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| We've had some good times, haven't we?
I first came to you on this date back in 2004, when I was a freshman in undergrad. I came to you with tentative expectations, unsure what you were. Numerous people at my school had their blogs on your site, and I was growing weary of sending out updates about my life to my family members and others with wordy e-mails every month or so. I wondered if you might provide an alternative source of relaying my experiences, so I decided to give you a chance.
My posts were short and irrelevant at first, filled with random links or blurbs about my current mood. This role would actually be better filled by Twitter today, but this was not an option at the time. You first provided real use that summer, as I used you for near-constant updates of day-to-day happenings at my summer volunteer position with the UT Arlington Baptist Student Ministries. It was overkill, but at least we were getting along well.
As the months went on, you continued to evolve. Although posts were frequent, I censored comments due to the presence of a select few peers who felt the need to leave irrelevant and annoying messages on any and every post I made, effectively changing this from a "blog" to a one-way message board. You proved your greatest use to me in the early months of 2005, as you enabled me to record my adventures studying in Malaysia and transmit them back to the US. At the end of the year, you helped me give voice to the tumultuous ride that was the 2005 Major League Baseball playoffs, as I watched my Astros finally reach the final stage of the baseball season and just fall short of championship glory.
But another shift was happening in my writing. 2006 marked the decreasing frequency of my posts, and even when I spent a month in China my updates were irregular. Interestingly, however, I was putting more thought into my posts, even incorporating pictures, and in my opinion they were becoming of better quality. I even began allowing comments once again in the latter part of the year.
Then came 2007, when I visited you less and less often. I injected some new interest in you when I parlayed my experiences working in a coffee shop into a series of "Coffee Shop Introductions," which even resulted in their own spin-off blog (which, incidentally, has not been updated since early December). I also returned to you frequently as I settled into life on the West Coast.
But 2008 marked the beginning of the end for you, dear Xanga. Most of my friends with Xanga blogs had long since abandoned their endeavors, some switching to other venues, some ceasing their blogging pursuits altogether. You had one last gasp of usefulness at the latter part of last year when I went through one of the hardest months of my life, allowing me to reach out to friends across the web as I struggled through a hurricane and the passing of my grandfather. This, however, would be a deviation from the norm, as my updates have dramatically decreased since those days.
So, here we are. I promised a few posts ago that on this day our fun partnership would finally end. I'm now switching to Blogger, where I hope a new location and a new vision might stimulate my imagination. I have a few ideas of some new things I can try in a more "mature" blog setting, and I'm tentatively excited about it.
So, dear Xanga, I thank you for five years of distraction, intellectual stimulation, reflection, and so on. But it's time for me to move on.
Should you ever miss me, feel free to visit me at the new digs.
With all my love,
Andy O
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| First of all, I'll clarify that I use the term "SoCal" not to sound like one of the cool kids, particularly since its partner term is "NorCal," which I think just sounds obnoxious. But considering my current residence and my hometown share the same name, this is just easier than always specifying Pasadena, California and Pasadena, Texas. I feel the need to make this clear in light of the story I am about to tell.
So today I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, which is already a very California type thing to do. Trader Joe's is the definitive West Coast grocery store, where every product is "organic" or "chemical free," which is reassuring for things like fruit but kind of strange for things like cheese sandwich crackers. Regardless, it is relatively inexpensive so I've made it my destination of choice for large-scale shopping trips, so I can load up on gluten-free frozen pizzas or something like that.
I was in the frozen goods aisle, looking for the famous and delicious Trader Joe's Orange Chicken, when I noticed a man with a ridiculous mustache and numerous tattoos. His look attracted my notice for about one and a half seconds, and then I went back to looking for the chicken. But an old lady spied the individual a few seconds after me, and gasped loudly, rushing up to him.
"Oh my gosh! Are you- are you- have I seen you on TV?!" she cried.
