Summer Half Begun

Finally updated!
So. I haven’t spent that much time on the computer recently because (1) I’m at home and we only have dial-up (which has recently been unreliable due to some sort of problem with the phone lines) and (2) because the hard drive on my laptop died and so I have to use the family computer which is sometimes in high demand.

I have however been having a great summer. After experiencing Chilla Vista, I was lucky enough to attend another music festival, KCBX’s Live Oak 2006. I’ve taken numerous trips to Los Angeles and have been able to hang out with family. We went and saw Who Killed the Electric Car which was incredibly frustrating (yet hopeful). My aunt and uncle shared a movie with us, called The Secret which provides a very interesting outlook on the power of thoughts. I spent a few days in Santa Barbara with friends, which was a blast.

Added Aug. 12
My friend Kevin was home for a week and we had a lot of fun. We went to A Scanner Darkly, an interesting commentary on drug abuse that uses Rotoscope animation, and to Talladega Nights, Will Ferrell’s awesome spoof of NASCAR. Kevin, his sister, and I also dressed up in outrageous clothes from the 70s and hung out on State Street which was pretty nifty. Kevin and I also drove up to a shooting range and shot his Colt .45, which was an interesting experience. Kevin’s uncle was a Navy SEAL and now Kevin is training to be a real American hero in the Air Force. I feel differently about the use of violence and I am unfamiliar with weapons, particularly handguns. It was fun though. Nothing like the smell of gunpowder and the loud crack of a gunshot to soothe your stomach. We also went to Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor. If there is one thing of those I have stated that I would recommend doing, it would be going to Magic Mountain to ride the newest ride, Tatsu. Of the rides at Magic Mountain, Goliath is the most thrilling roller coaster, X is the most disorienting ride and Tatsu is the most fun experience. Basically, “after the rider is in the seat’s safety harness but before the ride starts, the seat is rotated 90° from the upright to a face-down position. The face-down position is kept for the duration of the ride” and this feature allows the ride to simulate flying. It’s crazy because for eons, man has wondered what it must be like to be a bird, Peter Pan, or Superman. And suddenly, you can experience that!

My family went to the Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles and we had a great time. We attended the Charlie Daniels Band concert and they played The Devil Went Down to Georgia which was impressive (although I prefer Tenacious D’s version myself).

Kevin went back to the academy and another friend, Carlyle, returned to the valley. We’ve been hanging out and doing crazy stuff too. Like getting Oreo shakes at Carl’s Jr. for example. Or buying candy at Tom’s Gas. And other really cool stuff.

It may seem like everything’s been above peachy. And it has been. But at the same time, my family’s living situation is somewhat uncertain. The farmhouse we live in is over 100 years old, and while we find it suitable, the owners apparently have decided to destroy it (possibly to open up the property for development, but that’s speculation). So we have to move and don’t know where to go. My parents have been really nice by letting me just enjoy myself while they worry about our future and work hard to figure things out. Anyway, it is an unfortunate situation since we have been living here for twelve years but things could be worse. At least our house has not been bulldozed by Israeli forces or shelled by Hezbollah fighters. Some people are not as lucky. You have to remember to put things in perspective.

So yeah, life is good.