La Ballona

Kimmy and I went to La Ballona in Culver City. I don't know why I keep going out to eat at Mexican restaurants when I know I can get better and cheaper in El Monte. Oh yeah, because gas is $4. 62. Oh well. Nothing special or memorable about this place. Don't eat here. Go to Trader Joes, buy some ingredients and make your own food instead. So much better!
La Ballona
3843 Main St
Culver City, CA 90232
310.558.9336

Make This Bread

Make this bread! Make it now!! Start it at night so the dough can rest and you can finish it in the morning! Don't start it in the morning b/c then you'll have to wait all day for it to rise, and then by night time you're so hungry so you eat dinner, but you can't help it and when the bread comes out at 10pm you stuff yourselves silly eating this bread b/c it is so freaking tasty. So yes, start this bread at night, bake it in the morning and eat it for breakfast. Mmm.
I made two braids, one for us and the roommate, and the other for my parents. Don't skimp out on the glaze, it's yummy too! These pictures don't do justice to how it tastes. But when you are in a hurry to eat a freshly baked good, the picture quality takes a back seat. :)

Splash Cafe & ATVing

Stopped by Pismo on our way to Norcal.

Had their famous clam chowder

Pretty tasty for the most part, but quite salty. We like making our own b/c we can control the sodium content.

Also had fish and chips. Pretty yummy, but I think I've had better.

I like the paintings, whimsical and colorful.

Splash Cafe
197 Pomeroy
Pismo Beach, Ca.
805.773.4653

We also went ATVing, very fun! It was my first time and Jerry's second (first was in New Zealand).

At first I went really slow, like excruciatingly 2 mph slow. Then I got the hang of it and didn't want to stop. :( I was sad when our 2 hours were over. I could see this as being a really fun bachelor party activity too. Maybe bachelorette also but I dunno if all my gfs would enjoy ATVing, haha. What I didn't enjoy was the sand in my contacts and my hair getting all over my face (but after I blinked out the sand and retied my hair, I felt less uncomfortable). Plus it is quite pricey, $75 per person for 2 hours. But its worth it to go at least once! Maybe we'll go again if we're ever in Nevada/Arizona (I think I prefer sand over forest).

Skirt Sewing

I've had my sewing machine for a while but I've been limiting myself to really simple sewing projects that involved only straight lines and the regular foot/buttonholer foot, haha. I decided it was about time I learned some more technical things so when we headed up north last month, she taught me some really useful stuff. I had a ton of fabric that my cousin gave me, so we decided to make me a skirt.

I learned how to read a pattern, it's quite easy once you know how to decipher it. Except sewing pattern sizes are waaaaaaay off. I usually wear a 4 or 6...but according to the pattern I was a 14?! Errrr? The skirt was also waaaaay too long, meaning it was made for someone who was 5'8 or something.

Yeah, that is pretty long, haha.
I really wanted to learn how to put in a zipper using the zipper foot so she taught me a neat trick using tape. But we used the wrong kind...if you ever use tape, use shiny not matte.

I also learned how to measure properly.

Yay, finished product!

Looks simple huh? It fits really well and is very comfy. If I had more time I would love to make more clothes b/c it fits my body better and you can choose the fabric you want. I think the next thing I want to tackle is a shift dress. I found a pattern in my newest Ready Made mag so I think I'll adapt it somehow.

a bullshit update

So I did respond:
From: Jeannie Nguyen
Date: Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 8:49 AM
Subject: Re:
To: xxxxucla.edu


Good morning xxxx,

I was quite shocked when I got this email, because it was never my intention to be disrespectful or "curt." For the record, in numerous emails regarding this subject I have always included thanks (re June 17, 24, 26, July 9, 14, 21). While I don't say please, I also don't think that it is your place to tell me how to write correspondence.

This whole process of getting paid is taking a lot longer than it should have and I have tried to be as patient as I could. I know that you are caught in the middle often and I appreciate the continued support on this issue. For me, is quite stressful to support myself w/o getting paid for 6 weeks and w/o a spouse's second income to fall back on. 6 weeks is a very long time to go w/o any financial support and being a former student yourself, you understand what it's like to be in the same boat. I have never intended to be pushy and to "tell you what to do": instead I have tried to provide direct solutions. However, I think it is ridiculous how "complicated" the process is- my unique situation may be have been the cause, but that is not my fault or yours, it is upper management's lack of foresight on how to deal with situations. Bottom line, I don't think that I should have to lie or fudge my time sheets to get paid. There should some sort of protocol on how to handle financial reimbursements so no one else will have to go through the same frustrations that I did.

