Finally, I get a chance to sit down and write my 'Yano Goes to L.A. Report'. Here goes. Get readdy for a long long ride...

Thursday
Dan and I flew out late Thursday afternoon, and arrived at Long Beach airport at around 9:30. It was pretty neat because we got to get off on the tarmac and come down the stairs all Beatles style. And Long Beach is the tiniest airport! You get off the plane, go out the gate (which is all outside) and you're done! The baggage claim is outside. It's weird.

So we checked into Hotel Cajudo, which was a great place to stay. They had the best samples there, too. We got mouthwash, a toothbrish and toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, and Scooby snacks. After checking in, we headed out to this place called the Yardhouse, where they have this endless selection of beer, and they serve it in these yardlong glasses. I had half a yard and I was already giggling like a little girl. But it was a good time. Met some really nice people.

Afterwards, I fell asleep on the couch while the guys were surfing the web, and I snored. Pretty embarrassing. But I admit it. I snore.

Friday
Dan made it plain and clear in the days before that he wanted to get to Magic Mountain early to be first in line for the roller coaster, 'X'. He's a real Roller coaster enthusiast. Rumor was that 'X' was reopened. So we got up early, got a great meal consisting of rice, spam and ketchup at the Cajudo Restaurant, and headed out to the park.

Unfortunately, 'X' was closed. Dan was as sad as a little boy who's been told that Santa wasn't real (Dan's comment: "I was pissed!!! Damn Six Flags Damn them). But we still got to ride a lot of the coasters at Magic Mountain. Dan still had a great time. I think my favorite was Goliath. It was a great ride, and even though the wait was about 45 minutes, they have little misters in line and the time passed by quickly. I didn't put on any sunscreen, so I got a little red on my shoulders. But sun is good. Rod was making fun of my neon white pasty legs. Hopefully they're best described now as just white, not pasty white. We had a great time. It's a big park, and there were a lot of great rides. The only thing was how expensive everything was - a drink for $3.50? Ouch.

That night, we drove along Sunset Boulevard and met up with Moises, Bryan and Jennifer at this club called Miyagi's. It was a pretty interesting place. The music was awesome and the third floor was basically a grinding pick up dance fest. A lot of eye candy on that third floor. It was really hard to imagine Bryan and Jennifer there, it didn't really seem like their scene. But we had a good time. It was a pretty mixed crowd, but a good lot of them were Asian and African American. It closed at 2, but I wished it was open later, because I really didn't get a chance to dance.

Afterwards, Rod gave us a little late night tour of Rodeo Drive and Hollywood. We stopped by Mann's Chinese Theater and took some pics. I didn't really see any of my favorite actors on the cement, so I settled for Julie Andrews. :) We also went for a little walk, and we saw people who were camping out in line to get American Idol tickets. Since I had my camera, I took pictures and interviewed people, some of whom were encamped there since the afternoon. Seems like most of them there love Kelly Clarkson. I like her too. She's got personality. So we're talking to these people, and a cop car pulls up. Dan is talking to them, and pulls me over, and tells me to explain to the cop what American Idol was. So I get into conversation with him. It was pretty funny. Him and his partner ('Officer #2', as I called him) were pretty cool to talk to, and didn't seem to be in any hurry to 'Protect and Serve' LA. Things got a little hairy when I refused to tell them my name and officer #2 pulled out his handcuffs and said 'Oh, we have ways'. But I know that Rod and Dan were closeby to protect me if needed. I had to cut the conversation short when I asked Officer #1 if he had kids, and he said yes, and then I asked him if he had a wife, and he replied 'No, but I'm looking for one', and then he asked me if I wanted to take a ride. Eek! What's up with the LAPD? So I told them that I had to go, and they asked me if I wanted to hear the siren, and I said yes, so they turned on the lights and siren, and sped off into the night. Dan was laughing his ass off the entire time.

Saturday
Well, let's start with the afternoon, because we didn't get up til 1pm. We were so exhausted from the night before that Rod let us sleep in. It was quite pleasant. We then went to lunch, at this restaurant where I swear there was a bra size requirement for the waitresses. But the food was really good. We then went on a ride along the beaches, passing by Huntingon and Newport beaches. And I finally know what Pacific Coast Highway is. Yay! It was a great ride around Cali.

