My icon pretty much sums up everything. Everyone loves Nick Lidstrom. EVERYONE. In fact I would actually like an alternate version of this icon with my face photoshopped in. Someone who is good at photoshop, get on this please. I will provide you with pictures of me if necessary.

Oh god, and what if Homer decides that he's going to follow Nick back to Sweden? I'd lose all of them in one fell swoop.

But seriously. I hate change. And I really don't know what's going to happen with the future of the Wings. I still have Pavel and Hank and Nik, but I don't feel like there's a new core yet, a new young core to build around. I mean I love my Emmers, but...get on that, Kenny Holland.

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Not gonna lie, part of me still doesn't quite believe Nick isn't coming back. Won't believe it until season starts for us again. The other part of me is all NOOOOOO NICK LIDSTROOOOOOOM WHYYYYYYY I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUU.

Also, how boss is Nick Lidstrom? So boss he announces his retirement during the Stanley Cup Finals! Because he knows most people do not care about the Devils or the Kings and would welcome some other hockey news! This is like one big fuck you to the Stanley Cup Finals! His entire career Nick Lidstrom has been courteous and considerate but not anymore! With his retirement he can be selfish!

He is going boating down the river with Cheli ~

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PMS making my boobs hurt. :(

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Totally unrelated: I'm sure y'all know that song "Call Me Maybe" right? It's funny because I heard the chorus and it's like my job. I meet people and hand them my business card and hope that they'll call me for stuff (or hope that they don't call me, maybe, because I don't like handling the bad stuff haha).

I just noticed I haven't updated in a few days. This is mostly because Tumblr has stolen most of my life, I've been reading a lot in between watching a bunch of movies, and work has been pretty crazy.

My weekend was uneventful. Visited parents. Lounged around.

Oh, and my offer for the condo (why do they call it a condo when it's really just an apartment? Shall I call it flat from now on?) was accepted! We have opened escrow, whatever that is, hahaha. All I know is that this seems to entail a ton of paperwork and moving money around. They are doing inspections next week, and hopefully nothing will be found. And I guess once my loan is approved (gotta send in paperwork for that) it means I shall soon be owning property?

It's not a big place, just about 800 square feet and only one bedroom. Which I preferred because I know if I get a second bedroom all that will end up happening is me storing a ton of crap in there. The one minor irritation I have with the place is that there's no en suite washer/dryer, not even installation ports. But otherwise the place is quite nice. And I've talked to a few of the residents there, and they all say it's very quiet and nice. And I'm still walking distance to cafes/pharmacy/grocery stores/shopping/train station. Link to a few pics, if you're curious.

It amuses me that the zip code is 91101 because in my head, that equates "911" + 01 (heero yuy) Yeah I know I'm crazy.

It still freaks me out that I could soon be a home owner. And I think of all the things I'll have to do once I move (new bed, buy fridge, decorate!) and I'm exhausted (and kind of sad as I take out more money from my bank account, I enjoy hoarding money, what of it). Is this growing up? Guess I'll find out by the end of June.

I've come to realize that not only do I dislike driving, I actually dread it. Even if it's just a short distance, even if it's not during rush hour, if I am required to drive anywhere I feel like I spend hours beforehand bracing myself for this strenuous task.

This doesn't bode well as I do still live in Los Angeles and sometimes, driving has to happen.

But it's true, anytime driving is required my first reaction is "god whyyyyyyyy" and then "is there no bus or train for this?" and then "ugh let's just get this over with." This is why for the past two years, the only real driving I've done is my bi-monthly visit to the parents. And that's just me driving to their house and then back, no stops in between. And the only reason I don't take the train is because I take the dog with me, and she's not allowed on the train (booooo).

No road trip joy for me anymore, I guess. Oh well. I've never been a huge fan of road trips anyway.

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I also noticed that I have this tendency to make plans with myself. For example, I make a plan to go out for lunch by myself. I research the restaurant, decide on a time and have it set in my head that on a particular day, I shall be having a lunch date with me. So when something comes up to mess up that plan (and I'm talking non-work related, non-emergency stuff), I get a bit upset.

This...isn't good, is it? Some friends say I ought to be more flexible, it's not like I had a doctor's appointment or anything. But you know what? I wouldn't cancel on a friend for no good reason, so why should I cancel on myself for the whims of another?

Or is this just my OCD I don't know.

Here is it.



LOL I artisticky.

