Summer came like cinnamon (so sweet).

Spring break is such a tease! I’ve still got six weeks of classes and interning left and all I can think about is going to the beach with my friends and all my favorite musicians going on tour. I watched John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae perform at the Embarcadero with Pammie, Chel and Shi tonight. We had an “avencha” (as Mark would say) and ended up walking thirty or so blocks! I definitely could have skipped my workout earlier this afternoon. I thought we were gonna have to haul a cab (or paramedic) for Shi! Ha, ha! Check out my vids from the show. Be jealous! I was thinking about going up to LA tomorrow to see OneRepublic with Dyanne at the Viper Room, but they sold out today. I think I’ll go to the beach instead and work on achieving the natural tan of the islands. I attempted to get my tan on the other day with Trace, but it was mostly cloudy, so we spent half the time underneath blankets eating sandwiches. I’m still ridiculously pale, but those sandwiches were really, really tasty.

Miss Halfway.

Even though I’m sick at home coughing up my insides, I feel like this year is already looking better than 2006. I’m officially halfway to fifty (yikes!). Pammie threw me a surprise dinner with all of my friends in the Champagne Room at the Strip Club Steakhouse downtown the night before my birthday. She’s only the most awesome sister ever. We went to an Incubus concert on my actual birthday, and they rocked, of course. We might see them again when they close out their tour in LA. On Saturday, I spent some much needed time with my friends at this club that they spin at. I drank entirely too much, but you only turn a quarter of a century once, right? Sunday was spent nursing a hangover, witnessing my sister cry as the Chargers lost to the Patriots, and watching a Grey’s Anatomy marathon with Pammie (best show ever!). Sadly, Pammie’s moving back to the OC for a fabulous new job, so we went up there on Monday so she could set up her apartment. She’s not the only one moving up, though… The graphic designer for SDSU’s CES marketing department offered me an internship as a production artist because she loved this sexy website. I’m gonna have to give up my stable, higher paying job with dental and health benefits, though. It’s all about sacrifice. A year from now, when I’ve finally gotten my BA and a year of design experience under my belt, I’ll be able to land my dream job and it’ll all be worth it. At least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself as I’m eating Top Ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I plan on working a second job on nights and weekends after I leave the bank at the end of the month and get my school schedule settled. I’m also going to move out this summer. With school, an internship and a second job, I probably won’t be home enough to appreciate having my own place, but it’s something I really want (and need) to do for myself. I always said that by the time I was 25-years-old, I’d be married with kids. Life never turns out how you expect it, but I’m okay with where I’m at and where I’m headed… It only gets better from here.

Stellar.

I got my pre-sale on today and bought tickets to Incubus for me and Pammie. I get to spend my birthday with one of my favorite bands, my favorite sister and 2,600 other people… and maybe you, too, if you’d like to celebrate a quarter of a century with me. Soma is arguably the worst venue I’ve ever been to, but I haven’t been this excited since my bangs grew back. I wasn’t even old enough to drink beer the last time I saw them… Now I’ll be old enough to accompany minors! I finally have something worth looking forward to. If someone ruins my birthday, I will ruin their life! :)

Food and Liquor.

On our way to see Lupe Fiasco, we stopped by the new Chick-Fil-A on Sports Arena Boulevard… It’s been months since I’ve been out with anybody and even longer since I’ve had Chick-Fil-A. There’s also a Phil’s BBQ being built on the same street. MADNESS! SD City Beat came out with its annual “Best of San Diego” list and Phil’s was voted “Best BBQ” for the millionth time. I want to try the rest of the winning restaurants. Who wants to come with? Anyway, Lupe Fiasco was disappointing. Midnight rolled around and there was still no sign of him. Jay took a nap on the couch as we listened to almost three hours of opening acts. It was Street Scene all over again, except he actually showed up this time… His set didn’t even last a full hour. Wackness. At least he played the three songs I wanted to hear (“You My,” “Daydream” and “Kick, Push”). Common was two hours late the first time we saw him, but he was well worth the wait. Lupe put on a good show, but it was entirely too short and not worth waiting three hours for. I skipped out on 94.9’s anniversary bash with OK Go at 4th & B for this… I could’ve gone to that first AND eaten Chick-Fil-A AND walked from downtown to Mission Beach and I still would’ve made it to Canes before Lupe Fiasco did.

