I am sitting on my bed, with a missing voice and a garbled throat, listening to my beloved Eels==catching up on blogging.
Hmmm...half-past March almost--but better late than never.

We had to go to VNHS to get my transcripts from the Magnet Office. My mother had never been to the school to meet the teachers. Hmm, no wonder since I did everything myself that year as she didn't want to help me. She was delighted, though, as all my teachers, except poor Basile, who disappeared to a different school, and my ex-calc teacher. My mother got to meet everybody now, including Ms. Yoo (Comp Apps and Design), and Ms. Tabain (art).My mother made Riva laugh, and we saw Mr. May, who is looking slimmer, very happy to see us. Mr. Abreu was sent reminiscing back to last year, greeting me with "Oh, that's my Ruski!" He said that this year, the class is just not as engaged and interested as we were...obviously not. I stopped by Dubova's because my mother insisted, and that lovely old hag was so rude: She said "Hi Dzhuliya" (with her rediculous accent) "Ver ar yoo now?...Yoo heppy?" ...."Good, bye". I was in her classroom less then a minute--she didn't want to talk to me, so she turned her head back into her gradebook while I was still standing there, and I had to walk out...
Mr. Margolin was a sweetheart, like always. Mrs. Marshall, the computer lady, gave us a really long lecture (15 minutes) about chosing my path in life according to passions and dreams (Her daugher is an actress, you see.)
After school I met up with Ksenya who cut her hair agian by herself. The whole meeting was awkward...acting strangely...We drove her to work and chatted a bit, and parted. I do miss having all the company last year, with Vika, Rena, Ksenya, Emil, even Sofiya and Suzie. So strange, now, thinking of their names and nicknames. It's quite sad that people don't keep in touch with each other without the help of social networking. I reactivated Facebook, although I'm ashamed to admit it. Rarely go on, though, nobody is writing anything useful anyway; only "hey what's up?" I got a friend invite from a girl in shalhet who was such a bitch to me, I and just let the invite sit. I so miss having friends that I see every day. Whitney and I have plans to meet up next week during my break.
Rena is in boot camp now, and I've set out on a little project, to drop her an email every single day until she's off of training. She's our beautiful NavyBird! We had to go to VNHS to get my transcripts from the Magnet Office. My mother made Riva laugh, and we saw Mr. May, who is looking slimmer, and he was very happy to see us. Mr. Abreu was sent reminiscing back to last year, and he said that this year, the class is just not as engaged and interested as we were...obviously not. I stopped by Dubova's because my mother insisted, and that lovely old hag was so rude: She said "Hi Dzhuliya" (with her rediculous accent) "Ver ar yoo now?...Yoo heppy?" ...."Good, bye". I was in her classroom less then a minute--she didn't want to talk to me, so she turned her head back into her gradebook while I was still standing there, and I had to walk out...
Mr. Margolin was a sweetheart, like always. Mrs. Marshall, the computer lady, gave us a really long lecture (15 minutes) about chosing my path in life according to passions and dreams (Her daugher is an actress, you see.)
Afterschool I met up with Ksenya who cut her hair agian by herself. The whole meeting was awkward...acting strangely...We drove her to work and chatted a bit, and parted. I do miss having all the company last year, with Vika, Rena, Ksenya, Emil, even Sofiya and Suzie. So strange, now, thinking of their names and nicknames. It's quite sad that people don't keep in touch with each other without the help of social networking. I reactivated Facebook, although I'm ashamed to admit it. Rarely go on, though, nobody is writing anything useful anyway; only "hey what's up?" I got a friend invite from a girl in shalhet who was such a bitch to me, I and just let the invite sit. I so miss having friends that I see every day. Whitney and I have plans to meet up next week during my break.
Rena is in boot camp now, and I've set out on a little project, to drop her an email every single day until she's off of training. She's our beautiful NavyBird! Vikushka turned 19 February 24th or 26th.

Sent in all my APPS, recommendation letters, transcripts, Proficiency verifications, payments, and essay to THE SCHOOL.... Drove me nuts. Honestly--I am not sure about the outcome. But it was a big step that I took, and it took so many nerves and hours--but there will always be next year in case this one flies by without an acceptance notifications. Of course if I hadn't procrastinated my essay to the very last night that the whole package had to be postaged to them.... I feel bad about letting down all those teachers and counselors that immediately responded warmly and enthusiastically.

