jeffrey + upstairsloft

testing if this will post. why? the internet is a coward.

Dear Arnold,

Change the CSU system. Tuition is hiking up to a $1020 increase next Fall. This whole stupid articulation process and gay ass unnecessary requirements… DAMN! A 3 year foreign language requirement!? I’ve been speaking a foreign language all my life! Hell, they even taught it in school. It’s called English!

That ain’t even American! What am I going to do with Spanish, French, Botox, Hawaiian and all that other crap? How many spanish speaking clients will I have as opposed to English-speaking clients? Yes, it’s a good skill for all of us to have, but so is rocket science. Why not make us all take Rocket Science 101.

If I have to re-take HELLA courses (courses that I received As and Bs in @ JC) in state, I am going to take all my upper division classes for Graphic Design and Photo, and come graduation, I’m just gonna drop and work. I did not waste 3 long hardworking years of Junior College to reciprocate that same pattern. FUCK THAT. I worked hard in JC so I can work hard and focus on what matters to me in state..DESIGN. Competency? Is that’s what it’s for? Make 75% of America take a road competency test. It’ll benefit us all for the most part. Dammit. I’m moving to Afrika.

Wanna see more pictures? Portfolio-type stuff.
        >>>Scanned
Silver Gelatin Prints

What’s up?

Last night Jasmine came over to study for our early ass photo final.  What
else?  Mom and Dad gave me a little gift.  It was intended to be given
to me on Christmas, but given that we’re going to Philippines, they secretly
planned to give it to me and my brother on Thanksgiving.  Anyways, several
magical factors led my dad to give me my gift early.

Today, Monday, the only normal day of school I will have this week, the day
before Tuesday when Harry Potter 3 and Incubus: Alive @ Red Rock, I received my
DVD early through the mail.  YESSSS.  So Kate and I relived her
birthday while watching an amazing show in Colorado.  Surround sound and
all.  Beautiful.

Anyhow, the "Story of My Life" as Sara would say:
I got a good deal on a Rio 64 mp3 player, brand new, unopened from a close
friend from high school for $35.  Yeah…it was "hot."  Anyhow, I
lasted two years with that mp3 player.  In fact, it was even my senior prom
date.  Seriously.  Then I moved up to the Rio128 that my parents got
me for one of my birthdays since my Rio64 was on its last days.  That
wasn’t as great as I thought it would be.  So I upgraded using a Peformance
Service Plan and got a Samsung Yepp 256mb mp3 player.  That was cool. 
But then I needed a shift in music lifestyle.  So I got a MiniDisc.  I
fit all Incubus albums into 1 disc…etc.  Coldplay..Radiohead…Chili
Peppers…so forth.  Well, here I am, at the next level, the iPod.  So
yes.. portable music players and I go back and I am so happy.

This sounds shallow, a post dedicated to an mp3 player, so let me put some depth
into this entry.  Care for some pictures?

Jasmine signing the calendar

Explaining 2 of the factors that determine depth-of-field

This is Jasmine’s "I farted" pose.

My iPod!!! and Incubus DVD, on a Monday, the day
before Tuesday.  Score!

A group of the pre-graphic design majors, Kate and I had dinner at Tokyo Fro’s last night. It was probably juvenile and immature of me to stick peas up my nose but don’t worry, 10 years from now, I will still be sticking peas up my nose–guaranteed. O yeah, I ordered my first alcoholic beverage since my first hangover, a Peach Long Island, and it is official. I am sick of it. I know…I know…LIGHTWEIGHT, make fun of me all you want, Jeff and alcohol were never supposed to combine in the first place. It was fun while it lasted. But…just for the sake of keeping my manhood, I would like to say that Three Adios Mudda Fuckaz, or 2 Grateful Deads and a Passion Fruit Martini, or a Tokyo Tea, Grateful dead and Adios Muddafucka had nothin on me.

Well…that was until I had those 2 grateful deads, stoli vodka and that one thing I halved with Kaye on a night where I ate nothin but that half homemade sandwich with Kate during brunch.