Although I need to be skinnier to fit better into this dress. Damn shoulders and giant arms. ;__;

It's like I followed this rainbow bridge and fell into a pot of gold.

You guys, Tumblr is totally stealing my life. There is just so much pretty. And funny. And feels. It's like this giant shiny web that you can't escape, not that you really want to escape it.

Although. I've come to the realization that fandom is like one big paradox. Well, it is for me. Because while it's so exciting and fun to find other people who love the same things/people you love, other people who are funny and amazing and just get it, it also makes me kind of upset because it's like my love is less special.

It's like, I'm just one in a long line of people who love, and I will never be number one. So I take my love and hide in the back corner and I just sit there petting it so it doesn't seem like I'm, you know, trying.

Did any of that even make sense? God fandom is a disease, it's like syphilis and my brain is being consumed.

And anyway I wrote more fic you can read it here. It is Steve Rogers who is Captain America who is trying to keep going. I work out my feelings through fic. That is what I do.

I went with Kris to Universal Studios. There were these dinosaurs.



Then we made friends with this robot.



Then I met this dude. He's a demi-god but he was undercover or some shit.



This chick was totally harshing my squee, so I punched her. XD



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I would die if I could get my hands on life-sized cutouts of the Avengers. There would be mini-movies. Directed by me. Where the cutouts would be found in hilarious and compromising positions. And possibly I could try to cuddle with them.

And you know, more Avengers: I wrote fic. It's not polished in the least, I basically had this thought while I was out walking the dog and came home to scribble it down. It's Natasha coping as the team copes and a little bit of love.

I want so much to write something with Cap, his PTSD, how he's coping, or maybe something about Cap and Widow and Hawkeye being non-powered superheroes and how the big damn flying heroes do need them to cover their blind spots. I just can't figure out the words. Ugh.

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Oh and I guess the new trend in movies is old-time gangster era? There's going to be one with Tom Hardy set during the prohibition, Gangster Squad with Ryan Gosling and L.A. Noir with Simon Pegg, apparently. I like period gangster flicks, so I don't mind too much. And the latter two are set in Los Angeles, which is cool. I always like to see films set in L.A. (Well, or any place I have been to myself so I can be all "hee, I've been there!" about it, I'm silly.)

L.A. Noir is filming down the street from me RIGHT NOW. They have been for the past week, and I have walked past their cameras and trailers every evening but alas, I have spotted no Simon Pegg. I have crap luck with these things. :P

Do I still need to cut for spoilers?

( Just in case. )

I had a somewhat freaky dream last night that involved being kidnapped by terrorists. I wasn't particularly scared or anything, I was mostly angry because I'd been on vacation when I got kidnapped. And the terrorist people wanted me to make one of those hostage videos, where I cry and ask the president to save me. Except I knew they were going to kill me anyway, so I took a chance and jumped on who I thought was the leader and bit his neck. Like I aimed for the carotid and ripped as big a hole as I could, and there was blood everywhere. And I kept thinking "oh fuck they are going to shoot me now" but I kept gnawing because no way was I going to die alone.

I woke up before I found out if they shot me or not. But it was rather disconcerting to get to work and then find this article today. I mean, it says the man was kidnapped back in August. But the video was only released today...anyway, because of the dream, it was freaky.

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In news that is not sad, Avengers fan art has led me to want the Avengers to get puppies. Think about it.

Captain America: *clutching litter* Puppies are great! I love puppies! Let's keep them all!
Iron Man: No. Puppies are messy, whiny, needy...well, that one's pretty cute.
Black Widow: *petting puppies* We could keep just one...
Thor: Hounds are noble and brave creatures, well suited to being companions of warriors.
Hulk: Hulk can has puppy? *gingerly touches one with finger*
Hawkeye: *observing with interest from high in the rafters*

Elsewhere...

Loki: *pouting and surrounded by cats* I like kitties...

Okay, artistically minded folk, draw it.

So...I went to see Avengers again this morning. Still awesome. Still need more Hawkeye.

I'm also weirded out that a preliminary search for stuff on Clint Barton includes fic slashing him with Coulson. Is there something I'm missing here?

I weird myself out because seriously, I'm not at all attracted to Jeremy Renner but I can't. stop. staring. at. his. face. It's like I'm entranced.

