The Agrinautica

   Yesterday, Saturday, Chad van Shoelace had convinced me to meet him at Starbucks at 1pm, so I walked the league or so from my apartment to there. I think Chad likes to patronize Starbucks as a philosophical counterstrike against the many who are biased against it due to (accurate!) perceptions of it being a massive impersonal corporate infection of the world. Mindless yuppies like the smarmy inoffensive appearance of Starbucks, persons who fear corporate sterilization of the world loathe starbucks, and Chad makes me meet him there because he is a jerk. (=

   Somehow it was eventually 4pm, and I decided to stop by Allan's because I had lost my sharpie there last night. The sharpie was not to be found, but evidence of it could still be found on Allan's two friends who had been passed out the night before. Arriving there I was immediately inducted into drinking mojitos and making dry ice bombs (and putting dry ice in mojitos!). We watched a really silly movie called Mean Guns (one of those movies where people regularly sneak up on eachother by hiding off-camera in an area that should be in plain sight of the characters on camera).
   I ended up hanging out there until we all went to this party off Duke in the evening. Then we went to a party off Colgate (AKA Toothpaste Street, just around the corner from Duke). Allan was shocked to find the armchair he'd put out on the curb three years ago was now happily residing in the livingroom of this house.
   Nikki and some others eventually caught up with us there. Later ten of us somehow piled into Allan's sedan (two in the trunk!) and conveyed ourselves to Nikki's apartment in Greystone (all you really need to know about these locations is they're all close together in East Davis. Well, you don't really need to know that even unless you're obsessive about visualizing the whole thing).
   People played poker there and otherwise goofed around. After an hour or so of that I decided I ought to visit Gabi in South Davis, so I said my goodbyes and left on foot. I think it was about two miles. En route I crossed this overcrossing over the 80.

   This Morning (Sunday) I was not looking forward to the two leagues I'd have to walk to get home. Fortunately, when I called Allan to find out how the rest of his night went he offered to give me a ride.
   This evening I went for pizza at Woodstocks with Davis Citycouncilman Lamar Heystek.

   Tomorrow I have to catch a 5:55am train to arrive in Irvine, Orange County, at 5:06pm. )= Though its always been an 11 hour trainride (for a distance thats 8 hours by car), it used to leave at the slightly less painful time of 7:30am. Fortunately at least I have a ride to the station - Jason just got back from some obscure geology-oriented adventure and has his car with him.


Picture of the Day

   Earlier today I gathered together exactly $2.00 in change and trekked down to the vending machine by the pool to purchase an energy drink there (at $2, they're a better deal there than any grocery store or liquor store!). I'd put probably $1.70 in already when one of my dimes slipped from my hand and bounced between the vending machines. I awkwardly tried to reach it with my foot while some guy waited impatiently behind me, but was unable to and therefore had to push the coin return and return to my apartment for another dime. On my second expedition I was successful.

   Much later, after having survived thus far on ramen, gross taquetos from the back of the fridge, and other unpleasantries, I decided it was time to go to the grocery store. There I ran into my good friend Gabi, which was awesome. I loaded up some $50 worth of groceries, but when I went to pay for them I realized I didn't have my credit card on me. I only had two dollars in my wallet and lost my debit card in San Diego, so I had no way of purchasing the groceries. I apologized for causing them to have to restock the groceries and left, hungry and bothered.

   Back in my apartment I quickly found my credit card in the pocket of the pants I'd been wearing the other day ... but realized the credit card expired TODAY, and it was only fifteen minutes till midnight!!!
   I rushed to my car. Got the the grocery store at 11:50, got in the check-out line at 11:55 ... secretly loathed the two guys in front of me who were each buying only one item and felt like they were taking forever. Finally I was up and it was 11:59. I swiped my credit card first and definitely got it in while it was 11:59. I was safe! However it was 12:00 or 12:01 by the time the cashier had finished scanning all the items and such... and then she went to print out the receipt, "card expired." )=
   I was quite starving, and extremely disappointed, to say the least, after having tried so hard to get this food. It looked like I was going to be living off the beef jerky in my car and stale crusts until I would be able to check for the new card in the mail on monday. The cashier suggested I at least buy the mini-doughnuts as we scanned that, but they were over two dollers themselves. )= But the cashier felt so bad for me she paid the difference herself.