Later that day, we went to Mo's house for his graduation party. It was a really great time. He's got a wonderful family. As soon as we got there his mom grabbed me and gave me a kiss on the cheek and a big hug. She was SO sweet! It was great to see Mo again, and he's looking really good. I miss having that guy around! When it came time to cut the cake, they asked Mo to make a speech. And he started off with 'Well, I haven't really prepared anything, so I'm sorry if this isn't good.' And then he went on to give one of the best speeches I've ever heard. It was so well worded, and so heartfelt, that you know that he meant every word he said. He talked about what an impact people have made on his life, and how special everyone in the room was to him, as well as what he wants to do with his life, and how he wants to make an impact on other people's lives. It was great. There was also some salsa dancing, which I was too intimidated to take part in, because Mo's brother is GOOD. But Dan did a little dancing with Mrs. Ortiz, and he did an ok job, for being extremely pigmently challenged. Of course, the highlight of the night was when Dan ran into Mo's screen door and broke it. It was hilarious. For all the people who had run into that screen in all the years that they'd lived there, Dan breaks it in his drunken stupor. Classic.

Sunday
Got up, went home. And it was SO HOT at home! Geez, it's weird to think that the weather was better in Cali.

So, all in all, it was a great trip. Special thanks goes to the staff at Hotel Cajudo for not minding us stumbling in late at night and for offering the best accomodations Long Beach has to offer. Also to the Ortiz family, for throwing the best party that BF Egypt has ever seen. And it great to meet Lanie, Rick, Liz, Al and Rene as well as the whole Ortiz clan. We had a great time, and we met a lot of wonderful people. Can't wait to go back!

This post is dedicated to Mr. Sexy Thang, Emer. That's him on the right. I know. He looks really attractive. You want sexy, you go to Emer. Or Nikki. She's been getting really sexy lately.

So I went bowling last night. It was a lot of fun. Our team, of course, did awesome, with some great performances by Jamie and John Jay. And a happy belated birthday to Aldwin. He pretty much carried his team. And the other guys just sat and drank cheap pitchers of beer. My first game I scored a 95, and I did better in my second, with a 113. I think it's because I switched from a 13lb ball to a 14lb one. If we played one more I woulda rocked the house. It's always nice to have these little get togethers, because you get to see and talk to people, and not have to talk over the loud music, like when we go to Hi-Tops to hang out. Not that I don't like going out there. But many thanks for Sheilah for bringing us together every once in a while. I really had a great time. Next time, karaoke. I've got to practice. I've never sang in front of people that aren't my family. Maybe I'll do my Cher set. That's always a hit with the titos and titas.

And there's a couple more new pics in my picture page. It's from today's bowling excursion. Emer, who I guess is a semi-regular visitor to my happy little home on the web, had asked that I post more pics, because he's tired of seeing 'that Apolo Ohno guy'. Ha! I guess so. So now you're at the top of my picture list, baby. Enjoy it while you can.

Well, today is pretty uneventful. By saying that, something mind blowing will happen after I post this.

Anyway, yesterday, I was driving home, and there was construction and traffic, and it was moving SO SLOWLY. Then I looked into the car next to me, and it was this old couple. You know how you sometimes hear your favorite tune on the radio, and you just start bopping your head? Well, the couple was so adorable, because they were totally dancing and getting down in the car. They were laughing and clapping hands, it was so cute. I couldn't help but smile and think, you know, life is good. Sometimes you get into these funks where you think that life is awful, and you're waiting for this big change, this big sign that there's something better out there. But it's the little things like this that you have to look out for, that remind you that the world isn't so bad.

*sigh* There's a lot to do at work today, and I'm doing a really good job at getting it done. Maybe it's the fear that if I don't get all my shit done, that they'll call me while on vacation. And seriously, my office has called my cell during almost every vacation I've been on. It's not fun.

But at least I'll be heading out to LA on Thursday. I'm really excited. We're going out there to visit Moises, because he's having his graduation party and he invited a couple of us from work. That's him and I on the right. Dan's coming with me, as my escort, heh heh. But he's just using this trip as an excuse to go to Magic Mountain. Not that I have any objections, because it should be lots of fun. It'll be a great trip. And don't worry, I'll take lots of pictures!

