Well, after a last-dtich effort, alas I could not find someone to cover my shift tomorrow morning. That is why I am posting in my blog right now rather than holing up in a hotel room. Well, it's allowed me to procrastinate some more for packing.

Meanwhile, I'm feeling a bit feverish and I need to go to sleep... NOW. After all, I've got a 7 am shift. But... I can't. Sleep, that is.

I forgot to write down my shifts for next week, but I can do that tomorrow. All I can say is that I've got another 4:45 am shift next Tuesday. I think the hardest part about that shift is that I get home from school around 11 pm the night before.

Thanks for all y'all comments! I won't be able to post until Monday, but please feel free to post as many comments as you wish!

Ach, no comments! I am not loved!!!

Anyway, so I have now been to all four of my classes. I kinda feel guilty, like I should take more, but right now I'm at 11 units, ideally I want 12 but there aren't any good 1-unit classes, and besides, one 2-unit class seems like a 3-unit one. I was late to school today partly due to me leaving late, but also there was a lot of traffic on the way in. Damn rubberneckers. So even though I left roughly the same time as Monday, I got here about 20 mins later. I repeat, damn rubberneckers.

Then it threw me to see a friend of mine sitting in the front row, because I had just seen him on Monday and he didn't mention that he was taking this class. So I got confused and thought I was in the wrong room. So I spent another 5 mins verifying that yes, that is the room. So not only am I late, but I look stupid. Greeeeeaaaaaaat.

Alrighty, so my class schedule is as follows:

M 1-4pm: Web Animation (w/ Flash) -- Though the first third of the class is stuff I've done before, I've got hopes that I'll be able to learn something.

M 6:30-9:30pm: Storytelling -- Like I've said, guest speakers=nice, too much homework=not nice

W 12:30-4:30pm: Storyboard 1 -- (This is the 2-unit class! Every other one is 3!) From the looks of it, we'll be watching a lot of movies and discussing them, and we'll be storyboarding. Kinda like "Directing 101"

W 6:30-9:30pm: Beginning Digital Editing -- Due to a misprint in the catalogue, I thought this class was going to be Motion Graphics, i.e. AfterEffects. However, it'll be mostly Premiere, some AfterEffects, and a little bit of FinalCut Pro. For those of you that know, I took a year of digital video, which was an intense learn-as-you-go experience with Premiere. So... I'm kinda iffy about what I'll learn in the first month. But then, it has been two years, and it can't hurt to learn actually how to use it rather than, "I want to do ________ and I don't know how!" "Well, figure it out."

So that's it.

(I think part of the reason why I have a hard time communicating with that friend -- who's now in two of my classes! -- is that he's from Korea and he's only been here for a little over a year. He's taking his last ESL class this winter, so he told me to talk to him only in English so he can practice. Y'see, he's got a Korean roommate who's only been here 5 months so therefore his English sucks and he only has Korean friends, and he's got a Korean boss with a Korean business that has only Korean clients. So it's kinda odd having to speak slowly so he can understand me, and repeating myself repeatedly, but I have to try hard to understand his broken English -- cuz it don't matter how much ESL one takes, if you've got an accent, you've got an accent. Meanwhile, his roommate et al just smile and don't say a word around me cuz they're embarrassed by their English and doesn't think that I understand Korean.)

Y'know, even though SMC got reamed by the budget cuts, I'm still surprised by the number of students here. I guess the quality of the teachers do make a difference. My editing teacher works at Sony Imageworks, and my storytelling teacher was dropping names like missiles on Iraq. It's convinced me that I did make the right decision in making the loooong trek here twice a week. After all, I could've signed up for classes at Mt. SAC. They've got a computer animation program. Heck, they all do. (And what would be funny? I'd be in the same school as one of my Starbucks leads.) But I really doubt that any of the teachers over there have had the professional experiences that this school's teachers have or are having.

Another long blog. Please comment!

This morning's opening shift wasn't as bad as I thought. For the first 45 mins, all we did was get the store ready. And oddly enough, there was a customer waiting for the store to open at 5:30. The crowd was light, and things were pretty easy. And I had absolutely no parking problems. Around 7 am the morning rush came in spurts, but all-in-all, it wasn't bad at all. By the time I left around 9 (I made myself a Venti Iced Mocha -- three shots of espresso!) the real morning rush was pretty heavy.

Yeah, it was disturbing to start work when it's dark. When I left, 90% of the other stores in the shopping center weren't even open. But... well, it was kinda nice. Sure, I've been up for almost six hours now, and I'm tired, but it's kinda cool to have accomplished something before most people have even woken up.

