New colors

People,
I will not try to pretend like I don't change my mind a lot as far as my blog design is concerned. I realize that the picture behind the title clashes a bit with the green for this background, and I realize that some of the earlier posts now look funny because the color schemes matched the former dark blue. Well, let's just be at ease with this: I'm in the experimental stage. My blog is still in Junior High, trying to find out who it really is, changing constantly. One day it might have a cool blue background... the next day it's changing its name... the next day it's trying out for the soccer team... and the next it's joining the chess club...

Ah, nastalgia...

-- And now --

FORTUNE COOKIE TIME!

Click here to read your fortune (and other peoples'). You will enjoy. And check out his blog while you're at it. I've never seen this man before in my life, but my friend has, and she says he's pretty funny. I happen to agree.

Con amor,
Andrew

An Apple a Day...

Announcement:

I have an interview at 1:30 PM tomorrow. The Apple Store. Century City Mall. Los Angeles. California. 90077.

Now, I need this job! I've been trying so hard to get a good job here in LA, and this one actually sounds promising!

Dear God,
You know how great it would be for me to work here.
You know how extremely cool Apple products are.
You know how badly I need a job.
HELP ME OUT TOMORROW.
(Please?)

Amen.

Viva España

Amigos queridos,

I am going to move to Spain.

Esta es la verdad.

I shall live on the Spanish beach

And drink a Spanish drink

With a Spanish sombrilla hanging out of it

And I shall write a Spanish book

About la gente Espanola

And I shall write it in Spanish.

Not English.

But what is that? What is that which the people will say to me?

"Por que, Andres? Por que te mudas a España?"

And to that I shall answer with some beautiful Madrileña name,

"Esperanza, mis amigos. Para buscar a mi amor que se llamará Esperanza."

And then I will look into the distance, and in great apostrophe I shall sing to my beautiful amor who will be named Esperanza la letra of a song I once heard a long, long time ago...

Y La noche va,

Dejándonos solos
Y cada mitad se acerca a su modo
Y dicen las calles, de tu Barcelona
Que la Noche es nuestra
Que la Nit es nostra

La vieja Ciudad, Vestida de luces
De espuma de mar, De amores y cruces
Y yo solo pido que nunca amanezca,
Que la noche es nuestra,
Que la nit es nostra
Que la Nit es nostra

And the people will say to me,

"Wow, Andres. What beatiful Spanish! Where did you ever learn to speak such beautiful Spanish letra?"

And I will say to them,

"En una cancion, mis amigos. En una cancion."

And they will be left in such incredible awe at this statement, with the lyrics to such a beautiful canción resonating throughout their heads, and they will no longer want to speak.

And then I will move to Spain.

Adios.

Why I like the LEFT

What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?" If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then ... we are not that kind of "Liberal." But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal."

-- John F. Kennedy

September 14, 1960

Religion

What matters most to you in your life?

Here's a story:

I'm with Katie this past Sunday. She did just about nothing but watch TV and chat on facebook that day, whereas I went to church, read the scriptures, listened to some hymns, and did all sorts of other religious stuff to try to consecrate that day to God, just like I have been taught was right since the day I was born.

She turns to me and says,

"Hey Andrew, I want a milkshake from In-N-Out. Wanna come with?"

Now, Katie has been in the LDS church her entire life. She even served a mission for this church. She knows what it teaches, and she knows that it's the Truth. She very well understands that it would be breaking the Sabbath to go out and buy something completely unnecessary--like a milkshake--on Sunday. So what do I do when she asks me if I want to go? I roll my eyes at her and tell her that she knows that's not the right thing to do on Sunday, and that she should just eat something here at the house instead. At this, she flips.

"Why don't you just go to hell you little self-righteous punk! You know what?! What if I don't believe the church is true any more? What if I don't care any more?! You see Andrew, that's the difference between you and me: you won't stop judging others! All I'm trying to do is get by right now, and here you are telling me that I'm an ass just because I want to buy a stupid milk shake on a Sunday! I'm not even gonna care, now am I? Nope! Why should you care what I think?! I just want a stupid milk shake!"

And yada yada yada.

Now, I wasn't really meaning to cast judgment on my sister. I was just trying to help her make what I thought would be a better choice overall because right now she's not feeling so well about herself and her situation in life, and I just thought that my tiny little efforts to help her keep the commandments would soon begin to have a positive effect on her and maybe help her find her little place in life and in this religion. And yet, it turned out terribly, as you read earlier.

Here's what I realized after I thought about it some more--and this is the moral of this story:

I should have gone with her.

Not only that, but I should have paid for her milkshake. I should have been there for her. I still can't believe that I actually put my OCD efforts to keep the Sabbath day holy above my own sister's needs. She didn't need anyone to tell her what was right and what wasn't right. She needed to feel accepted by her brother during a time in her life when she was finding herself questioning the entirety of her moral upbringing--something that would cause any of us to panic inside if we were to go through it like she is right now. No wonder she wanted a milkshake!

Well, this time I really blew it. I hope next time I see the people in my life first, because that is what really matters most, or so I believe.

Fun in Kentucky!

I liked this.

What's your name, again?

I live with two dogs now.  Though I try so hard to remember their names, I can't seem to get them into my head.  It's actually very sad.  In fact, I just had to ask my sister what their names were because I couldn't remember.  (Apparently she was taking a nap, by the way.)

"Hey Katie?"

"What!"

"What are the names of our dogs, again?"

"Andrew!  I'm not going to tell you again!  

It's Zowie and Olivia!"

"Oh.  

Okay.  

Thanks."

Unfortunately, my retention for human names isn't much better than it is for my pets' names. Many people find this very offensive, actually.  Please don't be offended.  I know who you are.  I remember where I know you from.  We had 12th grade Chemistry together, didn't we?  I, too, prefer Trix cereal to most other cereals.  Don't you ride the bus on Thursdays?  Yes, I used to volunteer for Mr. Frankowski's class, too.  Did you dye your hair since I last saw you?  I think you gave me your number once.  Did I erase it?  Wow.  That's awkward.  

And then I'll say...

"Hey, what was your name again?"

And then they walk away.

So please, don't be offended if I forget your name.  It's nothing personal.  It's not like I meant to forget it.  It's not like I said to myself, "Oh, okay.  Sylvia, huh?  Well I'll just go ahead and throw that memory out."  

It's just that I forget sometimes.