That morning, February 15, of course, the dreaded deadline! Having pulled an all-nighter, I very irresponsibly went out to lunch with the Sara and her mother, who gave me a lecture about my mother calling every 10 minutes about her proof reading my uni essay. They even told me to ignore my mother calling and got huffy that I picked up her rings--honestly people--this is my mother who I cannot ignore on the phone--or at least I wasn't raised that way. They took me to the INN OF THE SEVENTH RAY, a very epensive hippie restaurant in Malibu by LakeShrine 5 Religions Park. The menu is about 99% vegan, but they did have Salmon, which easily swam into my tummy, while the other two vegged out on veggie/tofu burgers:-) It was a nice time.
Sara took pictures of us, pictures of me, pictures of herself, pictures of me jumping the stairs, pictures of selecting a single color to highlight in the black and white shot--and there is an endless amount--although only a few where I look good.
We went to Treasure Chest, a vintage store which gives me the creeps, in the neighboring village. The girl picked out this mustard-ish old coat that she and her mother instantly fell in love with. I bought some earrings for $6, made out of bone that were carved into giraffe shapes. Yes, I disinfected them for ages in alcohol and earring solution, and they are really charming. They are very sweet, those giraffes. Because they are hand-carved, they are very different--each with its own personality. One is chubbier, and the other has a longer neck...I almost named them...but will save that for a time when I'm bored in class. We made some "crafts" at Sara's and watched The History Boys, the UK film that I"ve hoped to see for ages. Made her a friendship bracelet that I learn to tie in CTY...just had a nice time, and they drove me home where I collapsed into a well-deserved sleep of relief.

Raya was in and out of hospitals after her neck-spine operation. She was in this dreadful convalescent type hospital where people are waist deep in their graves already...but finally she's back at home. The doctors come a few times a week to take her on walks. She was getting physical therapy for her leg, but she keeps falling suddenly around her apartment and recuperation is slow for her. She was in the operation and hospitals for over a month--she's really glad to be home--and she's on a roll--back in business--being her bitchy, idiotic, vampiric self, drinking our blood, squeezing the pimples off Misha's lazy ass, and getting on everybody's nerves. Oh, and whining that nobody loves her--she had visitors and phone calls from Russia to Israel, not to mention from NY, Chicago, and San Diego EVERY SINGLE DAY multiple times per days--what an attention sucker.
And now my mother and I are not speaking to her, because yesterday she said that she is not going to ask her nephew about any contacts in Russia that could possibly be good for Nick's project, because видите ли "Он мне кто и что он зделал для меня." How can she say that, when he is only kind to her. During my mother's birthday, who sat next to her for about 15 minutes playing Sit-Dance if not Nick? Who wheeled her around for 3 hours on her cursed wheelchair after her operation at the Salvador Dali exhibit? Who wanted to take time off work to come visit her? Who always asks how she is feeling? And most importantly, who makes my mother happy and who makes my mother feel like a woman instead of a wrung out rag? Raya is just a selfish, stupid, old bat.

Also Sara got mad at me after I was supposedly annoyed when she called me at 8:30 AM to tell me some story the morning after the clock was turned ahead! Honestly--where is common courtesy--so now she's probably planning a huge "cold shoulder" act, which is really sad, because I was very courteous.
Do I seem to harsh? I think I'm just venting on the blog; at the time of each incident, I'm such a pleasure.
We went to the Getty with her on one of the days after the rains to see the Photography exhibit. Lately contemporary material has been leaking into excellent museums--and the Getty, my favorite place in all of Los Angeles, is falling victim to it. The exibit's main brochure featured a Mexican woman with iguanas on her head. It seemed very interesting--photography. Most of the pictures were very sad images of poor neighborhoods, toothless and dirty children, and broken bikes. Of course it is powerful stuff; I'm not expecting to go the museum and see Hello Kitty in the Clouds. The next hall was "NUDE". But not sensual or quiet nude photos--DISTORED ONES! This "photographer" had a fascination with distorting nude images to create elongations of random flesh and squashing heads and bodies, not to mention the subjects' positions! *shudder*
We hopped around in the garden, jumped as high as we could, briefed the maze, and froze! It was very windy and cold; the view was muddled from the fog. Hot chocolate rescued us, and we poked around the gift shop. They have such beautiful ties there...She bought a box of Landmark Rubberbands. These are rubber bands that when relaxed, take the shape of Eiffel Towers, Big Bens, Pisa Towers, and Windmills. She was nice enough to part with one Big Ben and one Windmill. Now I have two landmark rubberbands for the RubberBand Bunny she gave me previously to visit. Then we drove Sara home, while singing some "Sunrise Sunset" (from Fiddler on the Roof).