Seeming amused and slightly nonplussed, the man simply nodded and somewhat sheepishly replied, "Yeah-"
Before he could add another word, the lady shrieked at a violent volume, causing most people in the section to turn and see if an assault was taking place. She began breathlessly spewing out admirations and questions, an endless barrage of, "Ohmygosh I can't believe it's you I love you on the show I think you have such great fashion sense do you live in this area I'm such a big fan do you shop here often *pant pant*" etc etc etc. He graciously accepted the compliments and answered a few questions before the woman exhausted her curiosities and thanked him again, then the two parted and went back to shopping.
Now, I had no idea who this man was, but I was able to glean some details from the lady's chatter. He was on television, and she remarked on his "fashion sense," which would probably make him a designer, which would probably place him on a reality show. His mustache and tattoos seemed distinctive enough that they would attract discussion on the World Wide Web. So upon returning to my apartment and shelving my groceries, I did a Google search for "mustache tattoos fashion designer reality television show." The first link was for the show "Project Runway," and after some further research I identified the mystery celebrity as Jeffrey Sebelia, winner of Season 3.
(old ladies at Trader Joe's appreciate this man's style)
While I was still in the midst of the internet research, my roommate Josh and his girlfriend Alison returned from Ralph's, a local grocery store that is basically a small version of Kroger. They were both abuzz over Alison's first California Celebrity Sighting: David Denman, popularly known as "Roy from 'The Office.'" I have actually seen Mr. Denman myself as well, at a jazz club at the local Paseo Colorado mall.
(seminary students at Paseo Colorado appreciate this man's style)
Mr. Denman and Mr. Sebelia are the only two celebrities I have seen in person, although apparently both the mom from "Malcolm in the Middle" and Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite visited DSW while I worked there, according to my co-workers.
I know it seems too sensational to be true, but running into obscure actors and actresses well-renowned in select subcultures of people is just a way of life in SoCal. After a while, you just learn how to live with all the glitz and glamour.
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| The biggest drawback to not updating in a long time is figuring out what to write in a new post. Should I just jump in with something that happened recently, ignoring my two month long silence? Should I attempt to recap the significant developments of what happened while I wasn't updating? Should I just quit and never return to this blog again?
I will tell you that this previous quarter at Fuller was a beast for me, and that I just got returned from spending a little over two weeks at home for the Christmas holiday, which was a much needed break. That's all the recap you get, since otherwise I'll just be telling you about spending long nights at IHOP almost every day for about a week and a half.
In a previous post, I promised to pose the question, "Is Xanga dead or dying?" in an upcoming post. So, here goes:
I have been disillusioned with Xanga for some time now - the only reason I chose this site over any other one was that almost everyone who blogged at my undergrad used this. However, the vast majority of my friends have stopped updating or switched to other blogs. I have resisted the change because I didn't want an awkward break between this blog and a new one.
Well, a clean and ceremonious division is coming up soon. I started this blog on February 23, 2004. I have decided that as of February 23, 2009 - exactly five years later - I will be switching to another blog hosting site, most likely Blogger. I don't know if it will really inspire me to update more often or more insightfully, but hey, it can't hurt.
And with that, I bid a Happy 2009 to the five or so people who still read this. 
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| "It is a chance to literally show everyone how clever you are without having to say a word." - description of picking a Halloween costume, according to Stuff White People Like
In accordance with the theme of trying to be clever, this Halloween I went with one of the traditional 20-something costume genres, mainly Characters From Beloved Yet Still Generally Obscure Films. Any film by acclaimed director Wes Anderson fits into this category, and the most popular of his movies is far and away 2001's The Royal Tenenbaums.
But this story does not begin on Halloween. It rather begins one evening in a Fuller classroom, as my friend Christina and I chat to pass the time before our Hebrew Prophets class. Christina mentions that she has ordered a fur coat in preparation for being a Tenenbaum for Halloween.
This conversation leads into a decision on my part to grow out a beard, procure one of my grandfather's old tan suits, and purchase some wristbands, a headband, and some slick sunglasses.
And thus, Friday night saw my transformation into Wes Anderson character Richie Tenenbaum:
 
This isn't necessarily the most original costume ever (a quick Google image search for "Richie Tenenbaum costume" should provide ample evidence otherwise), but I am proud of how it turned out, if I do say so myself.
