This is what

abandonment looks like.

So Long, Farewell...

...I'll see you in a month!

The time is upon us. I'm packing my Nikes and Garnier Fructis eagerly awaiting tomorrow morning. I leave at 8 A.M. and return on August 2nd. AAAHH. I'm anxious to see what God has in store for me. To those of you who I'll be writing home to, I apologize if my writing starts to begin looking that of a 5 year old's. I'm almost certain I'll get carpel tunnel from writing so much. There will be plenty of pictures to be seen, no worries about that. So, until then, have a lovely month of July! B.G.G.

Gene Shalit Would be Proud

This movie makes me appreciate British comedy. So subtle, yet so hilarious. They understand that you don't have to be obnoxious and break stuff to be funny. If you don't like bad language and crude humor, then I don't recommend it. But if you do, get to Blockbuster or on Netflix right now. They've got some great actors over there in the UK. "You talk like you're from London!"


Next is The Big Lebowski. Again, if you can get past the bad language, it's not half bad. Craig picked it out at Blockbuster and made us watch it. I laughed out loud at a lot of stuff, but some of it made me go, "wait, what?" Otherwise, it was great. John Goodman's right when he says he thinks it's his best role yet. "Shut the f*** up, Donny."


Last up is Hot Rod. Tonight was my third time seeing it, and that's not a complaint. This movie is freaking hilarious. Aryan introduced me to it the first time I ever hung out at his house. The second was at his barbecue on the last day of school. Andy Samberg's attempt to be Will Ferrell is not too shabby, he's just no Will Ferrell. I'm going to marry Jorma Taccone one day. I don't care if he has a wife now, he won't once I get through with her. "It's bouncing around the Web like a beachball at a Nickelback concert."

Well, that pretty sums up my Father's Day. Not if you count the amazing pancakes I made this morning and the delicious lasagna my aunt made for us tonight. Thank God my Dad was born so we could party this hard. Just kidding, I actually appreciate my Dad more than a lot of people think. I leave for Workcrew in 12 (well, 11 now) days. I need to start packing! Hope you guys had a great Father's Day. I know I did.

Moustaches and Apples to Apples

That's Aryan. He's the boyfriend. His nickname is Amazing.

Ressurection

This sums up all I've cared about lately. Oh, and this boy that makes my heart beat faster.

I can smell summer. It smells like moustaches and watermelon.

The Garment District

It looked vintage, so of course I fell in love.


Gia Inferrera referred to them as the "death dogs". Needless to say, we stayed away.


They're too good for the Roadium. Yo agree tambien.


The bells on their carts reminded me of Vegas when all the immigrants handed out stripper trading cards. That's what I liked to think they were, anyway. Maybe there's one in the center of each Fudgsicle.



It took two pictures to express my happiness. Like my outfit? The hat came in handy against the bipolar sun. And wearing my little leather pouch came in handy across my shoulder, 'cause I literally forgot it was there, so all the walking wasn't hindered by a big old purse.


Hi, traffic!


There's Mama scopin' out some goodies for our next trip. We're gonna be smart little shoppers and go on a weekday next time. Smart thinkin', huh?


This was on the roof of the huge parking structure. We were squished in the very back like Rosa Parks on the back of the bus. The traffic and crowded sidewalks felt so New York. It made me happy.

I'll have pictures later of all my new threads and what not. All in all I dropped a little over $200. Not bad for my first time! I scored some tight threads. Happy Easter! I hope you all have a splendid Sunday. B.G.G.

Good Friday

I fell asleep before I could go to church and feel really guilty. Woops. Spring break is going by way too fast. It seems like every other day all I do is sit at home all day and do nothing but eat and sleep. It's not too fun. On the days I do get to do stuff, it's really fun. Wednesday was Disneyland with Craig, yesterday was nothing until I went to Molly's house and spent the night. We ate nothing but Chex Mix and Cadbury Eggs. And if that wasn't bad enough, this morning the three of us went through a dozen doughnuts. What? They were only 6 bucks. We thought we did a good job of working 'em off with some Sweatin' to the Oldies. I really have no idea how I'm gonna get down to 115 by Wednesday. Maybe I'll just do nothing but drink water and do Richard Simmons tapes until then. Sounds good.

I really hope we can get to the Garment District tomorrow, 'cause I really need to go shopping. This is kind of ridiculous. I think I'm gonna order a new bathing suit off of Forever 21's website. It's getting close to "bikini season". Gag.