Porn ‘n Chicken.

I actually got to SLEEP IN today :) No waking up butt-early at five in the morning to make caramel macchiatos or to sit in traffic for an hour on the 805 on my way to slang candles in La Jolla. I actually WAKE UP at five in the morning for work sometimes. Skokie was like, “This is the NEW Marion!” Haha. Because you know I normally have trouble waking up before NOON. I have to set three alarms to get up, but still. Five in the morning… I mean, REALLY. Who is UP at that ungodly hour? I still fall asleep in the AM hours when I have work at six in the morning, though. I just need a couple doppio espressos to get me through my shift… Anyway, Edgar’s in the Philippines now, and I haven’t really felt it yet. This is the third time he has gone to P.I. since I’ve been with him, so I guess I’m used to it now. We’re nearing six years, so it’s not like we’re in that puppy stage where I’ll cry if I’m away from him for more than two seconds. I just find myself saying, “Oh, Edgar would have liked (insert random item here),” but I always say stuff like that when I’m not with him. Yesterday, I hung out with Jay and ate and went shopping. He bought Z-Trip’s live album (Jay, Edgar and I watched him at the Scratch Tour earlier this year) and we were listening to it in the car. It reminded me of Edgar. He loves hip hop music (the REAL kind). I’m more of an acoustic, rock, alternative girl myself, but am open to some good hip hop to get my booty shakin. A few days ago, Edgar, Pammie, Jay, and I went to Hollywood to see an acoustic benefit show at The Roxy… what an awesome, intimate venue. Rooney unexpectedly didn’t perform (boo!), and Jason Mraz wasn’t on till the end of the show, so we just walked around Sunset Boulevard. We mocked toys at Hustler and ate at the infamous Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles (who knew chicken and waffles would be such a yummy combo?). I fell in love with two new bands, The Like (an all-female, darker version of The Cardigans) and The Speechwriters (two Jason Mraz’s for the price of one band). Thanks for letting us crash at your pizzad fo shizzad, Pammie! Tonight, I’m going to Jay’s house for his annual my-parents-went-to-a-college-reunion-out-of-town-so-i’m throwing-a-party party. I baked some yummy brownies. They’re probably gonna play poker, but the last time I played, I lost all of Edgar’s money to LYNEEZY, so I think I’ll just stuff my face with Jerome’s ribs and Jay’s pork chops and chill instead. If you don’t have any plans tonight, you should come and eat and get your ass rolled ;)

Surprise!

I just came home from a SURPRISE show that Jason Mraz had in San Diego. It was effin AWESOME! Thanks, JAY, for taking me :) Jason lives in San Diego now (Ocean Beach), and he was like, “Where’s the afterparty? We should have a bonfire at the beach!” HELL YEAH. Too bad that didn’t really happen. My sister, Jay, our new friends (Erin, Angela, Claire, Deanna and Alejandra) and I were right in FRONT of the stage. It was at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, so it was 21 and up and really intimate. Tristan Prettyman opened up for him and she was so awesome. She lives down the street from the Belly Up! Bushwalla also opened and that guy is F*CKING CRAZY. Haha. His band was cool, too. Jason Mraz’s music is so inspiring. He has like a million songs, but only one official CD. The songs on his CD don’t do him any justice. He’s SO talented. He’s also really charming. For “The Remedy,” he did this karaoke thing where three fans got to sing the song on stage and our new friend, CLAIRE, was chosen! This girl flew twenty seven hours from Australia to be here! That’s so hardcore. Our other friend, Deanna, drove here from Vegas! Jason is really worth seeing live, so make sure you see him when he comes to your town :)

Common fishing blunder.

Sorry for my lack of updates this month. Bite me! :) Now here’s a list of things that I’ve done instead of blogging:

- Went house/condo-hunting in the OC… found a KEEPER in Brea…
- Went (window) shopping at Southcoast Plaza
- Went fishing with Sheenie and Edgar’s relatives and didn’t catch a damn thing (perhaps we were using the wrong bait? I hear that’s a common fishing blunder)
- Went fishing with Edgar, Jay, Pammie and Meech… still didn’t catch a damn thing
- Painted many a thing in my art classes. I’m SO over painting.
- Watched “Anchorman” with Edgar, Meech and Rossanne (hilarity!)
- Worked on some illustration projects
- Went to the HOOBASTANK show in the OC