Christina made an excellent Margot Tenenbaum, Richie's step-sister/love interest (that dichotomy makes marginally more sense if you've seen the movie):
 
Seriously, we're at least twice as indie as you could ever hope to be.
We also had a Chas (the third and final Tenenbaum sibling), so we had a good representation of main characters. My roommate Seth joined in the Wes Anderson craze with his get-up as Francis Whitman from Anderson's most recent film The Darjeeling Limited:
These costumes generally incur one of two responses:
1) About 75% of people - "Hey, that's great!... (pause)... So...what are you?"
2) About 25% of people - (jaw drops) "Wow. You are my hero."
My other roommates Eric and Josh had a different relatively obscure pop culture reference, being my favorite "couple" of the night, namely the Mac and PC from the "Get a Mac" commercials:
 
The great thing about their costumes was that when they were separated, people would see them and say, "Oh that's cool" very unimpressed, whereas when they stood next to each other it instantly became genius. If we had stayed at the party until the costume contest, I think they would have had a serious shot at being third place or something similar.
The report card for other Halloween 2008 garb:
- Most played-out: Sarah Palin
Before we left, we tried to think up what the most overdone costumes would be, and came up with three finalists: Palin, Juno, and the Joker from The Dark Knight. We didn't see any Jokers (guess it wasn't the right party), but we saw two Junos and four or so Sarah Palins. There was some variety in the Palins: Palin with a $150,000 price tag on her dress, Palin with baby Trig, Palin with a "Hottest VP" button, and so on. But really, if you're not Tina Fey, it's not original.
If you haven't seen the film Once yet, do yourself a favor and go check it out. One couple completely nailed the look of the two leads, and they said they pulled it off with just loose ends they had lying around the house and a guitar. Well played.
I don't mean a guy ran a fruit stand at the party, or that he came dressed as someone who would work at a fruit stand. I mean he actually had a fruit stand connected to his person and carried it with him as he walked. I don't know if it was as great as it seemed - anybody can put together something big and have people think it's cool - but it was definitely the most distinct of the night.
- Best non-costume: the painted belly couple
So a couple I know is expecting their first child soon, and the wife is far along and showing her pregnancy. Instead of dressing up, both the husband and wife painted Jack-o-lanterns on their bellies and walked around the whole night with exposed midriffs. They are going to have a cool kid.
More photos from the night can be seen here. Too bad your Halloween wasn't as awesome as mine! (note: your Halloween may have actually been as awesome or more awesome than mine, in which case I am happy for you)
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| So I'm walking back to my apartment from Fuller today, and come up near an intersection down the street from where I live. A large vehicle passes me, and while my view of the intersection is obscured, I hear the load SCREEEEEEEEECH of tires struggling to catch up with the wishes of rapidly applied break pedals, followed by the thunderous BANG! of two automobiles colliding. Once my view of the intersection is clear, I see one of the cars stop just shy of slamming into a traffic signal pole, and the horn of one of the cars blares uncontrollably. The car by the traffic pole is still running while its driver climbs out, its car horn still sounding its piercing tone under a deployed airbag, attracting all passers-by to the situation.
I wish I could claim this was a new experience.
Upon returning to my apartment, I recounted what had happened and one of my roommates remarked that he has never seen a wreck take place. I have not been so lucky. In addition to two collisions during which I was a passenger in the car, I can recall the following off the top of my head:
- Near Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena, Texas - A car being pursued by police zooms into an intersection and T-bones another vehicle. The police pull the driver of the speeding car out and throw him to the ground to apply handcuffs, while an ambulance is called for the victims in the innocent car. This is the first wreck I can remember witnessing, and being a young boy at the time, I think it's pretty awesome.
- Driving home from church in Pasadena, Texas - While waiting for a break in traffic at a T-intersection, I see a car rear-end another car that had been waiting to turn left. A police car serendiptiously drives by at the exact same time, and instantly turns on its lights and attends to the scene.