Oh, and I've put up some of sketches that I got from the Chicago comic convention in the Art page. I really need to clean that place up. Seriously, some of that stuff is from 1996. That was a whole 2nd grader ago. And my links. Those are old, too! BLAH!

Well, back from Iowa. The drive was SO long, and if I never see another stalk of corn for the rest of my life, I should be okay. Miles and miles of corn, as far as the eye could see. Kudos to Dan for staying up on the ride home. I would have fallen asleep without his stimulating conversation. The move went OK. Claudine seemed to pick the apartment that was farthest away from the stairs, and to move on the hottest and most humid day of the year. But she had air conditioning, so I didn't mind as much. But I think I pulled a muscle in my arm. Ouch. I'm a wimp when it comes to manual labor!

As for today, I used up my 'Drive in to work once a week' day. I was just too lazy to wake up on time! I'm also trying to think of what comics I need to strike off my list today. I've promised myself to take five comics off my list. It's so hard making that cut! Save! Save! Save! That will be the motto for the next year.

We're off to Iowa today, to help Claudine move into her apartment. She's going to be going to med school there. Can't write much. Gotta go. Reminda me to tell you about Fatima's old band teacher who ended up being an online sexual predator.

Yesterday I had a book club meeting, and we were discussing D.H. Lawrence's 'Sons and Daughters'. For the 3rd month in a row, I didn't finish the book. Oh well. I know what happens now. But I'll still finish the book, it's really good. I swear, I'll read the next one.

So I get to the train at around 8:30pm. I get on, and I'm EXHAUSTED, so I fall asleep. I wake up, and we're at the Chicago stop. In my half awake daze, I think to myself, 'I'm going the wrong way!' (On the red line, the Chicago stop is going AWAY from my house) So I gather my stuff up and stumble out of the train. Once I'm out, the train leaves, and I realize that I shouldn't have gotten out, that I was going the right direction all along, and that Chicago is a VERY scary stop at 8:45. It's empty, it's spooky, and there's weird echo's. So I just read my comic and prayed that no serial rapist killer was going to find me before the next train came. Then to my relief, the train came. I LIVE! It's probably karma getting back at me for what I did to Claudine on the train a couple days ago.

Today, there is MUSIC once again at my desk! My manager is out for half the day, and I'm jamming. Productivity will definitely be up today. That's good, because I've got TONS to do.

I need to get sleep tonight. We're driving to Des Moines tomorrow to help Claudine move into her apartment. Ahh, I'm sad to see the girl go. Who will bake me brownies? Who will clean Luscious' poopies? Who will give me money when I lose my cash station card? Who will tell me when my ass looks bad in my pleather pants? Who will I chase around and hug? Who will I take pictures of when they're butt wasted and crawling on the front lawn? *tear*

For as much as I hate work sometimes, I have a lot of great laughs here. The guys are singing right now, and throwing around swedish fish and catching them like seals. Good times. Good times.

Two funny stories to start the day.

I was almost late for work today. First of all, I woke up late. Actually, I convinced myself to wake up late. So I'm running out the door, and I'm dressed in this really comfy and cute tank dress. Before leaving, I check in the hallway mirror for that last 'Does my ass look big in this?' look. And lo and behold, 'What the hell?' there was a hole in my dress, right on my ass. Don't know how long it's been there, but after closer inspection, it suspiciously looked like rabbit teeth marks. Damn that rabbit! So I had to run in my room, and find something else to wear. Luckily, I caught the bus right as it was coming to my stop. Good thing I did the ass check. I would never hear the end of it if someone saw the hole at work.

Also, yesterday, I actually left work on time. So i'm waiting for the train, and when it comes in, I see that there's a seat open in the back. I get on, and I see that Claudine, my sister, is sitting in the seat right in front of the empty seat. (she get on the train a couple stops before me) So I sneak into the seat behind her. I lean forward, and softly blow in her ear. No reaction. SO every couple seconds, I blow again into her ear, each time a little harder. I can see her start to tense up, but no verbal reaction. I wanted a reaction, dammit! So I take my bookmark and start flicking her ear. A couple flicks, nothing. But then she FINALLY turns around and almost screams when she sees me. She was SO pissed off. And I was totally laughing my ass off. How I love torturing that girl.