We should really talk face to face and out of the office, so let me know whenever you want to have lunch or to take a coffee break. In the meantime can you clarify exactly what will be the process- will I be getting 2 payments of 2k each, one now and one at the end? Or will I be submitting an invoice for hours worked so far and then be paid through workstudy for part of the balance with another invoice at the end? Or will I be submitting an invoice for hours worked through summer up until workstudy starts and then the remaining balance given at the end? Or is workstudy not in the picture at all?

-Jeannie

This is the response I got:

From: xxxx
Date: Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 4:15 PM
Subject: RE:
To: Jeannie Nguyen
Cc: xxxx@ucla.edu

Hi Jeannie,

I’m disappointed to see that some of the remarks in your message make this issue personal, rather than purely office-related. However, if you didn’t want to hear and internalize my comments, that’s understandable.

Regarding the issue of payment, I’d like to clarify a couple of things. There are protocols in place to handle regular financial reimbursements – but this is not a regular situation. As far as I know, it’s not standard practice to continue paying former employees in any capacity, so this has been a learning process for all of us involved. The possibility of workstudy complicated matters a bit, but it looks like workstudy funds will no longer be in the picture. You’re free to reserve the entire award for use at another job.

You will be paid double what the other AANCART interns are paid, which seems to be a generous concession on xxx’s part. Interns are paid once halfway through the internship and a second time at the end, and you have agreed to be paid similarly, in two installments of $2000. Thus, one payment is due to you after you reach the 200-hour mark, not right now. By agreeing to pay you at the 120-hour mark for work completed in June and July, xxxx is bending the schedule in your favor. I’m CCing her on this e-mail so that she is aware of your concerns and can render a final decision on whether to remit payment from xxxx at 120 hours or 200 hours.

And finally, I wanted to let you know that I have put in a lot of time and effort into researching and following up on your payment. I have been doing it out of goodwill, since the payment of AANCART interns has never been part of my job or xxxx’s job before me. Thus, I would have appreciated more professionalism in the requests you made to me – like by not addressing me as “Hey” in an e-mail. I can continue to correspond with xxxx and assist with your internship stipend if xxxx instructs me to do so, but considering the circumstances and my limited clout, I suggest you discuss your concerns about speed of payment directly with her.

Regards,

xxxx

Ummm, where I begin?

She was the one being personal? Even though she was wrong? But I'm being unprofessional by being personal in my email? I'm sposed to internalize her comment? She is my fucking Tibetan master and I'm the lowly monk who must seek lessons from her?

Generous concession? As if 33% wasn't a bad enough paycut, getting paid twice as the other interns? I'm doing 3 times the work. Hello. You do the math. If AANCART is so fucking poor, WHY PAY ME IN THE FIRST PLACE. I don't like it when people act high and mighty and pretend to do me favors. Why can't folks be real? Why the fakeness?

Bending the schedule in my favor? What? If they had clarified everything in the first place, then there would be none of this mis-communication. Instead, again they are doing me a favor? If they were going to pay me 2K after 200 hours, why not tell me at the very beginning? Why tell me to fudge my timesheet?

"As far as I know, it’s not standard practice to continue paying former employees in any capacity, so this has been a learning process for all of us involved."

If my workplace is supposedly "professional" they should have figured it out beforehand and not treat it as a "learning process."

I’m CCing her on this e-mail so that she is aware of your concerns and can render a final decision on whether to remit payment from xxxx at 120 hours or 200 hours.

Umm, in the last email she said to go ahead and do the invoice. But now she says to wait? Who is not being professional in doing her research?

I have been doing it out of goodwill, since the payment of AANCART interns has never been part of my job or xxxx’s job before me.

Oh then who's job is it? I would have gladly done it. Delegate to me, if this is process is soooooooo taxing on you. Umm...if a person collects timesheets shouldn't they also do stipends?

Yeah, I don't get it. Worse job ever in terms of management.