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In real life news (ew, real life I know) I went to look at a couple of places with my parents today. It was okay. Part of me is still freaking out, like do I really have to buy a place? Can I be a homeowner? I can barely handle having a bank account, much less worry about things like financing a place, mortgages, loans, insurance. I have no clue how to do any of those things and I have even less interest in learning.

I'd really rather rent because it's so much easier for me to deal with. But it's supposed to be an investment towards my future, blah blah blah, and my parents are dead set on it. I guess I'm not opposed to owning a place, the concept just freaks me out. It's growing up and I totally am not ready for this.

I mean seriously, the most expensive thing I have to date is my car, and even then my dad manages all the paperwork for it, I just write checks once in awhile. Perhaps I am one of those people who will need a personal accountant/assistant to manage all these things for me. You know, when my dad won't do them anymore. I hope I win the lotto so I can be rich enough to keep an assistant on retainer.

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If the Cup Finals end up being Kings vs. Devils...well, I'm going to laugh, and then I'm going to avoid the Staples Center like the plague. Bandwagon fans in LA are irritating enough, but they're mean too, like they're entitled to shit and I don't know why.

Other than the fact that it is SO FREAKING AMAZING everything else I have to say about it probably contains spoilers so I will put it under a cut. It gets a little long...

( I need more Hawkeye nooooooooowwwwwww. )

Props to Joss Whedon, he did an amazing job. I mean, the movie was really long, but it didn't feel long at all. There was never a moment where I felt disengaged, and some of the shots really were gorgeous. And seeing that he WROTE the movie, I can see why I love all the characters so much. Joss Whedon knows his snark, and he does not do weak sauce ~

It's funny because I also just finished watching Firefly, so I'm on a total Joss Whedon bender right now. XD

Three problems I had with the protests in LA yesterday:

1. They blocked the streets. I have no problem for people who want to peacefully gather, but when they block the streets and cause horrific traffic, it kinda mostly pisses people off. At least in LA no one threw trashcans into the street and knocked over news stands? Still. Not sure how this is supposed to garner sympathy for their cause.

2. Speaking of causes, what was the cause again? It seemed like everyone and their mom was out protesting something, from immigration reform to Occupy to school loans to Trayvon Martin. And while it is indeed very important to get the public to notice your cause, it doesn't help when it's just a mish-mash of different slogans and no one really knows what you want. As far as I'm concerned you are just shouting words. There was no clear message.

2.1 Also, I loved how dedicated some people were to their cause: I saw plenty of protesters drop their signs and leave once the Laker game started. I guess the NBA playoffs still trump social justice?

3. As far as I know, this did not happen in LA, but it still has to be said: I have a major problem with the "protesters" who slashed car tires and bashed in car/store windows. That's not protesting, that's just vandalism. Furthermore, the people hurt by those actions are completely innocent. And while the Occupy movement denounced the vandals, I still think they need to take some of the blame - they need to police their own marches and gatherings to prevent vandals from tagging along. I'm sure plenty of "peaceful protesters" saw vandals going around smashing things and did nothing. Own your own damn movement.

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Moving on to something completely different...( I got to meet a T-rex. )

Went to Festival of Books today after all, although I went right as it started and left as soon as the crowds started forming.

On a total side note: This is part of why I want to move out of downtown. It's only going to get more crowded and New York-like and I just want to be able to walk down a street without running into a frillion people. I hate crowds. :(

Anyway, I stupidly thought that as long as I stayed in the shade, I'd be okay, so I did not use sunblock on my shoulders or neck. But I guess the UV index was really high today? I was only in direct sunlight for a bit and my shoulders and neck are all red and hurty now. Thank god I used sunblock on my face!

Kris went with her friend, but we also got to hang out a bit!

FOB

Tomorrow is the brunch thing my boss is speaking at, and I'll be going to make nice and make connections. :D

Wings are out of the playoffs, but I'm not devastated because I had a feeling this was going to happen when they went on their late season skid. I do wish they hadn't lost to the Preds - of course I never want them to lose, but if they do I'd like it to be to a team I can actually respect - but oh well, it is what it is.

Although, just because I am accepting the loss in a calm and collected fashion doesn't mean I don't wish the Predators ill in the next round. I hope whoever they end up playing fucking slaughters them, the classless gutless bastards. XD

Not going to worry about off-season stuff. I think we do need to do a bit of rebuilding. After all, Pavel and Hank are now the Euro version of the old Stevie and Shanny (back when Shanny was, you know, on our side), so we have to get some new wonder kids in to be the new Pavel and Hank. LOL that seems kind of confusing, doesn't it?