And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Amy. Who seems to be enjoying my page and the secret life I hide from her. :)

Just wanted to start posting sketches from the convention a couple weeks ago. This is a great drawing of Psylocke, done by Vampi artist Kevin Lau. He wasn't sure who she was at first, but you could never tell that from the drawing. He did a great job!
Kevin Lau's Psylocke

Well, I had a pretty long meeting today, and I made this little list to keep myself awake. Here's a list of my favorite musicals, in ascending order (the best is first).

I think my unmotivation at work is due to the ban on music. It drives me batty. I need some noise. If I don't I get antsy and I can't concentrate.

Anyway, here's an AWESOME link. Remember when you were young, and you played M.A.S.H. (Mansion-Apartment-Shack-House)? Geez, we played it all the time! Anyway, here's a link to an online version...
M.A.S.H.

Well, I thought I’d have an early morning blog today. It seems like it’s going to be a gorgeous day today, though a little overcast. Took the train to work today, and I’m REALLY trying to uphold my quest to only drive to work once a week. It’s pretty hard when I oversleep, though, because driving gets me to work faster. But even though it’s faster, parking costs an arm and a leg in downtown Chicago! So I’m going to try, real hard. The great thing about taking the train is that I also get to catch up on my reading, which I haven’t been doing much of lately.

Amy just gave me her ‘The Knot Organizer’, which is a binder that keeps all of your wedding crap. What a sweetheart! I think I’ll definitely be going to her for tips and tricks, since she’s about the only married person around my age that I see on a regular basis. I’ve also been looking at wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses, and there are just SO many beautiful styles out there. I’ll probably post some here for you guys to vote on. Seems like there’s a lot of people that come here, so you all can help me out. Much like Carnie Wilson got her stomach stapled on the internet, I’ll have the internet help me plan my wedding. Well, have some input, at least.

And since there ARE a few of you that regularly visit my site (and I thank you for it!) I just thought I’d put in a conversation starter, and see if it takes off. Me and a friend were talking yesterday about the meaning of ‘being fake’. His scenario for fakeness was that if you’re a party, and you’re kinda forced socially to talk to other people, even though you don’t want to. So you go up to people, act all nice and cordial, but inside you’re hating it. My definition of fake is when you first meet someone, and you don’t act like yourself. You change your interests and values to impress someone else. What’s your definition of fake?

Well, today starts my 'Spend no more extra money' campaign. Let's see how long it lasts. Starting to feel a little stress from planning out the wedding. Trying to decide who to invite and who not to invite. Unfortunately, we can't invite all our friends. There is just no way! But if any of your are reading this, and you don't get invited, we still care about you, we just can't afford it! And I don't even want to know about who my mom and who Dave's mom has on the list. I'm so afraid that this thing is going to blow up into a million people. But I just need to take a deep breath and say to myself 'This is MY wedding. In the end, I can make the cuts.' Right? So right now, my main concerns are getting the church and the reception site. Everything else can wait for later. Argh!

After a lot of labor, a lot of unscrewing, and moving and rearranging, I've finally got my new system up and running. Yay! I've got two drives in this baby and some new memory. I also have this ultra low noise keyboard, so I won't drive myself crazy with all my click/clacking in the middle of the night.

Anyway, yesterday we went out to Hi-Tops for Claudine's going away night out. Of course, she got plastered, and we pretty much had to drag her to the car. Dan was such a good boyfriend for sticking by her and making sure she didn't yak all over my car. It was a fun time at Hi-Tops, as always, stupid carefree fun. I don't have to care what I look like, and I don't have to care what I wear. And I'm always assured some great hip-hop and house, except for the obligatory heavy metal 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' mix that Gel has to do. But even that's a good time. And Gel played this great 'Back to Shanghai' set that played all the old house mixes we loved in Urbana.

Today, we went to lunch with OJ to Akai Hana. I don't think I can ever get sick of sushi. It's just so damn good. Me and Fatima ordered so much! It was nice to catch up on old times and see what OJ's been up to lately. ANd of course, it's nice to eat sushi, too. Yum yum.

So here I am, and I've got a TON of stuff to install on my machine.

But maybe I'll take a nap first. :)

Well, I'm back home in nice, breezy Chicago! Yay! It's always nice to sleep in my own bed.

So CONGRATULATIONS are in order. Claudine finally got her driving license! Whoo hoo! This could possibly be the happiest day of my life. But then again, the girl has no car, so what is she going to drive around? And she's not driving my car until she gets a letter from the state certifying that she's a good driver. ;) But hey, it's a step in a good direction. I no longer have to be the designated driver all the time! YAY!

