perks and odd hours

I have a love/hate relationship with my job. I dislike the tedious, odd hours, especially when we have to work into the wee hours of the morning, but sometimes the little perks that come with the job can be really endearing and memorable. Case in point: tonight Kristen Chenoweth was standing behind me singing a Stevie Wonder song! I love her vivacity, and the thought that there have been many people out there who have paid good money to hear her sing (a la "Wicked") - yet I got to stand a few feet away from her and listen to her practice "For Once In My Life," was a warm and fuzzy memory to end the day (or is it morning?) with.

I also hate the fact that no matter how tired I am sometimes, even if it's really late, I can't just go to bed right away - I need to decompress a bit before falling into an unconscious state.

confession

Today, I got teary-eyed over watching a giant gorilla that was hopelessly in love with a curly, blonde-haired sad girl. For three hours. Thank goodness the theater was dark and no one was sitting in my row to see me blubber.

Pathetic. But I enjoyed every moment! =D

traffic court

ok, so i finally went to my traffic court hearing on thursday. i don't know why i was feeling so nervous about going...wait, yes i do - it's because i've never been to court before! i went through my closet the night before b/c i realized in a panic that i had nothing to wear (i find myself saying that a lot), but i managed to pull something together. i know it sounds really shallow to talk about what your going to wear, but when you're as self-aware about everything around you as i am, these little details tend to screw with your head. i realized while i was piecing things together that i really don't have any sensible shoes. there are some women that own 20 pairs of black dress shoes - i, on the other hand, own 6 pairs of sneakers. i don't know why, i don't know how it happened, and i don't know how i've been able to get away with this for so long. usually i find that my blue sauconys suffice, and that's just what i wore to court.

when i got to my division at superior court, there was a long line of people waiting to get inside the courtroom. i was the only asian girl there. the line mostly consisted of burly and intimidating hispanic men and older, questionably mental men with uncooperative hair. what killed me the most was that when we finally got inside, we had to be seated in alphabetical order. i don't know why i've been cursed with the first letter of a last name that is near the end of the alphabet, but i have been - and as usual, i was seated last with about 30 people ahead of me. the judge actually turned out to be really nice, incredibly fair, and quite funny too. i found myself stifling a few giggles from time to time at his humorous remarks. what struck me about him was that he didn't take his job too seriously, yet he knew the serious weight of the law and every consequence that follows in affecting peoples lives. of the people that went before me, i couldn't believe how many of them didn't have a driver's license, insurance, or car registration. these are the people that i'm driving alongside, before, and behind everyday?? the judge moved things along really quickly, and when we got closer to my row, another judge stepped in and offered to finish up for him. "NO!!!" i was thinking in my mind. it was everything i could do inside of me to jump up and yell,"Don't leave! This other guy isn't as funny or as fair as you!" wait, what? why would i think that? aren't all judges supposed to be fair?? anyway... The second judge was a little more no nonsense, but to my amazement, he whipped through each person very quickly and made it as quick (and painful) as possible. "Tricia, how do you plead?" i managed to say, "Very guilty, your honor!" was that a smart response? probably not, but with the way things were going, my inner comedienne couldn't help myself. however, i was thankful that the judge let me qualify for traffic school and that i didn't have to cite the sorrowful speech that i had been rehearsing in my head for the past couple of weeks. my bank account is still weeping right now from having to pay for my speeding ticket, but at least the experience was worthwhile.

marta

i'm so so happy to be back home! visiting rome was amazing, but it was way too long for my taste, and i don't know what i was thinking before about staying in that crazy city for 10 days...? usually when i travel there tends to be a little bit of sadness or reluctance about having to come back home, but this time, i couldn't have gotten home faster. i've never wanted to be back in the safety of my little cubbyhole apartment any sooner as i did on this trip.

i met this really interesting italian student on the train from siena to rome named marta. it was so unexpected and quick, but i felt like when i met her, it was a sigh of relief - like a sweet little gift from God from some of the tough challenges i was experiencing on this particular trip.

my first introduction to her was when she invited me to follow her to the little cafe at the trainstation where, at 11 o'clock at night, she declared that she must have a cup of coffee and a jagermeister. as i followed her from one side of the bar to the other (first the jagermeister, then the coffee), we started chatting and i discovered that she was a film student - "but for serious documentaries only". it definitely gave us a lot to talk about on the rest of the way back to rome, as she was telling me what filmmaking was like in italy, and i told her what the entertainment business was like in LA. i also loved the fact that even though i had just met her, she explained to me the reason why she needed a jagermeister was b/c she had just broken up with her boyfriend from her village and had just met someone else in rome.

we met again a few days later, where she took me to "the best pizza in all of rome," and then walked me through the jewish ghetto, where she showed me her favorite fountain. it was awesome connecting with her on an intellectually stimulating level, and i loved how passionately she expressed her views on society, politics, and art. she invited me back to her flat to hang out (she had to do laundry and dishes) and generously offered me a joint(!), but i politely declined. i loved the mischievousness glint she would occassionally get in her eye, but i also loved her thoughtful reflections on connecting with the rest of world. meeting marta was definitely an experience in itself and special indeed =)