There has been such Drama at work! I'm kind of tired of it--since there are only 4 of us (counting the boss) but we don't all work at the same time, very often scandals and gossip is chewed up more than once. And everything starts with "But don't tell her"...haha It's annoying. However, last week, I must have finally got all the necessary points in my supervisor's eyes and she rewarded me with a new towel! WOW haha really! When I first started working there, Maryna started hinting that I will get offered a new towel as a "status mark"...hehe. I didnt' tell her I got one--what's the point to start more gossip?--but it still feels nice. Boss said I could have as many as I wanted and that I could take them home...But it's nice that I don't have to wipe my hands on a t-shirt after I come back from the beach during my break.
I started using my break after class or work (depending on the day) to walk to the beach. It's a little more than 20 streets away straight, but I walk a mile and a half north and then walk from there west to the beach, then south to the street that will lead me east back to college. It's a really nice walk, except all the high schoolers from SaMo got released at the exact moment that I was passing by it, and all the skateboarders and wanna-be-cool guys came running down the hill the road ascends by. I kind of got scared and intimidated, but pulled myself together immediately, reminding myself that I am a college student! Oh it's so funny that going back to high schools or visiting places I am an alumna of, hehe, is exciting but not nerve-wracking; while you are at the place or before you start school there, you become very shy and self-conscious walking through! But now, I can even act cool because being in college I've got so much more unspoken authority....I think we all really think this way--that is why the heirarchy of senior-to-freshman works, even if some of the freshmen are taller, as they were in Shalhevet...

Bakty has brought me a large collection of jewelry from India that she will never wear anymore. There are some very delicate earrings that her boyfriend brought her from India--it's strange that even though she is 40, she thinks she's too old to wear such things--my mother is 41, and all she does is wear my stuff (in the most appropriate, non-hoochy type of way)...
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Hooray for sweet young artists on YT:
MISS YOUR KISS by LIONEL NEYKOV

FREEZE MY SENSES by LIONEL NEYKOV

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I LOVE MORCHEEBA, TOO: TIME TO FEATURE THEM HERE>>>

Recently, we went to a French Concert at the Wilshire Threatre in BH. It was the night of Joe Dassin's son and a group of French girls which were magnifiscent. My phone was working miracles that evening, and sometimes allowed me more than one minute of recording--I recorded almost the entire concert. I don't have any of the files saved on this computer, so I'll just have to remember what folder those vids are in for future reference. My mother, of course, was late in getting ready, and didn't read the tickets properly (they were a gift from T.Alla for my mother's Birthday which she couldn't attend due to the death of her mother-in-law). So instead of going to BH, we went to Hancock Park, and by the time we parked, ran, reparked, reran, it was about 7:30. But "whew" the concert had not started yet, and all those people who arrived before time (like our favorite Malkovs who probably arrived a half hour before the scheduled 7pm) were very pissed off.

And this one was so funny when they acted it out: there was a lady dressed in a bee's costume. It was so kind and sweet. The music was lovely and their voices were so strong and LIVE! They danced and sang, without missing a breath--it was so lovely! Real talents--no lip-syncing.

There was a portion dedicated to Joe Dassin himself, where his son spoke about his childhood with one of the singers translating from French. The audience loved it--and I loved it--and more surprisingly, my mother did too.