This is going to be a pretty long blog, because I don't know when I'll be able to get online again. I'm going to take apart my machine and give it to Claudine, but before doing that I gotta backup all my crap that I have on here.

I rented a couple movies while I was out in Georgia, and I'll give you a little review on each of them:

200 Cigarettes - starring Christina Ricci, Ben Affleck, Courtney Love, Jeanne Garfalo: I'd heard that this was a good movie, and it was pretty good. I felt that some of the story lines could have been explored a little more, but it was a nice step back into the 80's. And I'm always impressed with Courtney Love's acting. She's great.

Crazy/Beautiful - starring Kirsten Dunst, Jay Hernandez: I was thinking that this was going to be your typical melodramtic teen movie, but it was pretty mature in it's content and it's acting. Not many actresses would dress down and appear in a movie with no makeup for as liong as Kirsten does in this movie. And Jay has got that pouty mouthed Latino hearthrob smart guy act down. Whoo! But really, it's a very good movie. Not teenie at all.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - starring Guy Pierce, Hugo Weaving: I can not tell you how weird it is to see 'the dude from The Matrix', 'Elrond from Lord of the Rings' dressed up as a drag queen. And it's scary how flaming and buff Guy Pierce is in this movie. This is one of those movies that you always see on the shelf at Blockbuster that you say, maybe one day when I'm really bored, I'll get this movie. So I was bored. And I loved this movie. It was actually pretty fun and touching. And I really want to get the soundtrack. Good tunes.

Wish me luck getting all my crap installed on my new machine. Who knows when I'll post again!

All right, I must tell the truth. I'm not in Atlanta, I'm in Alpharetta, Georgia. I didn't want to lie to you all anymore. Anyway, Alpharetta is a booming town about an hour north of Atlanta. I guess you'd say it's a suburb. So I'm actually still in Atlanta.

Anyway, it wasn't as hot and humid today. There was a slight breeze. Went for a nice drive today, and there was a beautiful sunset as I was zigzagging around. As said before, lots of nice curves on the roads here, and everyone seems like going fast. And it's kinda hilly, too, which makes it even better when you're driving around.

I really need to stop shopping. I shop way too much. I don't need all the crap that I buy. Fortunately, I've been controlling my urges really well lately, but I'm still spending a lot on god knows what. I also went through my Brides magazine that I just bought, and I'm trying to figure out a dress to wear. I don't think I want a strapless dress. I want to be comfortable and worry free. I'm thinking I'm liking a spaghetti strap-type dress, with a fullish skirt. Not too full, though. Something comfortable to dance in. And I'm looking for bridesmaids dresses, too. I'm looking for the most hideous dresses that I can find. My wedding, you're in the court, you wear what I want you to wear!!!

Well, it's even HOTTER in Atlanta right now...

But there are some good things, like the nice windy roads they've got here. It's fun to listen to my Prince CD, jammin to 'Little Red Corvette' as I'm whizzing by in my little champagne Oldsmobile Alero. I found a memory book store today, but I was a good girl and only bought pens. Yay for me!

I'm a little homesick. It's so hot here and there's not tons to do, and I'm still a little sick. YECH!

Greetings from Atlanta! Hot-lanta, as I like to call it, and damn humid, too! But that's ok, I got me some Chick-fil-a and sweet tea for dinner! That makes it ALL better.

Went to the bridal shower of one of my best friends from high school yesterday. It's so strange reliving my high school memories with them! Band geeks unite! It was really nice to hang out with them, though, and to reminisce. It's hard to believe that we've known each other for 13 years. Almost half of my life! And those years were some of my best years. I had no idea what lay before me, and every little thing that happened was such a big deal. Ahh...ignorance is bliss!

I also gave my ring to Truly to get resized. I know I had complained that it gets in my way and it feels so weird on my finger, but now that I'm not wearing it anymore, it feels even WEIRDER!

So the bachelorette thing yesterday was pretty fun...here's a couple things that I learned...