Let me talk about the latter! OMG OMG OMG. I f*cking went BACKSTAGE and TALKED to Hoobastank and TOOK PICTURES with Hoobastank and got their AUTOGRAPHS. Being in their fan club sure has its PERKS! Two years ago, I was too terrified to say anything to DOUG when he was standing right next to me at their show at Canes. I was still terrified this time, but I got through it and I have pictures to prove it! YAYE! I REALLY wish Edgar and Sheenie could’ve been there with us. DBJ. There were soooo many newbies there, but the show effin rocked! F*CK YEAH! I can’t wait to see them again in LA in a couple weeks.

Selling out and moving out.

Every once in a while, I hear a beautiful song that saturates my soul. My art teacher played one of his favorite songs, Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye,” for me in his iPod the other night, and it has been stuck in my head ever since. “Last Goodbye” is one of those songs that makes you absently smile in your car like a doofus when you hear it on the radio. I googled Jeff Buckley to see if I could hear him sing this song live on tour sometime soon, and I found out that he drowned in the Mississippi River seven years ago. Mmmm… That’s really depressing. I don’t know what it is about this song, but it makes me deliriously happy.

Anyway, I went to the Hoobastank show at Soma last week and they rocked as usual… The show was SOLD OUT. WTF? I’ve seen Hoobastank five times over the last three years and none of the shows ever came close to selling out… Hoobastank has officially gone mainstream. Damn “The Reason!” There were KIDS at the show. Kids who were chaparoned by their PARENTS. Parents who stood in the FRONT ROW. Edgar, Pammie, Meech, Sheenie, Adam, Stinky and Rosemary and I rocked out in the front for most of the show… Edgar and I went to the back to get some water towards the end of the show, and I stayed there for the last few songs. No one in the back knew the words to any of the songs… They sat there with blank expressions on their faces. After Hoobastank sang “The Reason,” half the people standing in the back WENT HOME! Damn all you Johnny-come-latelies… Those sold-out tickets could’ve gone to the TRUE Hooba fans that wanted to be there, but couldn’t buy tickets because they were already sold to mainstream America. I heard “The Reason” play on my MOM’S station, Star 100.7, in between Fleetwood Mac and Phil Collins. There should be some kind of law against that.

I just got home from the JASON MRAZ show at Copley Symphony Hall… It was AMAZING. His voice is so breathtaking. I feel inspired to learn how to play some of his songs on the guitar. Makana and Raul Midon opened up for him, and I highly recommend their music, also. We saw Jason Mraz last year at the Del Mar fairgrounds, but it was a completely different experience. The sound quality in Copley Symphony Hall is incredible… by far the best venue I’ve ever seen a show at.

It’s been a while since I posted, so I’ll catch you up on the rest of my life… I put in my two weeks at Red Envelope, and am officially unemployed. I worked there for two and a half years! My painting class and English class start tomorrow, so I’ll have a total of three classes during the summer… plus my sister and I are looking for a condo in the OC to move to in a few months… I think I needed to quit working in order to maintain a glimmer of sanity before the big move. There’s not much I’ll miss at Red Envelope, except a few of the people I worked with, but they’re all leaving, too. I barely saw Skokie at work anyway, so it’s okay because I know we’ll still see each other outside of work. I still owe that biatch Yokozuna’s for his birthday… I know his skokie ass isn’t gonna forget about that ;)

My sister and I went up to the OC today to look at condos. We found one that we reeeeaaaally liked. It’s across the street from Cypress College (where I’ll be going for a year before I transfer), in a good neighborhood, has tons of parking and is freakishly clean. It’s a bit more than we we’re hoping to pay, but we think it’s worth it. I can’t wait to live with Shi and my sister. My mom keeps asking me if I’m really ready to move out of the house. She just wants me to stay home with her forever! Haha. I am SO ready.

I’d lose my vagina if it wasn’t attached to my body.