Le petit pain au chocolat --- Joe Dassin

At the end, my mom's good friend d. Dima found us and made excuses about why he didn't take me skiing during the weeks of snow... .
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The Hunchback of Notre Damme was staged around Tujunga in a modest little church. The actors really tried so hard; too bad there were very few people in the audience. I think after I saw how hard they worked, I warmed up towards the story. I used to hate it. The man playing Quazimoto wore a very strange mask. My mother said that the mask looked like "какието жвачки" had been stuck on it, and we erupted into breathless laugher during the most important part of the play when everybody was crying, praying, and getting hanged...
I think I really like the Hunchback of Notre Damme, and of course, he is my favorite character.
My mother really is my best friend when she's in a good mood. G-d willing I will have an even better relationship with my kids, because I will be a good mother, :-).
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The Skirball has a Bob Dylan exhibit, and I wonder why we didn't look at it when we visited the museum. There was a Kitaj (Jewish-English painter) exhibit. I was slightly disappointed, because of course, the paintings were strange and dark. There was a series of the painter's passion: the Holocaust. It is like a passion to find out as much as you can, even though the stories are full of horror. This series featured paintings in Picasso style as well as his own Kitaj style; Candles are painted using sharp lines, which makes them look like coffins...
There was also a series of "which is which: where is the Arab, where is the Jew?" paintings. Side by side, three paintings. One where 5 dead men are floating face up in the ocean. But if one stands before the paintings, their white faces look like waves--only walking over to the side, does one notice that the white waves are actually distraught faces! Next painting features two children, and the question is "Which is Which?", but when we are children in does not matter. The third painting are two men: one with a knife, trying to stab the other. The second is wearing Alladin-type, colorful clothing, and is choking the knife-stabbing man. And then the faces are smudged and nobody can tell either--or there are debates "Which is Which"...Kitaj planned for such a reaction from the audience; he claims not to have known the anwer himself.

The Skirball also showcases "Noah's Ark" but lucking that is a new permanent exhibit, and I will have ages to see it.
A little room to the left of Kitaj featured "BalloonHat" by A.G. Vermouth. Such a kind project he planned: http://www.balloonhat.com/ It was a very nice relief after Kitaj's heavy material.
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Oscars/Galya: Galya's birthday party is always Oscar weekend. While all the Russians sat, ate, drank, and argued, I watched the awards ceremony. This is only the second time in my life that I have seen it. I am very pleased with the winners for The Song: Falling Slowly byGlen Hansard and Marketa Irglova ,
That night I visited Klera who is not feeling her best lately. She spoiled me with lots of things and compliments...
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Seems that the trip to EU is really happening! Some plans have changed and some have stayed the same. I am very excited and hope everything is for the best anyway.
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I hurt my shoulder in Yoga two weeks ago and it's still killing me. It feels like it's not in properly, and it snaps each time I make dramatic movements...but little ones, like touchign my right ear with my left hand leave me wincing from the discomfort...I don't really know if it's "Pain" anymore, but it's such an unpleasant feeling...
If I will go to the doctor, they will tell me to quit Yoga; so I go daily to yoga (where I got a membership--YAY ME!-- so that at least all the yogis that are more experienced in limb alignment than I am, can help me put that shoulder blade where it belongs....but if it doesn't stop soon, my mother will take me to the doctor.
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I have a new TV fascination: except it's not on TV--it's via youtube, though the amazing channel of somebody who cleverly does not tag the vids with the title of the show.
I LOVE SKINS! (the UK Channel 4 drama!) hahahaha, regarless of what anybody says--I love it! Absolutely witty and funny. AHAHAHAHA This is the end of Series one. Currently we are all awaiting Series 2 Episode 6...

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My grandparents took me out to SanSei and for Smoothies on two different weekends. They must be taking some stress meds or something--bcause they are being very nice. And finally I wore teh lovely, lovely Phoenix coat!!!!
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Oh and yay--ww scores! Thank G-d.
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We bought me a laptop for $250 from Lena's friend . We went to Irvine last weekend with them, to Anna and Lesha's party because I needed help with the laptop and how things work on it. It's the Microsoft Suite, but it's in 2007, but I figured out by myself how to convert it all to compatibility with the 2003 system-it's actually a piece of cake. My mother is really frustrated with laptops. Plus, here I have all the tabs in one internet window, whereas I accidentally got rid of them on my home computer, and she gets very confused and loses the information...
Now I am sitting here in my bed feeling like a real writer...hahaha...too bad as it gets later and later the writing is getting worse and worse. I've noticed that before, my blogs used to be funny (at least in my opinion). Now they are just a scramble to fit in the basic whatsits... tsk tsk...I'll work on this...I promise.
I don't have wireless connection, so I have proven unprecedented capacity for technological exploration and determination of succeeding! I connected the yellow internet wire off the pc into the laptop *yay* and even relocated the mouse so that I dont' have to use that pain-of-a-finger-board on teh laptop. AND!!!! Goodness, I must boast I took a regular clipboard for papers and stuck the mouse pad in the clasp. Now, there is a sturdy surface for the actual handheld mouse to roll around on easily while I roll around in my bed...and the veins have popped up on the sides of my feet from sitting on bent legs...
The only aspect of this position is that my shoulder and back are tired of this slouching/half-laying position. I hate being ill becuase of the throat pain and the fact that my mother won't let me "sit". She is such a delicate person, always cold, mostly laying down during the times when she can relax, that she thinks that if I have a sore throat I must be laying down. I did have a slight temperature yesterday (but luckily only 37 degrees C, because otherwise I'd not be allowed up for a week. So today I smothered the day away on MSN and this blog...I literally have spent all day on it. I'm miserable not being able to go to Yoga (even though I'd probably feel better if I did, but my mother won't let me go!)