- Just because you get a stripper, doesn't mean he's going to be good looking, in shape, and not have a hairy ass
- Do NOT call your fiance when you're butt wasted
- Don't wear a skirt, if you do, wear nice underwear
- Stretch beforehand
- Bring a wad of dollar bills
- Don't be the designated driver - sure, it's fun to see everyone else wasted, but well...it's fun to be part of that clueless herd
- Just because you charmed your way into the VIP lounge, doesn't mean it's any fun in there. Boring people talking about themselves. After 5 minutes you're itching to be back out on the dance floor.
- Make friends with the bartender. They'll treat you well.
- I don't like techno. I'm a hip hop gal. I can take techno for about 10 minutes...then i just start standing around watching people dance
- Don't valet park your car on the night of the annual Midnight Bike Ride. Waiting for 5000 bikers to pass by can take some time.

Uh, I had more yesterday, but I forgot....So we started the night out at Excalibur, at the biggest bachelorette party this side of the Mississippi. 20 bahelorettes and their groups. 250 screaming women. I'm sure the guys at the club loved that. After that, we went to White Star. The crowd there wasn't as pretty as it used to be. Then we went back to Excalibur, and explored the club next door, formerly known as Aura, now it's Vision. It was OK. All in all, it was a fun night, getting to watch all the drunk people, and just acting dorky in general!

So I typed this whole thing about tonight, and I swear it disappeared. Damn, I didn't even drink! Well, I'll post it again tomorrow.

I'm off to a bachelorette party today. Whoo hoo! Food, friends, alcohol, good music, and male strippers. Can life get any better? I haven't been to a good bachelorette party in a while. I've got a wad of dollar bills waiting for home, baby!!!

Butt kissing makes me sick. Kissing butt so badly that you've got their crap on your toes what I'm talkin' about. Sure, I kiss butt, but only a minimal amount so as to not create animosity. Ugh...how much butt kissing do you have to do to move up in the world? I don't want to know. I WILL NOT be someone's lap dog. I will not place the blame on someone else for my own incompetency, just so I look like the better person. I can suck it up if I make a mistake. I will not belittle other people who do not have as much knowledge as me. Grrr...Ack. I have issues today.

IF YOUR NAME IS KRISTINE, CLOSE YOUR BROWSER AND DON'T COME BACK FOR A WEEK
Well, now that this whole engagement thing is slowing down now, I'll put up some of my Wizard Convention pictures. What I'll start out with is meeting Michael Rosenbaum, Lex Luthor from the WB's Smallville. Before leaving for the convention, my dad asked me what I do at these things. He find comic books a very weird habit for a girl to have (as most people do). So I told him that I get to meet the guys that write the books, the artists, and go to workshops. I showed him the sketches that I had gotten, and he was slightly impressed. Then I told him that Luke Perry was going to be there (promoting his show Jeremiah). My mom was like 'Who's that?' and I said 'That guy from 90210'. And she got all giddy and said, 'Oh, I like him!' I also said that Michael Rosenbaum would be there. And it was dad's turn to say 'Who is that?' and I replied, 'He's Lex Luthor from Smallville'. And my dad's face lit up and he said, 'Are you going to meet him?' and I replied 'I'm going to try and get an autograph for Kristine (our cousin in Texas, her sister Kathy wants to surprise her with an autograph)'. So my dad says, 'When you meet him, tell him that your dad told you to tell him 'I like you in Smallville. I think that you're a really great actor.' Dude, I didn't even know that he watched the show! So I get to the con, and the line was already capped to meet Michael. But for the second signing time, at 4, me and Fatima got a spot in line. Unfortunately, he wasn't personalizing pictures anymore. So when we got up there, I had the 8x10 that Kathy bought for Kristine, and I asked him to sign it. As he was signing, I said, 'My dad told me to tell you that he likes you a lot. He thinks you're a great actor.' I wasn't really expecting him to say anything back. But he then said, 'Cool! Where's he at?', to which I replied, 'He's not here, he's not into comics'. And then Fatima took a picture of me and Michael. I said thanks, and before I left, he said, 'Hey, tell your dad that I said HI'. I thought Michael was cute before, but he's even cuter in my eyes now! So after that, I called up my dad and told him about the exchange. My dad was pretty excited. It was really cute. Then he asked me, 'Did you get me his autograph?'. What a funny guy. I told him I'd make a scan of the one I got for Kristine and he was happy with that.

Still got the ring. Day 6 and I have not lost it yet.

