I'm coming home.

My dad sent me a birthday card today, along with a matching necklace and earring set in a style I haven't been interested in since sixth grade. It was a sweet gesture though. It made me feel bad, because it's evident he's trying so hard to stay a part of my life, even though I haven't written to him in ages. It's not that I have a lack of interest in how he's doing, or hold some sort of resentment for him because everything that has happened is now the past. I've just been so busy with work and school and trying to be a good sister and girlfriend and friend that I hardly have time for myself anymore. Everything I do, I do for everyone else. I don't choose to work so much so that I can have money in the bank, and it's evident because I'm still broke. I work so much so that my little brother can have money, so I can help my mother with bills, so I can take care of myself without having to ask for anything from anyone. It's a different kind of independence. I'm just trying to make everyone proud. But I'm too busy trying to make everyone proud that I have no time for everyone.

I ditched my plans today to take a little time to write to my father. I picked out some pictures to send to him and even bought a few books to send him so he's not too bored out there. I miss my dad. And my brother. I wish everyone would come home.

I've got a couple new goals. Hopefully if things go okay, I'll be on my way to France to study abroad by summer 2009. It's something I don't want to miss out on while I'm still in college so I'm pretty excited. By September I'll probably volunteer for the Nike Human Race and by next year I'm hoping to run my own 10k. I would start training now but since I'm turning 21 soon, waking up at 6am to run a few miles is unspeakable for obvious reasons.

I'm going to be more honest about my vegetarianism. Okay, I'll admit it. I haven't been 100% faithful(like you didn't see that coming) but I'm trying my best. I've been eating a lot of seafood which is ironic because I think overfishing is a bigger problem. But damn. Those Koreans and their BBQ - droolsssssss.

xx, loveLC

just to get by.

Thank goodness school is back in session. I'm starting to feel a bit of normalcy again. A lot of events coming up, including Vegas this month (twice!). Excited? You bet your ass.

A couple vinyls' I'm hoping will come into my possession in the near future:

Daft Punk - Around the World LP
Michael Jackson - THRILLER; these go for about 100 bones on craigslist/ebay. FML x2
ANYTHING by the Sound Providers. I've heard all but two songs. I'm hooked.
Feist - Open Season; only because I'm dying to hear the One Room One Hour remix of Gatekeeper on vinyl (drool)
Anything by the Strokes, The Shins, Ratatat, RATM, Mylo, Metric, and the YYY's; just because it'd be great to have ;)

xx,
loveLC

"This morning, I woke up
Feeling brand new
I jumped up
Feeling my highs and my lows
In my soul, and my goal
Is just to stop smokin, and stop drinkin
And I've been thinkin - I've got my reasons
Just to get by."

-Kweli

RIP

I guess I'm a litte late to the party, but this is my official blog on the life and death of Michael Jackson.

Whether you loved him or you hated him, no one can honestly say they weren't emotionally affected by his death.

I remember sitting in Yogurtland when I heard the news. I thought it was a joke. I remember walking aimlessly through the mall, wondering what a coincidence it was that every store was playing Michael Jackson or the Jackson 5. I shrugged it off, embracing the fact that there was actually music playing that I enjoyed. Then the texts came in. And the radio tributes. And if word of mouth wasn't enough, then came the news articles. I still couldn't believe it. I couldn't comprehend that something that was so engrained into my life, my childhood, my culture, was gone. I guess I never expected him to die. I always assumed he'd be there and never disappear, like trees, air or an appendage. I felt he'd live longer than me, like he was immortal. I was never so disturbed to hear of a celebrity's death.

It's because Michael Jackson was more than a celebrity. He was like a deity. When I say everyone was into Michael Jackson, I mean EVERYONE was into Michael Jackson. He broke barriers of age, race, class and musical genres. Everyone loved him, not just the country, but the whole world.

He was a musical trailblazer. You try and tell me that Thriller still doesn't give you chills. That album alone sold 100 million records. 100 MILLION. NO ARTIST dead or alive comes close to that. He was one of the best things to come out of America. Something we could really be proud of (take that, Europe!).

RIP Kinp of Pop

xx
lovelc