Hope everyone has a splendid Easter. Don't die of a ham overdose! B.G.G.

Spring Break.

Well, today was completely uneventful. I stayed in my chonies and a t-shirt 'til about 6:30 when I took my dog out for a walk. 'Twas quite refreshing. I went on a date with my Dad tonight to Baskin Robbins (cue the angel choir). Wanna know the way to not get down to 115 by next Wednesday? That's how. I liked our date, though. I can't wait 'til I'm in college and all independent, it'll give me a reason to come home and go on those dates so my parents know how much I really do value them.

Well, it's SPRING BREAK '09!!1!. Yeah, you know. Nothing too exciting has happened yet, but I have henna tattoo on my ankle. I went down to Venice Beach on Monday with my main gals: Kelly, Laura, and Molly. I talked to a stoned guy and now know what weed smells like. It was educational if nothing else. But I really did have fun. It made up for all my bawling at Risen the night before, but they were good tears. I need to learn not to repress so much, 'cause nights like Sunday happen and that's not very good. Friday night I went to Club Illusion Delusional. People were on E and making out with each other all night. I was drinking water the entire time and doing the reject with my black brother. I now know I'm not cut out to grind with men. It was one of the most uncomfortable things of my life. All I did the whole time was think of how fat I was compared to all these 90-something pound girls and how I can't get down and dirty to save my life. It felt like this:


I'm going to Disneyland tomorrow with Craigy. I'm excited, 'cause I love Disneyland. I really wanna get a good '50s dress and go there for some swing dancing some time. That reminds me, I need to find some saddle shoes. I gotta make sure not to overeat tomorrow, 'cause weigh-in's Friday. And I don't wanna break down crying 'cause I splurged on that turkey leg or huge slice of pizza. God help us all.

Hope your break's going well! I know mine is. B.G.G.

Never ignore some salvation..

..'cause their army is the bomb.

Stopped by Salvation Army today and found a super cute top there for only $3.99. Looked like this:


It really reminds me of Katy Perry's red halter top:

Try and look past the bosoms. I love this whole watermelon thing she has going on. Her obsession with fruit is my favorite part about her. If I could get my hands on a pair of high-waisted green jeans, I'd be set for perfection. Since I don't, though, I'll just stick to my regular old high-waisted blue jeans.

I saw a super cute pair of shoes that looked sorta 40s vintage AMAZING, but they were $10, which is kinda lame for Salvation Army. So, I didn't buy 'em. But I did what any teenager who wants a super cute pair of shoes does: I hid them in the beige pants section, so they'd blend in. Let's cross the fingers and hope they're still there tomorrow, 'cause I'm definitely gonna run back and snatch 'em up.

I binged today. I hate myself. I was doing so well all week, too. Any suggestions on how to make up for my lack of self control tomorrow? Weigh in's on Sunday. Let's avoid turning into this:


Well, that's about it. Spring break is literally around the corner, and I'm more excited than words can say. I'm not going to Italy with band, and I'm reaaally bummed about that. But, I don't wanna be a burden on my parents more than I already am. I'm hoping senior year I can do the fun out of the country experience. We'll just have to wait and see.

I wish I liked the beach more.

This sunshine is making me so happy, but so hot at the same time. This is the time when I need a pool or a bucket of ice to follow me wherever I go. No, a pool. A bucket of ice would just get messy. I like to go to the beach, but not like one of those bros that's always saying "yeah bra, let's go surf it up and play some volleyball." That's just annoying. But I'm not a big fan of the beach, 'cause it gets too crowded and once you get in the water, it's all over for your freshly shaved legs. The second I get goosebumps, my hairs just go "SUCKER!" and spurt up like flowers blooming in time-lapse photography. I just prefer to take naps in between towels like I did when I was six and have soothing dream waves; that comfortably warm feeling that makes me so happy.

I have got to get to Salvation Army this weekend. There's a big sale on Saturday, and since I don't have enough of an income to hit up Forever 21 on the weekends anymore, might as well resort to every hobo's dream. Katie's circus party is this weekend, too. I gotta get ahold of that tutu for my costume!

Auditions are in three weeks for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. It's on Daddo's birthday, and I feel really bad. But, him being the humble man he is, he encouraged me to go for it. Which is why I'm trying to crack down on this diet and get down to 115 by auditions, so I can show 'em I'm little enough to be Sally Brown. That's kind of depressing.

Hope your week is going well. B.G.G.