It is a gorgeous day out today. There are wispy clouds, and the sky is a gorgeous shade of blue. There's also an art fair across the street! Maybe I'll stop by. But of course, I won't buy anything. I have no cash anyway. I will just browse and look longingly.

Today is also a good day, because McDonalds is having 29 cent hamburgers and 39 cent cheeseburgers. Yum yum. Poor Claudine doesn't have a McDonald's by her, so she's outta luck.

CD for the Commute to Work: No Angel by Dido - It's been a long time since Miss Dido was in my car. I lost her for about 8 months, but was finally discovered above the piano. I love this CD. Too bad she didn't get more airplay for the rest of the songs on the CD. She's got a really great voice to listen to.

Earlier this week I watched the movie 'Life as a House'. It was a lot better than I thought it would be. I had read a lot of mixed reviews about it, but it was a sweet, well paced movie. In my opinion, Hayden Christiansen acts a lot better than he does in Episode II. And it's got Jena Malone in it, who I've adored ever since she was a little girl. It's a great movie to rent if you just want to sit home and relax. A little depressing though, but you can figure out at the beginning of the movie what's going to happen. I'd give it 3 stars.

I'm so sleepy.

God bless Orlando, the dear brought me tiramsu for dessert today. He's my hero!

And as another treat, Trully, Melanie and I went for sushi today. Trully grilled me with 1001 questions about my engagement and wedding. She's REALLY freaking me out! But the sushi was good, so it calmed me down. But there are SO many things to think about it. Too bad Trully will be in Brazil. I could use a lot of her ideas and advice.

So I realize that I really have to start saving my money now. No more impulse buys. No more runs to Target. This is gonna kinda be hard.

I've had this ring for 4 days now, and I'm STILL freaked that I'm going to lose it. Paranoid I am! Every couple minutes I check my finger to make sure that it's still on.

To All Yano Fan Club Members: Yes, the rumors are true. I am betrothed. However, remember that I DO have 2 sisters who share the same genes, so don't lose hope. I will also continue to make appearances at various speedskating events and in Urbana. You can still send requests for the 8x10 personalized autographed glossy of me, and we are still selling Yano merchandise. Remember, the Yano backscratcher, Yano bobblehead doll, Yano World Tour program, and Yano socks are selling like hotcakes, so stock up on them now!

Thank you for your understanding.

I'm a dork!

I'M GONNA BE A SISTER-IN-LAW!!! hehehe...so sister, have you told your fan club of crushes that you are spoken for? ;) hehehe...miss you already sister =D...and DON'T LOSE THE RING. my friends think it's pretty ;)

Hey, try out the GuestMap on the right hand links. It's pretty cool. I know you guys will love playing with it.

Well, it's been 3 days now, and I haven't lost the ring. I think I'm doing pretty good! The thing is, I normally don't wear jewelry, so I'm not really used to having something on my finger. And I think I've scratched about 7 people with this thing already. But I'm not complaining! I love it! It's so sparkly and shiny.

So word of the engagement got around work yesterday. I didn't want to make a big deal of it and send out an mass email or anything, so I just told a couple of people. And next thing you know, there's a big 'CONGRATULATIONS CHRISTINE!' on the breakroom board, and everyone's coming up to me congratulating me. I feel so sorry for Sam, who sits across from me, because I told the engagement story so many times!

So there are many things to plan, now. When, where, who, all that junk. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, but pretty excited too. Good times ahead!

Here's a link to my two fave sketches drawn for me at the comicon:
Michael Turner - Aspen from Fathom
Karl Moline (Fray) - Psylocke
Not only were these my two favorite sketches, they were the nicest when they were sketching...more stories to come later...

Well, there've been a couple requests for a view of 'the ring'. So I'm giving you a glimpse of the ring box (I love hippos) and the ring itself. I swear, this thing is so shiny and beautiful. I love it! Had dinner with the soon-to-be in-laws. It went well, they were on the other end of the table, so me and Dave got to discuss a lot of stuff about the impending nuptials. Dude, this whole thing kinda freaks me out, but I'm so excited!

Well, I was going to post up pictures of the comicon and tell a million stories of all the fun things that happened at the comicon...something happened last night...

I'M ENGAGED!