As for school, I think it'll be good this semester. I crashed a Flash class, and I'm first on the waiting list, so I'll probably get in. SMC is stupid in that they don't have automatic waitlists, at least not for Academy classes. (Ah, I miss the days of Berkeley.) So it started out as 9 people trying to take 3 seats, and then a few people moved to laptops and a few people wanting to add didn't stick around at the end, so it ended up 3 people trying for 2 seats. And I was the odd one out. But there was one guy who didn't come and the teacher couldn't get ahold of, so if he doesn't show up next class, then I get his seat. If anything, I figure if I stick around enough, then I'll eventually get a seat. After all, I don't have a unit quota to fill. (Speaking of which, the F-1 visa students now have to maintain 12 units for the semester. It's caused a bit of desperation with the foreign students, and there are surprisingly a large number of foreign students at SMC.)

The second class is "Storytelling." One of the books we have to read is Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, so Christine, thank Alex for me for giving me that book. (I think it was a Christmas present?) Part of our homework this week is to watch "Enterprise." Someone yelled out, "Could we watch a better show?" Haha. Yeah... that show does need a lot of work. But I've been rather loyal to the Star Trek franchise since I got into TNG during high school. Heck, I even went to see Nemesis in the theaters. Anyway, the exciting part of the class is the guest speakers. And at our next class, the speaker will be... Alison Arngrim! (She played Nellie Olsen on "Little House on the Prairie.")

Anyway, before I end this entry, for those you that don't know, "snoogins" means "just kidding," and "snooge" means something like "that's cool" both are references from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. And DrWhateley would like the rest of you, my gentle readers, to respond to his whacked out comments. So comment away, please!

It was kinda weak of me, but on Saturday, after only a four-hour shift, I came home beat. But I learned to make Tazoberry Frappuccino, and Tazoberry Creme Frappuccino (which is really really good!), Mocha Frappuccino, Caramel Frappuccino, and Mocha Malt Frappuccino. I made a Cafe Americano and a Latte, but I don't remember how.

Oh, for those of you that want to know (namely only Beno), my Starbucks uses actual ground espresso. They have a policy to use espresso within 10 seconds of brewing. So every brew makes two shots, and for each brew, they use new espresso. It's kinda cool. You dump the old, then put two pushes of espresso into the jet, use this thing to pat it down, stick it back on the brewer, and then hit the button to brew two shots.

It's been tough getting someone to cover my Saturday shift. Apparently, it's a big holiday weekend or something. :) Still, if I can't get anyone to cover it, then I'll have to go to the Retreat late, miss two sessions with the guest speaker, and arrive in the middle of the San Diego Zoo trip. Which means that I'll have to call and ask to see which animals they're next to and try to catch up. So rather than do all that, I would rather go Friday night.

Today after church, I stayed after a bit to help make care packages for retreat. But first we went to Starbucks to get coffee. And I was able to use my 30% discount! So cool. So we got 5 drinks and it came out to only $12! Sweet.

Well, I sorta have next weekend taken care of. I just have to have someone take over my Saturday morning shift. Either that, or I will end up going to the retreat late. Next Tuesday, they've got me scheduled for the opening shift. It is insane. From 4:45 AM 'til 8:45! I'm usually not even awake at 8:45 am! I'm half-tempted to stay up all night for it, except that all-nighters ruin even my sleep pattern.

School starts in three days!

Oh, I promised to post my schedule every week on my blog. So, here goes:

Tomorrow: 2-6 pm work
Sunday: church 'til 1:30ish

Monday: school all day (though it might end early)
Tuesday: 4:45-8:45 am work
Wednesday: school all day
Thursday: FREE
Friday: 10:30-2 pm work, then head off to retreat around 6pm
Saturday: RETREAT (unless I can't get someone to cover my shift, then it's 7:00-11:15 am work)
Sunday: RETREAT

Monday: (Labor Day) RETREAT

I need to go to sleep considering that I've got work in 10 hours. (It still feels odd considering I've been a "lady of leisure" for so long.) But I screwed up with my schedule request (I thought Labor Day Weekend was Sept 6-8, not Aug 30-Sept 1) and I hope that won't cause problems. Argh.

