I can feel the earth move...

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Hey!

This week has been pretty cool - there were so many readings that I didn't get to finish them though, so am playing catch up at the moment. I went to a discourse lab on Tuesday that I didn't know about previously - it was really interesting. Participants get to present their video data and talk about their analysis. I am a little disappointed that I can't squeeze in the "Talk and Body" class about gaze and gesture and its relation to speech (which is just before the lab), but I am able to do a little work on my own research, which is great. I really feel like I'm getting some direction! Otherwise my school week has been pretty normal. Actually, it rained on Thursday (and it's drizzling still today). That was pretty weird - so I snuck into the grad lounge (ok, with permission) and read there!

On Tuesday I met up with my housemate-to-be Taru's friend Yujong. She chatted with me for a while and showed me a good place to eat on campus! And she also told me about the discourse lab. She's almost at the end of her PhD and is doing some interesting stuff on doctor-patient interaction in Korea.

Nothing else really - studying, cooking, less exercising, groceries, skyping (hi Daniel and Steph!)

Yesterday was my other interesting day - it started with an orange thief and ended with crazy dancing in Santa Monica.

Ok... so the orange thief - there is an orange tree in my yard and some guys just walked in and picked two bags full... I was too shy to confront him and was so worried about it. I contacted some people I know (thanks Danny for keeping me sane) and they said that it was weird and to call them if it happens again. Thank goodness I contacted my landlady - it was one of her friends! But for the intervening three hours between the apparent thieving and and the reassurance, I was rather concerned!

Then, at around 7:45pm I felt like a giant had walked into my house... but then I realised that: a) that was a ridiculous explanation, and b) Los Angeles is on a fault line. It was a 3.4 magnitude quake - my first ever, even though I'd previously lived on a fault line in Wellington! LA produced a nice little quake for me in less than four weeks and Wellington couldn't do it in six months! But, now I've had that experience, I'm quite happy for no more to occur!

Around 10pm (way past my bed time), Jai took me out with Gilbert, Nanette and their friend Shanehi. Despite asking for a diet coke, Jai bought me a rum and coke (which I kind of expected actually). That was fine, except the bartender got the ratio back-to-front, so after drinking a quarter I had to get more coke in it! Unfortunately, for some reason going clubbing makes me revert to my crazy 18-year-old self where I just dance like an idiot...and then think I'm cool. Oh well! I think it's that I haven't really been clubbing since I was 18, only salsa dancing, so I'm just not sure how to dance appropriately. But my silliness (gotta love dancing the "towel", the "muppet", the "spray'n'wipe" and the "sprinkler") certainly seems to make people think I'm fun - maybe it's because I make them look cooler. Even though I only had that drink and a corona, I'm feeling a little worse from wear today! Not too bad, but not my usual self. Rather odd actually, since how well I usually pull up. I guess not having Warwick to force me to drink three glasses of water before I crash for the night is the issue.

Now for some other random little things:

I've overheard a lot of great conversations on campus - the winner so far is:
- Young UCLA student on her cell phone - "Like you know like yeah you know" or something of that deep and meaningful nature!

Finally I've been able to have Ben and Jerry's ice cream! Not in a cone, but in a tub from the supermarket, but still! It's amazing! The one I bought is called "Phish Food" and it has chocolate ice cream, marshmallow, caramel, and mini chocolate fudge fish!

Speaking of food - I am losing my ability to eat meat. My laziness in cooking and my desire to keep costs down have meant that I've mainly been eating vegies and beans (and carbs... carbs are cheap and delicious). I tried to eat a pastrami sandwich and almost threw up - the shame! I used to love pastrami... maybe I just need a good steak... or In'n'Out burger!

And I've also noticed and discovered that they have every kind of service imaginable here:
- people who do the christmas lights on houses (which explains why they look so damn good)
- people who clean BBQs
- people to pack your grocery bags

Ok, so the last one is a bit more normal, but I wanted to make the list look bigger! I'll be sure to add more as I find them!

Finally, I want to share some lyrics from a song I've recently discovered by Little Pictures (http://www.myspace.com/lotsoflittlepictures):

I wish I could keep you under my bed
I would feel safer if I know you were there
Hiding in the covers from the shadows on the walls of my room

I wish I could keep you under my bed
Every sound is scarier when you are not there
Hiding in covers from the sounds in my closet all night

Reminds me of how I feel missing Warwick... awwww....There's more - go listen to it!!

Your Hollywood Correspondent,

Sarah

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Photos

Montana Ave
In Santa Monica - very posh!

My new friends at V Lounge!
Shanehi, Gilbert and Jai!