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Today I volunteered at the airport and it was fun! Sort of! All I had to do was greet people coming for the convention and escort them to the shuttle buses, and it was pretty slow so it got boring at times. I ended up playing helper monkey to confused tourists more often than not, but that was all right.

The people organizing the volunteers are pretty disorganized though. They kept panicking over everything when it really wasn't all that complicated. In the end I just told them I'd be going to my post and left them to their dysfunction, and it worked out better that way!

I think I have developed a sense of schadenfreude when it comes to going to games at the Staples Center. (I'd say this applies to when I go to games at the Honda Center as well, except I don't really go there anymore.)

See, my team has never been the home team. When I got into hockey, by chance I got into the team before I got into the sport, so I've never cared much for the Kings (or Ducks). Thus, when I go to Wings games, I am hoping for a dead silent arena full of disappointed home fans because that means my team has won.

But this seems to have carried over to where I don't enjoy a game as much unless the home team is losing. I'm not happy until the crowd is upset. Which is...well, not very nice of me. But I don't know how to be a home team fan anymore!

Case in point: my sister got tickets for the Kings/Canucks game tonight through her job. Since it was free and Staples Center is walking distance from my place, I said why not and went to the game. Playoff hockey, you know? (Speaking of, Pens/Flyers OMG Flyers got lazy or what?) And since Loberto wasn't starting, I didn't have anything in particular to hate the Canucks about. I also have nothing against the Kings - I actually quite like Jonathan Quick - although I have to say Kings fans at games are freaking mean. And apparently that was enough for me to want the Canucks to win, just so the mean mean fans wouldn't get to see a sweep. :P

It was a pretty decent game, a few scrums and Henrik Sedin proved that he couldn't score in the playoffs without his brother, lol.

If I ever get to watch a game at the Joe, hopefully I will be able to cope. I'm so used to not hearing the goal horn when my team scores that it will be really weird when I experience it!

1. Orientation today was boring, but I got a T-shirt and vest and they are of good quality too! It pays to volunteer for a rich organization, LOL. Friday should be fun, I'll be at LAX, my old stomping ground, helping travel writers from various countries the crappy terminals.

2. The Wings came close, but seriously, I don't get the sense that they are trying. :(

3. Currently obsessed with Jeremy Renner. Not just because he plays Hawkeye (although I do like me some Hawkeye), but because I finally saw Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and man was he adorable. And because I am permanently stuck on hoyay! mode, I also think Jeremy Renner's character should get together with Benji (Simon Pegg) because it would be SO CUTE.

ETA: This is mostly for my own reference, but I have to mention that I am stupid and did not enjoy the 626 Night Market one bit. I don't know why I thought I would, I didn't even like going to night markets in Taiwan. It was way too crowded, I couldn't move for the throngs of people and I didn't even get to eat anything because the lines (what lines? everyone was just jammed together) were too long and confusing. And I got there EARLY. :P

So, lesson learned again. No crowds for me, I'm only going to hang out where there are moderate amounts of people from now on.

ETA2: Oh! I'm not the only one who thought the 626 Night Market was a huge and unmitigated disaster! So true about the people who brought babies and strollers...there was a lady behind me who kept trying to run me over with her stroller, like that was going to get her out of the crowd faster...I wanted to turn around and yell "I WILL KICK YOUR BABY IF YOU DON'T STOP" and I would have done, except I couldn't lift my legs because of the crowd. Fail.

So this past weekend Jesus was blessed by the Easter Bunny with chocolate eggs and Peeps and came back to life to signal the end of Lent, is what I understand of this holiday.

I went out with Kris on Saturday and walked around Pasadena. We had brunch! And mimosas! It was really hot. Then on Sunday I went out with my mom to look at a few neighborhoods where I'm considering moving to. Again, considering Pasadena. It was really hot.

It's looking more likely that I will move to Pasadena. Because while downtown LA is developing fast and full of new and exciting things - like bars, restaurants and kitschy boutique shops - and while it's really nice to live a 15-minute walk from Staples Center, we know I can't really deal with being around a lot of people. Crowds generally upset me. And with AEG pushing to renovate the convention center and build a football stadium and new lofts getting built/renovated in spades, there is going to be a crap ton of people migrating downtown in the coming years.