This morning I finished reading Teacher Man, by our beloved Frank McCourt and kept thinking of Mr. May. If he ever wrote a book, he'd probably have to have an entire chapter dedicated to me!D
It seems that cleaning my room is a life-long process. I keep telling my mom that when I move out and become independent entirely, I'll have the cleanest place ever! haha, I'm just teasing her, but since we dont' have much space, it's such a struggle with tidying up.
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Tamilla helped me update my wardrobe :-)
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Meanwhile, we've had lunar ellipses during Hebrew!!!! I do enjoy the class--when I dropped the class last fall, I didn't know the teacher was so nice. I've got Luba to carpool with and some Sulam acquaintances, and before Hebrew, there is an ESL class, whose teacher is very sweet and has lunch with me!
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My first day of this Spring semester was so amazing; I don't remember it so well now, but some points were quite fascinating. I was stading in line at Station C to pay for my Student ID sticker, and like always had my hands full. There was about an hours wait in line, so I started digging around my bag for my lunch. The man in front of me offered to hold it for me while I zipped the bag up, and I felt it would be proper to offer him some of my salad. We were standing in the line for ages and it was close to 6, dinner time, so I piled some salad onto the container lid and he ate the veggies with his hands! But, haha, he teased me because the whole salad was just lettuce leaves and some cucumer, without salt or oil or any additions. We chatted in the line and he said he was planning to take a Russian class. WOW! He was so surprised hat I was Russian-I bet he would have choked on his salad if he had not eaten it right away. I don't look Russian and people are always shocked that I am...Anyway, I was just as surprised as he was, because he was from Mexico, and he was speaking it so well. I could tell he understood everything, but couldn't remember how to say some words--but he must have studied it daily with a good tutor--he even managed to pronounce the я sound, which I think non-natives find very difficult to incorporate into parts of words.
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Another time when I forgot my phone at home, I needed to get the UNI's address from my mother. A girl lent me her phone while in line, and then left! It was so strange! She said she had to go pay the fees at Station C and that she'd be back! I offered to walk with her, so that G-d forbid she would not accuse me of stealing her phone. No! She told me to stay where I was. I finished my phone call. I waited and waited. This was the time I'd taken off work, without notifying my supervisor. (I was really paranoid of her then.) And this girl is nowhere to be seen. I ran like a maniac to Station C...she's not there. I ran back to the Admissions...also no girl. I started asking around--has anybody seen a girl looking for her pohne. It was a good one, too, a nice samsung with lots of advanced functions...No girl.
Finally I see her strolling up to me. Goodness I was so scared I'd be stuck with her phone.
I offered to treat her to something at the cafe for trusting me with her phone, but her friend said they were just going to Subway and I couldn't treat them but was welcome to join them! It thought that was so sweet! Such encounters always puzzle me.
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I am such a genius--I have learned how to use the ATM.
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Today I made my cat exercise! He is so strange--he doesn't play with cat toys. He is so lazy that even if he does hop up and catch whatever you dangle in front of him to play with, he will lie down on his back and try to reach it laying down! We bought these fuzzy little cat's mice, at Petco, with great disappointment. The cat has absolutely no interest in them. I've even tied them to some earrings I have and wear them...and imagine myself to be Luna Lovegood's distant relative! Petco forgot to put catnip into these mice...
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yay, END OF ENTRY! I will write about the Santa Barbara orchids tomorrow, but there was January, February, and part of March in an unorganized, unpoetic jiffy.