Today's training class was fun. The funnest part was the coffee-tasting. It's a lot like wine-tasting. We used a french press to brew four different kinds of coffee and then poured them in little cups. You take each cup, smell deeply to describe the aroma ("Umm... it smells like coffee."), then slurp it to figure out what part of the tongue tastes it ("Umm... in the center?"), and then you drink it too describe the taste ("Umm... it tastes like coffee."). But I do have to say, there is a difference. At least between the Starbucks stuff and the stuff out of the can. (I think it was Folgers.) The Starbucks stuff, at least the "bold" coffee, isn't as acidic (i.e. sour) so it's something you could even drink black.

Anyway, to answer your question, Beno, as a barista, I would mostly brew. I think. I haven't been trained to make espresso stuff yet. They actually have a 9-shift new-hire training schedule. I know that the espresso-based cold drink bases are made from a mix, though before they actually brewed the espresso for each batch. It's more complex than I thought, being a barista. Mainly due to all the different drinks and coffees there are. But it beats telemarketing. :) And the company does seem to care about their employees. Oops, I mean partners. In 90 days, I'd qualify for stock options, where I can buy SBUX shares for a 15% discount. Nice. But it might not be 'til December that I qualify for medical.

I think I'm finally getting over the jitters. Caffeine on an empty stomach isn't a good thing. :)

I was just kidding about those comments. :)


Maybe.

More wedding photos finally up!

Thanks for all your congrats. I start working next Tuesday, and if you guys come by while I'm on shift and there's no one else there, I'll totally hook y'all up!

School starts soon, too. This week is my last week of laziness. I gotta stop staying up this late, too.

This weekend was a mixture of good and bad. Sometimes my parents (mainly my mom) can drive me so nuts! I won't go much into detail, but I will say that when East meets West, things ain't pretty.

Comments please on how hot I look in those wedding photos!

Happy Birthday to Kaela! And in case I don't get a chance to say so next week, Early Happy Birthday Beno!

Anyway, I promised pictures, and I will post them... soon. I just end up using my Dad's computer too often, and it's a hassle going back and forth between the two.

On another note, the city of Chino is in an outrage over The OC. It was on the local news after this week's show. The news crew was actually at the Chino Spectrum, right in front of the Starbucks (more on that next). Ppl complained that the show wasn't accurately portraying Chino, that there are a lot of nice houses and good schools here. And it's true. I haven't seen as much graffitti here as some parts of Placentia, too. The mayor has offered to take the producers on a tour of Chino, but so far, they haven't accepted. I think it would have been a little more realistic had the kid been from South LA (no longer South Central since the city council voted to change it... something about negative connotation), cuz Chino isn't so much "wrong side of the tracks" as it's more "used to be one giant farm."

Now, for my big news:

OHMYOHMYOHMYOHMYOHMYOHMYOHMYOHMYOHMY

So finally, two weeks after my second interview at Starbucks, I get up the balls to call Starbucks, thinking if they're going to reject me, then I at least want to know the reason why. Well, the manager picks up, I tell her who I am, she says that she was just about to start making the call-backs.

Then she says, oh, I think you're over-qualified to be just a barista. Well, I reply that I just needed a job for the next coupla years while I go to school. And then she says, oh, so it's not a career thing for you. Oh, but what about the long drive? And I'm thinking, that Starbucks is a 5-min drive away. I could even walk there. But then she elaborates, you drive so far for school. Ohhh. So I reply, oh, I only go to school about two to three days a week, and this fall (if i successfully crash that one class) I'll only be going to school Mondays and Wednesdays. Well, she replies, that's different.

And then she says, ok, I'm going to hire you on, I'll call you back to schedule a first impression.

Daaaaang. Some of you might notice that this entry is posted rather early in the day. (I'm sorta not used to waking up before noon... or 1 pm... or even 2 pm....) Well, she called me back this morning and gave me my schedule for next week.

Holy moly! I'm officially employed now!!!

Afterwards, I spent the next ten minutes scared out of my wits. That's the thing about unemployment. I've been unemployed for so long (and before that, I barely worked 2-5 hours per week), that I've grown to love my captors. Yeah, it sucked having no money and constantly fighting with my mom about my laziness, but in exchange, I had TIME. Lots of it. I developed a bad habit of watching late night TV. I just checked out some books from the library. Final Fantasy Tactics. I've even been keeping up with the storyline of Days of Our Lives. (Speaking of which, Sami and Lucas??? That's too whack.)

But, as the Bible says (I think), he who does not work, does not eat. And since I haven't been doing much housework, I figure it'd be easier for me to contribute financially. And if anything, now I can start saving up for a Vegas trip, and perhaps even a Korea trip.