   While dejectedly eating doughnuts in the parkinglot I called Kristy, and she informed me that grocery stores accept personal checks, and I could therefore purchase foods as soon as I went back to my apartment and got my checkbook. I was reluctant to return to this safeway since I felt awkward about having caused them to have to restock two shopping carts of items in a row and generally felt like a loser, but then I remembered that the two cashiers working had mentioned to eachother that they were both supposed to be off at midnight.
   So I drove back to my apartment, got my checkbook, and returned to Safeway for the third time.
   I got all my items again and was relieved to see the one cashier working was someone I didn't recognize from before.
   "You sure its going to work this time?" The cashier greets me. So much for that. They must thing I'm very loserish, at least they don't know who I am or anything, right?
   "Hey you ran for senate right?" the cashier says. That was four years ago!
   Anyway, they accept the check without incident and I'm finally able to eat!! Kristy later pointed out that I neglected to get any fruits or vegetables.. looks like I'll be getting scurvy again. )= (...hey hops are a vegetable no?)


Picture of the Day

More OC roadways in the Beemobile

   So yesterday was my birthday. In accordance with tradition I was going to go out to dinner with my best friends, but no one could make it. Probably because I'm seen as something of an ogre or something. But Kristy and her roommate Joe went to dinner with me at Caffe Italia. I got the spicey "Pasta Kabloom," it was good.

   Afterwords I planned on chillaxing at Kristy's place and feeling sorry for myself as no one took up my invitation to chillax with us. This self pity plan was foiled however, when my frat-siblings from Phi Alpha Delta began showing up, eventually totalling about a dozen. Other than them, there were the people that lived there, Sashie, Gabi, and three friends of Gabi's (briefly). In conclusion, its a good thing I'm a frat boy now or I'd basically have no friends, basically. (=


   In other news: Philip Neustrom has made me obsolete with his new digital SLR camera.
   The (new) Secretary General of UCDMUN has resigned, time for another election.
   300 protestors have been killed in Uzbekistan. I told you recent events in Kyrgestan would cause unrest in Uzbekistan and Kazahkstan.
   On Friday I caught the end of The Deadutants playing on the quad, another show organized by Roxie. Then I participated in this community service thing aimed at getting kids from Davis High hepped up for college. At one point they were supposed to make a poster with the benefits and obstacles of attending college, but my group spent more time drawing pictures of things like darth vader on the poster. I tried to steer them in teh right direction, so I helped add Trogdor to the poster.


VIDEO of the Day!!: FROLICKING SQUIRRELS - "pinninated!!" (squirrel exclamation during the video, according to Kristy)


Picture of the Day

   So last night I was enveloped in a huge cloud of law, ASUCD legal matters, federal rules of civil procedure and judicial concepts. I think I've emerged from all that mostly unscathed only to fall into a pit of quorum problems.


   Today I set up a DeviantArt account and spent a pile of time uploading photos to it.


Picture of the Day

Kris Fricke
Posh Bagel, Davis, CA
© Gabi 2004

CHEESE DANISHES, and more!
   Yesterday (Tuesday) I had ate with Gabi (samedisorder) at Posh Bagels, where I discovered a new source of excellent cheese danishes. Cheese danishes are divine.

   Slightly previous to this I walked into the Coffee House where unbeknownst to me there was an ASUCD senate-candidates forum currently ongoing. Incidentally, I arrived in the audience just as one of the candidates was saying that they would increase the power of the Student Court. (= I of course do not necessarily endorse this candidate or any others, as that would be in violation of my position. I merely mention it as it does relate to my position. If I so much as applauded one of the candidates (or even all of them), I'd probably end up in a removal hearing by this Thursday.
   The Elections Committe, however, is not in my jurisdiction, so I cannot be condemned for pointing out that it is NOT in keeping with constitutional norms for the Elections Committee Chairperson to casually advise candidates of legislation she wants written in official emails, nor to express personal opinions of the candidates. Know that for doing as much _I_ would certainly be drawn and quartered by now. Just ruminate on that a bit.. for now.


   Ran into Lamar Heystek at Safeway again (he works there see), he randomly thanked me for mentioning him in this livejournal. I've never mentioned my livejournal to him... (=
   ...Vote Heystek!


Fun With The Aggie

tingsquared (girl on left), davisbob (guy on right)
© Matt Jojola 2004


Lamar Heystek at the Farmer's Market last Saturday morning
© Curtis Matthews 2004

   The Pixies are coming to Davis!


Related
   "..I loved watching Kris Fricke's face as Karly talked about improving student court." - tingsquared
   One Year Ago Today: Adventures in Bixby (Beta, whom I met in 11th grade at an MUN conference is now my neighbour)