Look into your future, honey.

July 4 - August 2. My life is now complete!

A kid walking behind me after school was singing Chocolate Rain to himself all soulfully, and I wondered if he thought he was awesome for knowing the words to that song. You go, Aretha!

In Newlife today, our speaker talked about dating and relationships. It put a lot of things into perspective. Maybe I shouldn't go around making out with everyone so I can avoid getting cold sores. Just kidding.

Members Only Night is tonight. I'm really freakin' stoked. I'm praying someone will film it and put it on the Youtube; everyone's gonna want evidence of our epic performance!

Let me know how your month is going. B.G.G.

What a month this has been...

Because I can never go to sleep before midnight anymore, I'm stuck doing this. My friend Amelia helped me realize today my blogs are too wordy, and I don't want those reading to feel that way too and think it's not worth the wait of reading. I'm not trying to sound pretentious and convince you it's sooo worth it to stick around, I just want people to hear my voice, and this is one of the best ways to communicate it. So, in the future, I'm gonna let pictures do more talking for me. It'll give me an excuse to use my camera more often.

This month has been awesome. Wanna know why? This:

Yeah, that's me. That was Sweet Jazz Night at South. Pretty awesome, except for when I forget the words. Oh, well. My grandpa told my Dad that professional singers he used to play for had to have index cards 'cause they couldn't remember the words. That makes me feel like Modonna next to the Backstreet Boys; just so much better.

I still haven't found a job yet and didn't get accepted to Islands. Ah, well. I'm waiting for an application from Elephant Bar, and if not there am gonna "shooby dooby down to Rubys" for one. This sucks. I really need to start making money, 'cause I'm tired of sucking my parents dry of all their pennies.



The family and I went to Forrest J Ackerman's memorial service over at the Egyptian last Sunday. I liked the hat I was wearing, not so much my facial expression in the picture. I kinda stuck out, mainly 'cause of the red coat. But I felt like the only original retro goer in the sea of satanic punk guys smoking their lungs out before we went inside. I fell asleep about 6 times, but I had a lot of fun and it was so inspiring to me to become an bigger monster movie fan. This is gonna make the convention even more fun in May.

That's about it. Hope your month is going well. B.G.G.

Go, Speed KIMMY, Go.

Aah, I love driving. I've got that bug. Daddy took me out for over half an hour on the streets up and over the hills of my neighborhood. There was a little turbulence, 'cause I got a little ahead of myself and went over 20 MPH. That, to me, felt like a million miles. I need to work on getting over hills and such. But, I don't think I'm the girl driver I expected myself to be. I can even parallel park! Just wait 'til I get my permit. "Ain't no stoppin' us nooow."

So, you know how I told you about my C in English 2 Honors? That's definitely gonna turn around, but under sad circumstances. My lovely and very sarcastic teacher, Ms. Chavez-Shapiro, is on hospital prescribed bed rest for the rest of the year. Due to a nasty kidney stone and growing zygote, she can't be over exerting her tiny little frame at school. We're still waiting for a long-term sub. to come in, so in the meantime we're wasting class with directionless, aimless conversation while telling the substitute we're working diligently on questions assigned by Chavez to answer referring to A Separate Peace, a book we should have read by now. I, of course, haven't yet read it, but that's why I love my dependable group mates. One sub. decided to write her own lesson plan for us one day and had us pick a poem or song and rewrite it to change the meaning completely while keeping the rhythm and most of the same words. I picked a song called She Don't Use Jelly by The Flaming Lips, one of those funky indie bands that I'm in love with. The song itself is very odd and quirky, and my version is just as strange. But, the sub. laughed and thought it was very clever, so my ego was boosted for the day.

Oh, I didn't forget. I told you I'd mention this new show I'm doing. Alright, it's called Surf Universe, and was written by a man named Ron Evans. It stars Jazmin Gomez, Erin Farrel, myself, and Vinny (whose last name I can't remember). The whole thing is pretty much a metaphor for what the 60s were like in the form of surfers and dancing. We dance in unitards, wear missile bras, I have to lipsync a song, and carry fake surfboards that are as flimsy as toast. But, we're all getting paid for it, and I consider that to be the highest form of flattery, especially when dealing with theatre. It's high time us devoted actors got a little reward for our craft. Now, I'm not saying I need to get paid for every performance, or else I would've quit nine years ago. I just feel the amount we're getting paid is very well deserved. But, I won't gloat and turn into some snobby actress who paints herself to be so magnificent, when she really can't do squat. It performs February 27th at the Armstrong Theatre at 8:00 PM. I'll have a flyer posted soon enough.