And honestly, I don't really take advantage of all the fun stuff anyway. I no longer do power bar crawls every Friday, or even do happy hours. I only really eat out on weekends now. I don't go to theatre shows all the time, or participate in community events, mostly for lack of time, interest and money. Deep down, I am a homebody. I go home after work, play with the dog and chill. So I should free up this "fast paced lifestyle" for someone who would actually take advantage of it.

I will miss coming across random fun stuff while walking around downtown. And I'll be sad that when City Target and Spring Street Park finally open, I won't be here anymore. But it's not like I won't still work in downtown.

Plus, Pasadena is just a short train ride away (thus why I like it as I won't have to drive to work). So instead of going to Pasadena on weekends like I do now, I'd be going to downtown on weekends. And the area I'm looking at is walking distance from the Paseo, which has restaurants and shopping, grocery stores and some great parks. It's also walking distance from the ice rink! So it's not super crowded, but there are things to do that won't require me to drive, and the neighborhood is fairly friendly but not trying to get up in everybody's business.

I guess most of me just isn't cut out for true urban living. I've enjoyed my year and a half in the heart of downtown, but I think I'd like some greenery now. Although ideally if I had my way, I'd be moving to Santa Monica right by the beach. Maybe in 2016, when Expo opens to Santa Monica?

Anyway, nothing is going to be set in stone for the next month or two, I'm still weighing my options. My mom still wants me to buy a place, I'm not that sure, but we'll see.

I've been told a storm system is moving in, so the insanely sunny 80F weather I've enjoyed this weekend is going to degenerate into rain by Wednesday. And not that I don't appreciate rain because we need water, but can't the weather just make up its mind? :(

So I didn't mention it here earlier, but the Armed Forces of the United States opened up a larger recruiting office right by Staples Center. This is only relevant because I'd been joking that I was going to run by and meet some Marines. And then, today happened.

You are standing at an intersection by a group of cute Marines in dress blues. What do you want to do?
You have selected: use dog as bait.
Good choice! Initiating contact sequence...
Oh no! Dog is distracted by a pigeon! Operation failed!
The Marines have continued on their way. What do you want to do?
You have selected: walk home in defeat.
Okay! Better luck next time!

Seriously, Maddy is always going around sniffing people's hands and crotches. The one time I actually needed her to do this, she failed!

On the plus side, I have proof that Marines are now hanging around downtown. Next time, I'll use something else as bait.

My mommy came downtown and we went to the Thai New Year (Songkran) Festival. It was a nice day, sunny but windy. The festival didn't have a lot, but there was food and random cute things. I ate a lot of mango rice, fried bananas and papaya salad, mmmmmm. Sadly, I did not get a free umbrella as they ran out by the time I got there. Maddy-kins and I were not impressed.

This is what I get for waking up at 6 in the morning yo. I'm beat, but the day's not over yet!

I woke up at 6 to go for a jog. Why, I don't know, I'm just stupid that way. I mean what normal person wakes up that early on a weekend if she doesn't have to? So dog and I went out. It was a little drizzly, which was okay. The dog got pooped on by a crow, which was not okay. :(

Came back, cleaned dog up. Lay down and read for a bit as the coffee shop I wanted to go to wasn't open yet. Then I went to get coffee and go grocery shopping. Returned from grocery shopping, got dog and went back out to visit the outdoor sample sale I'd come across. That was fun, although shopping with my dog is rather difficult. She wanted to explore everything.

Then I went to check out the Fight for Air Climb that was going on two blocks down. You know, where people sign up and donate/raise money, then climb top the top of a really tall buidling (using stairs). I hadn't signed up or anything, but they had some food trucks out and really hot firemen were hanging around, so.

Then I walked down to the library to pick up the books I had on hold. By that point I wasn't feeling so good - figured I was coming down with a cold - so when I got home, I drank some Thermaflu and took a nap. Now I have to wonder what I'm doing tonight? I'm hungry. XD

Though you know what I did not do today? Check out apartments. Oops.

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I never thought I would say this, but I'm tired of reading fanfiction porn! I spent the last few days reading a lot of fic that involved sexing, and while most of it was really good fic, I don't want to read about cocks and red lips and jerking off anymore. Doesn't do much for me as I clearly don't understand the need to get in someone's pants right now omg I can't stand it must tear off clothes! I should go back to reading angsty fics that have happy endings. Haha.