let me see that list . . .

Beachwear: Is that like a bikini? Okay. i'm good. i hope i have enough sense to know that i can't wear a bikini to work.

Halter tops: i'm okay there too. Unless you count company picnics.

Tank Tops: Oops. Maybe on a casual Friday or two.

Shorts: Shit. You got me there. i had no idea shorts were illegal. But i've only been wearing them on Fridays.

Severe Mini-Skirts: Define severe? Is that like leather?

Shirts with offensive language or slogans: You mean like Bush/Cheney 2004?

Flip Flops or Sandals: Guilty on both counts.

Leggings, Tights, Stirrup Pants: Nope. But you might want to walk down the hall and check out what a certain heiffer is wearing today.

Capri Pants, Pedal Pushers, or Flood Pants: Shit, those are out too? i love capris! And as for flood pants, go check out the I.S. guy, for Pete's sake.

Backless or Strapless Clothing: Come on. i'm not that much of a tart.

Sweat, Warm-Up, Jogging Suits or Workout Attire: Go check out the heiffer tomorrow.

Hats, Caps: Only on days that the Lakers play.

Denim shirts: i'm good.

T-shirts or sweatshirts: Only on casual day.

Midriff tops or sweaters: Okay, i push the envelope a bit on this one. But it's hard finding a top that doesn't creep up just a little as the day goes on.

Stone washed or severely faded denim pants or skirts: Not me. Come on, the eighties are so over.

Spandex: Don't make me laugh.

Overalls/jumpers: Only on days when i plan to do carpentry. Or play on the jungle gym. Gimme a break.

Painter or cargo pants: i've been known to wear cargo pants, and for that i'm sorry.

Workout attire, bike pants: i wouldn't need the extra padding of bike shorts if the chairs in the lunch room were more comfortable. Just kidding. i'd never.

Work/combat boots: LOL, no.

Sneaker/tennis/athletic shoes: Guilty.

Excessive jewelry: Do the tongue and belly studs count?

Stained, ripped, torn or wrinkled clothing: Not at all.

See through clothing: You mean i can't wear this outfit?

Low cut clothing: Not me. i have nothing to show off. You might want to take a look at the receptionist, though. That is if you can see past the crowd of male associates surrounding her.

Sunglasses in the building: Maybe once or twice after a hard night.

O great and benevolent H.R. person, i am heartily sorry for having offended thee. And i detest all my dress code violations because of thy just punishment. But most of all, because they offend thy delicate sensibilities, O great H.R. wench, who art all prude and needs to get a life. i firmly resolve, with the help of thy firm-wide e-mails, to violate the dress code no more, and to avoid the near occasion of style.

Amen.

Posted by: annika at 09:45 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Friday at work is my most healthy day. It's casual day, so i can wear a t-shirt and shorts and go for a walk at lunchtime.

But now i just learned that my other Friday habit is also very healthful for me. i'm talking about the binge drinking that usually commences at about 5:15 p.m. each Friday.

New evidence of the benefits of moderate alcohol use comes from research that identifies a physiological mechanism that apparently links regular consumption of beer to better cardiovascular health in older men and women.

'Moderate' in this context is defined as up to 30 grams of alcohol a day for men and up to 20 grams a day for women. For reference, a Dutch glass of beer contains about 10 grams of alcohol, while a U.S. glass contains about 12 grams.

Cool.

Posted by: annika at 03:59 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Trying to get her living situation in order. Trying to find a roommate and an apartment by long distance. Trying to spend the last few weeks of quality time with family, best friend, cute/sad boyfriend, without crying all the time. Trying to figure out how i'm going to afford everything: rent, food, books (text, horn, fiction, etc.), beer, DVDs, gasoline. Deciding whether to continue working, blogging, exercising, smoking, dancing, reading, writing, shopping, etc.

Posted by: annika at 11:33 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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A lot of people don't realize that i was originally cast for the role of Phoebe in the very first Friends pilot episode. Yes, it's true. They saw me in my high school production of Camelot, and apparently thought i'd be great for the dumb blonde part.

Another little known fact is that the series was originally set in Cancun. This was simply an excuse to keep us all in bathing suits, for marketing reasons. We filmed the pilot during one hazy debauched weekend on the beach and at a club called, coincidentally, Los Amigos. Matt LeBlanc does look great in jammies, by the way.

The reason they decided not to use me in the final cast might have had something to do with my well known weakness for tequila. Plus the fact that i kept shouting "lime!" then giggling uncontrollably when i'd forget my lines. Matt Perry thought that was hilarious.

i'm dissapointed that they fired me, of course. A million dollars an episode would come in handy right about now. But it's for the best, i guess. i would have spent it all on rehab anyway. i am glad that i did leave my own little mark on the show when i came up with the genesis for Phoebe's famous "Smelly Cat" song.

It was originally entitled "Shitty Cat," which was changed to "Crappy Cat," when the network decided that they needed to air the show before ten o'clock at night. i wrote that song during my "cat poetry" phase. Another fine example from that genre can be found here.

i still keep in touch with my "friends" and usually find myself calling on them when my gambling debts become a bit unmanageable. Jeniffer Aniston is always willing to spare me a few c-notes when she can, usually sending them over through an intermediary since she, for some reason, refuses to meet with me in person anymore.

i don't know how many times one should be expected to apologize for an innocent question to someone's husband. i simply asked Brad about the extent of his knowledge of Trojans. You know, he plays a trojan in that movie, so i didn't see what the big deal was, but she made such a stink about it.

But i'm really closest to David Swimmer, who let me in on a little secret about tonight's finale episode. i can't reveal too much, but i will tell you that all six characters end up in a small-town jail, accused of the crime of "criminal indifference."

Wait a minute, that's not right.

You know, a lot of people don't realize i was originally cast for the role of Elaine in the pilot episode of Seinfeld . . .

Posted by: annika at 10:44 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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