And, that's about it. I just enjoyed a delicious cup of double scooped ice cream from Baskin Robbins, provided by my lovely Daddy. I'm just waiting for Mama Shields to come home from improv., so we can continue our ritual of watching America's Next Top Model reruns from cycles past. I hope all is well in your neck of the woods. B.G.G.

My life up to this point...

To all my devoted followers (or lack thereof) I apologize for my absence of over a month. A lot has been going on, good and bad, and my mind has been so preoccupied I haven't been able to do anything but occasionally eat and run back to rehearsal. That being said, these are the happenings in my life that are wonderfully occupying my time:

First, I just closed a show last weekend called Little Shop of Horrors. Maybe you've heard of it, maybe you haven't, but it's one of my favorite shows. I played the part of Crystal in the Trio along with two other beautiful girls named Lexie and Brittany, and our inner black girl got to come out. It was utterly fantastic. There were lots of riffs and "Mhmmm" moments that were too fun.


Second, the most joyous day of my life came on January 26, 2009, when the demons I call braces came off my teeth! I could not stop smiling and licking the slippery slimy things that are now my smile. I feel like a whole new person. I'm flashing my teeth in every picture I take and spreading smiles more as I walk around the halls of school. It gets annoying hearing "You have such tiny teeth!" so many times in a row, but I try to look past it. Here are my new babies:

WOO-HOO!

Third, school has been alright. I saw all my grades from semester 1 and wasn't exactly thrilled. Only two Bs, but the C in English 2 Honors made my heart sink. I really want to go to N.Y.U. for college, and I'm pretty sure the board of scholars that looks through the thousands of applicants are going to see my transcripts and just laugh. You'd think my native language would be the easiest class to pass. That's not the case. I just went to a meeting for English 3 Honors next year, and I am extremely intimidated and overwhelmed, but unless I challenge myself and take the class, I won't learn anything by doing the usual book reports and autobiographies. Aside from disheartening academics, other events going on at school are making this a very different year at South High. As a sophomore, I got invited to go an event called Boys and Girls State, in which we get to meet thousands of other gifted kids like us and make our own city and run it and get a feel for what it's like for politicians who sit in their offices every day and think of ways to improve our schools and other important things like that (although, I'm not sure California's elected officials are doing as good a job as we wish they were *ahem.*) The reason I mentioned being picked as a sophomore is because this is only offered to juniors who are going into Government/Economics next year as seniors. Teachers are the ones who nominate the kids, so I was shocked/honored to find out that one of my six teachers thinks I have the potential as a sophomore to go and invent my own city! It sucks, 'cause I don't qualify to go since I am a sophomore, but I'll hopefully be back next year. That'll give me enough time to actually learn/care about politics! That's gonna be weird. I also got invited to go on a one day event with 49 other kids to learn to break the barrier of discrimination and prejudice in high schools. Another teacher elected sorta thing, one of my teachers chose me! Out of the 2,000 kids going to South High, me and 49 others kids got chosen. It's bizarre that I'm picked for these, 'cause A. I'm not into politics at all and B. I didn't think I stuck out that much in any of my classes.

And I didn't forget to keep you updated with my New Years' Resolutions. It's coming along pretty well. Number one is a fluctuating one, but I'm starting to figure out how to reach that goal. I've lost a pound since the New Year! Yay! I'll get to my goal, I'm sure of that. Number two is coming true. I'm really starting to trust God more and understand that the things that shake my world are all for good reasons (i.e. my C in English). I'm making better choices in my life and am starting to fall in love all over again. Number three, well we know hasn't happened yet. If I just step it up a notch in all my classes, I'll be on my way to victory! And if Chavez-Shapiro would learn to be more sympathetic in English, maybe I'd have a fighting chance. Number four. I'm starting to do my stretches every day and am pushing myself a little more every day. But who knows when that magical day will come when my pelvis meets the floor. We'll keep our eyes peeled on that one! Number five hasn't happened yet, but I'm looking at a few different options of where to apply. I might even apply at Islands as a seating hostess and follow in Craig's footsteps and become part of the Islands family! Number six is coming very soon! As soon as Daddy gets his next paycheck, my online courses with EZ Street begin and by the end of March, I will be a driving fiend with my permit. Number seven is going to have to wait until the summer, because I honestly don't think I can fit in more classes right now with this new show I'm in (more on that in the next blog). Number eight is definitely coming alive. Ever since my teeth have been stripped, I've been more outgoing as I've already stated and have started feeling more confident with myself and that whole sex appeal thing might actually be applying to my life. What? Number nine, well, we all know how that's going.