- Walking in Downtown Houston, Texas - During the original Penguin Tour, a truck hits a car in an intersection, about ten seconds after my friends and I walk across the street. The penguin probably did not distract the driver and cause the wreck, but you never know.
- Walking in Brownwood, Texas - Returning to my dorm from a class off-campus, I see a car waiting to turn right edging out into the street, and think, "He's pulling out too far." I am correct - a passing vehicle clips the car's left headlight. I nonchalantly keep walking.
- At a park in Brownwood, Texas - My friends and I watch a lady absentmindedly back her van full-force into a tree. To help her save face, we pretend not to notice.
- A highway in San Antonio, Texas - Following my then-girlfriend to her parents' house to visit her hometown for the first time, I watch as she attempts to merge into the next lane without checking her blindspot. I watch in disbelief as she sideswipes the car next to her in rush hour traffic. I'm still kind of amazed none of us got into another wreck while trying to get off the road.
- A major intersection in Pasadena, Texas - Two police cars are trying to work their way through bumper-to-bumper traffic down the Beltway 8 feeder road as my mother and I sit stopped in our car on Fairmont. A helpful driver on the feeder tries to veer out of the police cars' way, only to crash into another vehicle in the next lane. I can only imagine what expletives go through those County Constables' minds.
- A highway in La Cañada Flintridge, California - In my rear view mirror, I see two cars collide, and one of them crashes into the highway divider. Driving at seventy-five miles per hour, I figure it's best to not turn around and try to help.
- Near my apartment in Pasadena, California - today.
This list does not include occasions where I came upon the site of wreck after the fact, nor occasions where I saw a car spin out and miraculously not hit anything (seen it twice), nor that one time when I was on a school field trip and our bus passed some guy on Texas 225 driving his car while it was on fire. But seriously - nine wrecks I've witnessed, plus two wrecks I've been in? Is that normal? That's almost every other year of my life! How can my roommate have never seen any?!
Back to today's events. Both drivers emerge from their cars unscathed, which is definitely a positive. I walk over to the scene, meeting the driver of the car in the middle of the intersection, a young man about my age. He assures me he is uninjured and asks hopefully if I witnessed the accident, which I did not. I offer to help him push his vehicle out of the intersection, but he insists he can just drive it, so he turns the car back on and pulls over to the side of the road.
Meanwhile, the driver of the other car, a woman maybe in her early thirties at the oldest, is talking on her cell phone, holding her head in sheer confusion. Her car is still running and leaking coolant down the street, and the interior of the car is smoking. I figure it's not good to let car keep running, but not too wise to go near it either. Another passer-by and I discuss the problem, and he finally goes over to the car and sees the smoke is actually dust from the airbag. He reaches in through the shattered window and turns off the car.
I think, "I should've done that," which probably isn't true, but has been bugging me all afternoon.
Quite a few people have stopped by, some of whom say they saw the accident happen. A few women hug the female driver (the one at fault whose car was more significantly damaged), and the two drivers involved interact cordially, frustrated at the situation but not exhibiting anger at each other. Finally a police car and a fire truck come by, and I ask if my presence is still needed, seeing as I'm not a witness. The answer is no, so I quickly and discreetly duck out to let the authorities do their jobs.
All that for two lessons:
1) When thrown into an unexpected situation as an outsider, I don't know how to act. I want other people to lead the way and help them do the work, not make decisions of my own. I can't depend on that to always be an option. I was the first person to see the driver of one of the vehicles - what if he had been unconscious? What if the woman's car had caught fire? I'd rather not be the guy standing to the side saying, "Um, someone should do something," if I find myself in that unfortunate circumstance.
2) It's interesting how a blaring car horn and a blocked intersection blows apart the anonymity that marks a typical day. I don't know about you, but when I see other cars on the road, I don't think of them as people in vehicles, I just see cars. Yet here was a group of complete strangers consoling two victims of an accident and offering help in the midst of their busy days. Maybe some hope for society exists after all.
Over-analyzing? Probably. But it did make for an unusual afternoon.
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