Message to the kids:

If you’re a dumbass like me and come up with an economic plan to be a college student and still afford to drink, do not follow my plan. Just in case you didn’t know what it was: Don’t spend money on food so you spend less money on alcohol to achieve a good buzz. It works. No doubt. But, yes, it’s a stupid thing to do and I knew it was a stupid thing to do in the first place, but hey, I’m a stupid person. I’ll countlessly touch an electrocharged cupcake like Bart Simpson. Amen.

Kate’s dumb. Go read her stuff. go to www.upstairsattic.com. click “Kate” on the left window-like pane image or click “Kate” on the right. Or, you can add “/kate” to you address URL on your browser window. You can also plug in her name with upstairsattic.com on google. Anyways, she’s dumb. Go read her stuff. Girls like that type of stuff.

Guess what.  My talent has been discovered. Yes, so has my weirdness. 
This is going to be an interesting 4 years at school…
        >>>Meet
Tim.  He’s cool.

        [kaye, jun, this was the 28-yr old
guy I told you about
        who does not look a day older than me
        (excluding asian years...we tend to
look younger than the bunch)].

        Tim is this guy, yes, a guy, at
school who graduated from USF (i think) and he is back for more college
education action, this time, studying the great skill of power graphic design. 
It’s like graphic design, but with power.  Arg.  He likes to slice
lemons and squeeze lemon juice into little kids’ eyes.  He’s a bullie. 
But you know what???

>>>He doesn’t have THIS! 

Massimo Vignelli’s Stendig Calendar

This weekend, Kate, Kate’s family, and I drove down to LA. While away from home, parents traded in my Mom’s SUV for a new SUV. It’s pretty bad ass. They’re crazy. I came home a few minutes before my parents got home and they arrived in this car the same color as Jun’s car. Like I said, they’re crazy. I love them tho. I think they gave me life.

Today was a good day to release myself from independence.  Well, I did
insist that I take the bus (btw, in Milpitas, left Sac early) to Borders but my
dad offered a ride and I didn’t fight it.  I didn’t want to take his car
because it was raining and it was still clean (he and my mom carpool to work and
they had plans for my mom’s ride).

So, dad dropped me off at Wal-Mart so I can restock on pens (my 3-week old pen
ran out–personal record…yep…lots of note taking.).  I felt dependent
again; it was good.  Then I walked a couple of hundred yards to Border’s
and read for a bit over two hours and took notes on my readings.  Kate’s
dad picked me up.

For a few hours there, I got to play high school Jeff–being dropped off, picked
up, but still insisting I take the bus or walk.  Driving surely has its
conveniences but I refuse to be the driver who neglects the way of the
pedestrian so I continue to do both.  Plus, I love the alone time.  I
love being around Kate but sometimes I have to spend a few hours to myself,
catch up with personal thoughts, re-evaluating my values, so on and so forth. 
Plus, I love walking.  I love not having a place to go but going there
anyways.  Driving compresses too much time when you wanna go somewhere with
no motive.  Walking allows you to breathe life, environment and set you
apart from the bullshit drivers out there and greet Jorge, Jose and Lupe as they
pass you by on their bikes.  Yeah… they say "Hi" to me; it’s great.

It was releasing to get dropped off, picked up, walk from here to there, passing
by other walkers at McCarthy Ranch, greeting unresponsive walkers, scarf over my
face, hands in my pocket.  I felt like a walking John Cusack, wandering
about with direction but no motive.

Take some time away from the normal.  Walk.  Incubate.  Then
afterwards, watch The Incredibles!!!

This is a Rob Martin Exclusive Link: 
    >>>Apologies
from the other Half of America

        >>>11/06/04
- San Francisco b/w Foto Fest

Yeah..the title is deceiving. On this day, Jun, Kate and I went to San Francisco to expose a handful off rolls of film. I documented the event with my digital cam and took some pics
here & there just to remember the day and the sights.  We visited MOMA
(Museum of Modern Arts), and expose handful of film near Golden Gate and at an
abandoned shack.