Now that my hands are completely cramped from typing and your eyes are bleeding from too much reading, I will bid you all farewell. Why am I rhyming so much in this post? I don't know. But, I hope this weather isn't bumming you all out. I want to go dancing in it! I will be back soon, I promise. Thanks for stopping by, guys. I love you all. B.G.G.

Happy New Year

It is Thursday, January 1st, 2009. Oh, boy. I hope everyone had a safe evening and survived driving through the fog that plagued Torrance. During the day yesterday, I went to Fashionbug with Mama Shields and exchanged a top for an adorable one I wore last night to a couple parties. It looks like this:


It reminded me a little bit of the 20's with it's ruffles. But of course, it's far off. I went with Craig to Bryan Perez's house for some Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (a hilarious movie, by the way). There were only 9 of us altogether, but it was much fun. I pulled out early to go to a big New Year's sleepover at church with all my Campaigner mates. It's the second year in a row I haven't watched the Dick Clark extravaganza. Speaking of which, how is he? Anyway, it was a lot of fun. We danced, played more rock band, spent the night, ate a lot of food. Goood times.

The purpose of this is to share some resolutions I'd like to uphold this year. I figure since it's now 2009, I'll come up with 9 resolutions. Let's begin:

1. Lose weight. Yeah, yeah, it sounds absurd, but it's a personal thing. I don't wanna gain a single pound this year, no matter how ridiculous that may sound. I'm going to eat healthier, cut out a lot of crap from my diet, and ride Panda Delilah (Panda Delilah's my bike's name) more often.
2. Grow in my walk with the Lord. This year was a big learning opportunity for me. After going to Campaigner Camp at the very beginning of '08 and going to Woodleaf over the summer, I realized what it means to actually have a relationship with Christ. It's not enough to just pray when it's convenient; you have to talk to Him like a best friend. Tell Him everything, and he'll respond. That way, you both know you can talk to each other openly.
3. Get straight A's for one semester. School's been going pretty well this year academically. There's plenty of B's, but they're all high so I know I can nail it either 2nd semester of sophomore year or 1st semester of junior year. I know I can do it, all it takes is determination.
4. Nail my splits. Ever since last year, I've tried to get my splits down. Sadly, I've gotten distracted, didn't make time for it, and never did it long enough when I made time for it. I want to get flexible for dance, 'cause I know it'll open up more opportunities and just make me an overall better dancer.
5. Get a job. I'll be 15 1/2 in March, and I am going to get a job. I try not to be high maintenance, but I'm a girl who has needs. I don't want to seem like a leech to my parents, only asking for money. So I'm going to start looking for jobs that will hire at 16 or possibly lower. I know I won't be a waitress or anything, 'cause in most places you have to be 18 for that slot. But I know I can get one somewhere.
6. Get my permit. My dad's personal driving lessons have helped me get a feel for what the road is really like from the driver's seat. This month I'm hoping to start taking Driver's Ed at EZ Street, which is where Craig went. That way, I'll have my permit by my half birthday! My body's age cannot catch up fast enough to my brain's age.
7. Take classes at P.S.A. That stands for Professional School for the Arts. I want to take singing lessons, acting lessons, dance lessons. Anything to better my craft. I've taken classes there before with Jon Engstrom, a well known Broadway actor and director. He directs the shows for Civic Light Opera and Dad has been pushing me to audition for them. I think he likes the part that it's a paying gig. But I really need to get back into that place.
8. Have more self confidence. It's high time I start believing in myself. I've been battling a lot of personal wars this past year, and it's driving me bonkers. I don't know what it is, but sometimes I can't help but go on a pity party rant. Sure, I get compliments a lot, but I can't ever bring myself to believe them. I want to convince myself I'm beautiful, and it doesn't matter to who. Maybe #2 will tie into that somehow.
9. Fulfill them all. I'll keep track of how they all go for you. It seems like a lot of resolutions, but I have 12 months to complete 'em all. How difficult can that be? Lets see, 12 divided by 9 leaves about 1.333 months to complete each one. I can do it! I can do it!

Let me know of your resolutions. B.G.G.