Yes! Dave actually didn't have a spech to make at a convention. He proposed! Yay! Wow, my head is still reeling. The ring is absolutely beautiful, and he had such a wonderful night planned. It's kinda weird, though. I mean, I've got a fiance now. Crazy! I'm so happy! Yay yay yay! And everyone around me knew except for me. They all planned it, and no one slipped. Not even my mom! There's just so many things going on in my head right now, but they're all good things. Except that I'm really paranoid that I'm going to lose this ring. Or that the rock is gonna pop off. Mental note: must be EXTRA careful with ring.

Somehow, all the comicon stories seem insignificant right now....

Lot's of fun at the comicon. Hopefully I'll have pictures up tonight. Let me tell you, Michael Turner is my hero! Gotta go watch Dave talk about something medical now at some sort of dress-up function...

Yesterday was a pretty fun day. Had a 4th of July barbeque at my house. Then I went to Indiana with Dave and his parents to see his 10,000 relatives whose names I never can remember. But seriously, I think I'm starting to remember names, which is a good thing. They're a bunch of good people, but there's just so many! And afterwards, came back to my house and watched the neighbors light fireworks. There was a lot of good eating yesterday!

And today, I'm off to the Chicago Comicon! Whoo hoo! It will be a sausage fest, but I don't have to worry about getting hit on, because none of them know what to do with a girl! Ha! No offense to you comic book guys out there. I'm a comic book geek, too!

Back home with the DSL! Yay! The drive home was ok, and I'm happy that Fatima kept me awake. Had Jimmy Johns for dinner, and there's just something about having a Jimmy John's sandwich that's made in Urbana - it just tastes better for some reason.

Anyway, Happy 4th of July! Me and Fata rented a bunch of movies and we're camping out in the living room, because my Tita Ely is staying my room. (I will be blameless for anything that may attack her at night, or if she gets lost in the junk). Don't know what I'm doing for the remainder of the day, but I know it will involve eating barbeque and holding a sparkler. Good night all, I'll be back in the morning!

The crazy sleeping pattern continues. I'm still in Urbana, and Fatima has left me to my own devices here in her in apartment, because she's out cramming for a test. I'm dying, because she's got a dial-up and it disconnects every 15 minutes or so. It sucks! I miss my DSL!

We had sushi today. LOTS of sushi. It was pretty good. We also had this dessert called the Frozen Samurai or something. It was vanilla ice cream, baileys, kahlua, amaretto and all this other crap all blended together. Let me tell ya - my tummy SANG!

For some reason, I'm still sick. Fatima says it's allergies. I don't HAVE allergies! But who knows...

Well, we're going to be driving back tomorrow, so I'm going to get some sleep now...Unfortunately, we're going to miss the fireworks by the lake, but maybe we'll be able to catch some around our house.

Live, from Urbana, it's the Yano show!

The drive was 2 1/2 hours, counting 1 bathroom/gas break. Pretty good drive, I must say. The Starbucks and various stimulants really helped out. It actually was a great time for me. I don't get much alone time where I'm not in front a computer. It was some really good 'reflect on your life' time.

So here I am, sitting at Fatima's computer, helping her out with a paper. It's nice to be in Urbana again. I always get that feeling when I'm getting off the Lincoln exit. A huge wave of nostalgia washes over me. Seriously, I had the best 4 years of my life in this place. If any of you are thinking of going to college, definitely go AWAY to college. It's a blast. Not only the independence you gain by being away from your parents, but also the life lessons you gain by being part of a community away from home. I learned more outside of classroom than I did inside. Love, friendship, life, it's all here. Ahh....memories! There's a quote from Amy Tan's 'The Kitchen God's Wife' that goes something like this - 'I don't know why something that made me so happy then feels so sad now. Maybe that is the way it is with the best memories.' A little sadness that those happy memories are just memories.

Geez, I get so sappy at 4 in the morning!

So yesterday, I took Claudine out driving. And I tried to hide my terror. She actually did a great job. But there were some tense moments there. But I'm here, and I lived. I bought myself a Haagen Dazs Bailey's shake to treat myself, and keep my mouth busy so I wasn't screaming in the car. Just kidding, Claudine! OK, I'm not.

So I'm off to Urbana tonight, to teach at a client site, and also to pick up Fatima. I've had a grande White Chocolate Mocha from Starbuck's, as well as some other things to keep me awake. I'm totally moving around at light speed right now. Zip zip zip!