I will be posting more wedding pictures soon, so click on the link on the entry below sometime in the next few days. One word, though: it's MY vanity website, so I'm putting up pictures mostly of me. Yeah, yeah. Wanna see less of me and more of them? Tough. Try Beno's website. They should be under journal. (Speaking of which, Beno, update your website! At least change the index page! It's really out of date! If you want, I can even make a flash splash page for you.)

Anyway, thanks to y'all for your comments. I haven't called Starbucks yet, but I'll do so soon. Why do I really want to work there when they are frickin' busy morning 'til night? Cuz they offer benefits even to part-timers. Now, I don't care about the stock options, but it would be nice to have medical insurance. I haven't had a check-up in three years.

What's my latest time-waster? Final Fantasy Tactics. I named my main guy CletusTheYokel (slack-jawed wouldn't fit), I think cuz I was inspired by The OC.

For those of you that did figure out where Ubbi-Dubbi came from... how'd you figure it out? Did my clues help?

One more thing: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is an underrated movie. Well, it's more enjoyable if you've read the literature that these characters have come from. And the comic books. Anyway, Tom Sawyer's age is late-20's, right? Perhaps even mid- or early-20's. Well, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, he's about 12 or 13, and slavery was still legal, which meant that it was sometime in the 1850's. Even if it was in the early 1860's, by the time the movie rolls around, it's almost 40 years later (1899). So Tom Sawyer should be about 50. But... well, you gotta have a handsome American hunk. BTW, I don't know if you, my gentle readers, know that Mark Twain wrote a sequel called Tom Sawyer, Detective and that's where they got the idea to make him a Secret Service Agent. Yeah, I know, one of you told me that. Now shut up.

I really wish they had played up the Tom's-crush-on-Mina thing more.

Okay, it's been awhile, so I've got a lot to say:

First note, in the new show The OC, the "poor" kid from the other side of the tracks is from Chino! Hahahaha! If I didn't bag on this town as much as I do, I'd be offended. After all, there aren't that many houses with mattresses and tires and a chain link fence in the front yard.

Second, I haven't heard from Starbucks yet, it's been more than a week... so what does that mean?

Third, Ah-nold is running for governor. I am tempted to vote for him just so I could say that The Terminator is my governor. And he probably can't screw up California more than it's already been screwed.

Fourth, the source of Ubbi-Dubbi is... the show Zoom on PBS! Yeah, I'm pathetic, but I like to catch it every now and then. It's basically a show where kids send in jokes, stories, etc, and there is a cast of kids who tell jokes, act out stories (usually in Ubbi-Dubbi), play games that other kids have invented, and do science experiments.

Fifth, I stole some pics off my brother-in-law's website (still sounds weird!) and you can see them on his journal or else I put them all in one place on my website.

Crap, I had written a lengthy post, and then it got lost! Dagnabit!

Alright, I'm getting tired, but to recount: Thanks for your comments, sorry you can't delete a double-post, all you have to do is click "comment" once and have faith that it is saving.

Hint for the origins of Ubbi-dubbi.

Anyway, briefly, I went kayaking with church folks today. Malibu Kayaks. It was fun, but three hours of oaring is a tough workout. And the water that splashed onto me is seawater, so it dried to a nice, thin layer of salt. My shoulders are killing me, but I think what's worse is that I got sunburned... again. I swear, I put on so much sunblock. SPF 30! And yet, my legs have developed a reddish tinge. Due to this activity, I wasn't able to go to the airport with my parents to meet up with my sister and her husband (!) before they flew back to San Jose. I get torn like that. There have been other times where I was forced to choose between hanging out with family or friends. (Sometimes that choice was taken away from me.) I guess it's cool that I actually do like hanging out with my family, considering that many other 24-year-olds avoid it like the plague. I guess I just want the best of both worlds. Especially since my weekdays tend to be filled with boredom and/or loneliness. Well, I'm not really lonely. There are many times I prefer solitude to company. But I don't think I can ever live alone. It's comforting to know that my parents are in the other room. But it sucks to want company and not have it, and also to have too much company. Such are the little dilemmas of life. Hardly worth mentioning. 'Cept in my blog!

No word from Starbucks yet. They said that my availabilities is one of the biggest hiring factors. Well, I'm free practically every single day, and it was true when I applied four weeks ago, and it'll be true for about three more weeks. But then school will start! Aye chihuahua. Who knew that it would take a month to hire for a coffeeshop?