The Ticketmaster whore bought HOOB tix for all you b*tches :) Right now the people that are for sure going are me, Pammie, Sheenie, Edgar, Brad, and Meech… I have Chelface and Alvin as maybe’s, so that leaves two extra tickets… The show is Friday, June 11, at Soma and it’s gonna ROCK so let me know if you want to have a time with us (I’m channeling Rayanne Graff). This weekend was pretty cool. Friday, I went to work and spent my night alone at home watching My So-Called Life DVDs while Edgar and the boys got piss drunk at some bar. I totally forgot about Rhea’s party! Sheesh. I wrote it on a post-it note to remind me, but I lost the post-it note and ended up forgetting about it… My mom always tells me that I’d lose my vagina if it wasn’t attached to my body… Yesterday, I saw friends I haven’t seen in over a month (Sheenie, Jay and Meech). It felt good to be around them again… especially Sheenie! She lost twenty f*cking pounds! I felt like a goddamn HEFFER next to her. Haha… then I got over it and devoured some Mexican food from Taco Fiesta. I’m swearing off eating at taco shops after midnight… We ended up watching Shrek 2 (hilarious!) and chillin at Brad’s for a bit before going home. Edgar, Brad and Sheenie went up to Long Beach afterwards, because Edgar’s dad had to go to the hospital… Hopefully everything is okay… When I got home, my crazy aunts from LA were sleeping over. My mom is pretty crazy, too, and my dad’s sister was like… “You’re mom is crazy! I’m glad you and your sister got her personality. Or else I’d have to kick you.” Because my dad is very… serious. Not at all like me or my mom. My sister inherited some of his traits (and for that I call her Ben Junior… or BJ for short. LOL). My mom and I are very alike. I’m easily distracted and Jay always makes fun of me for it… Mayan’s probably late because she saw some butterflies and followed them. He went shopping with my sister and my mom, and my mom was talking to him and out of nowhere she said “BOBA!” and started walking towards the Boba Bliss kiosk. He was like OMG that’s where Mayan gets it from! TEE HEE. I love my mom.

Rock!

These past couple of days have been AMAZING, even though I was (and still am) pretty damn SICK. Monday was a holiday, so my sister, Jay, Jed, Edgar, Gerald, Chris, Brad and I went snowboarding at Mountain High. Even though it was my second time going, I was effin TERRIFIED… probably more terrified that I was when I first went snowboarding. I think I was just remembering how bad it hurt when I repeatedly smacked my butt and head on the hard ice… The first hour I was really frustrated because all these tiny kids were passing me up haha. Chris said the only way for me to learn was to follow the boys on the big slopes… so I took lift #2 and prepared to tackle ROADRUNNER… Gerald and Chris were with me every step of the way, and I seriously couldn’t have gone down that mountain without them. I tried going down a second time with just Edgar and my ass was so skerd. I couldn’t do it without Gerald and Chris. I wasn’t ready yet… maybe next time I can do it by myself! Snowboarding is hella tiring, so I stayed in the indoor cafe with Jay and his twisted knee while the boys went down the crazy ass slopes. On our way home, we stopped at TGI Fridays and had dinner with Carmina and Scott. I got home around 10:30 and went right to bed. That’s the earliest I’ve slept in a really long time. Being sick just sucks the life out of you… Last night was EFFIN AWESOME!!! My sister, Chel, Alvin, Sheena, Meehchelle, Edgar, Gerald, Jay, Jed and I went to see the Meteora tour at SDSU. Linkin Park and Hoobastank are two out of my top three bands in the universe, so I knew it was going to be a dope ass show. Story of the Year opened the show, and they rocked even though I didn’t know the words to any of their songs. They covered Enter the Sandman which was HELLA cool. Hoobastank was next and they F*CKING ROCKED! It was my fourth time seeing Hoob and they just keep getting better and better. They sang The Reason and I think my heart stopped beating for a second… Most of the songs they played were from their previous album, and they even covered Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. I ♥ Doug Robb and I want to have his children!!!!! P.O.D. played afterwards and I only knew the lyrics to a few of their songs… They’re from SD though, so you gotta represent! Linkin Park headlined, so they were the last band to play. OMG OMG OMG. I have been waiting since 2000 to see Linkin Park live… back when Sheenie used to make fun of me for liking them… back when they didn’t play their songs on 91X and TRL didn’t play their videos… back when my friend, Nick, told me, “Linkin Park… Remember that name… They’re gonna be HUGE someday.” They were WELL worth the wait! The played a lot of songs from their old album, too. They ended the night with One Step Closer and Doug from Hoobastank and Sonny from P.O.D. came out to finish the song. I’ve been to a shitload of rock shows these past few years, and this one was by far the BEST.