Why don't I quit? Because I like the skills of my actual job. And I am not a quitter. And I refuse to be a pushover. So umm...the two don't go well together huh?!

bullshit

some background:

I've worked over 120 hours and have not gotten paid. I've patiently asked when I will get paid through some emails and in person. (I don't badger or send emails every single day, sometimes I let 2 weeks go w/o asking). I've tried to be direct and offer solutions to an efficient way of paying me. But umm...I get criticized for being "curt"? How are my emails curt? What does it matter if they are "curt?" As long as I'm not being a demanding bitch and using foul language for work emails, I should not be criticized for the way I write. It is not professional to tell someone how to write politely. I'd like to see her write an email to Donald Trump telling him to say thank and please. It is her job to do paperwork, she is not doing me a favor. How dare she patronize me:

"I want to be a source of support for you after the whole firing thing. But it has been a little difficult for me to do so because since we’ve been going back and forth about the stipend and payment, I’ve noticed that your e-mails to me are sometimes quite curt. And considering that I was doing the middleman legwork by asking xxxx and xxxx about the process and all the details, I expected more courtesy in your requests. Your e-mails often had no “please” or “thank you,” even after I had done a lot of digging to get an answer from someone about the steps we needed to take. Sometimes, it sounded more like you were telling me to do something instead of asking me for help. I understand that getting paid is always an important and urgent issue, and I realize we have a relationship outside of the office, but I believe that office e-mails should nonetheless observe the usual courtesies. I hope my comments don’t cause any hard feelings, and I hope you understand where I’m coming from and that we can still get along as usual."

Bullshit!!

Here's a record of correspondence:

From: Jeannie Nguyen <jeanniemails@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 4:09 PM
Subject: internship stipend
To: xx <xxx@ucla.edu>


Hey xxxx,

I just talked to xxxx and she said you had my internship stipend details? Can you let me know the amt and how I'll be reimbursed? And what paperwork I need to do? Thanks.

-Jeannie

From: Jeannie Nguyen <jeanniemails@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 3:11 PM
Subject: reimbursement for icc
To: xx <xxx@ucla.edu>


Hi xxxx,

Any updates on ICC reimbursement? Thanks!

-Jeannie

From: Jeannie Nguyen <jeanniemails@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 24, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Subject: Re: reimbursement for icc
To: xx <xxx@ucla.edu>


I got it, thanks! My name was spelled wrong but I think the bank would be okay with me depositing it. For the longest time, my SSG checks went to Pelmas Terrace, not Delmas Terrace. Luckily the USPS people didn't RTS any check stubs it even though the address was wrong.

From: Jeannie Nguyen <jeanniemails@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jun 26, 2008 at 4:41 PM
Subject: Re: FW: AANCART stipend
To: xx <xxx@ucla.edu>


Okay thanks for letting me know. I thought it would be in installments, but when you said monthly or bimonthly I thought that was even better since I will get paid more consistently. I am okay with getting paid 2K for now and 2K at the end. However, I want it in writing that I will get the rest (2K) at the end of my internship.

From: Jeannie Nguyen <jeanniemails@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 1:14 PM
Subject: Re: Reimbursements processed
To: xx <xxx@ucla.edu>


Thanks! Yay, I need money. Any news on my stipend reiumbursement?

See you on Wednesday...got a mtg offsite tomorrow with xxxx.

From: Jeannie Nguyen <jeanniemails@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Subject: Re: Reimbursements processed
To: xx <xxx@ucla.edu>


Ok thanks!

From: Jeannie Nguyen <jeanniemails@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 3:26 PM
Subject: Re: FW: Increase in Mileage Reimbursement Rate
To: xx <xxx@ucla.edu>


Yay, thanks for the update!

I was also wondering, any update on when I'll get part 1 of my stipend?

Thanks!

-Jeannie

From: Jeannie Nguyen <jeanniemails@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 8:34 AM
Subject: Re: workstudy
To: xx <xxx@ucla.edu>


Hi xxxx,

Thanks for figuring everything out. I'm going to reserve my $667 for winter quarter, so let's go with $667 for fall quarter. Since the $667 is dispersed in the fall, it wouldn't make sense for me to fill out timesheets now. That $667 won't stretch for 10 weeks of the entire quarter either, so what do you propose we do in the meantime and also when that $667 runs out?

I was thinking of a stipend now to cover my summer hours (let's go with that projected half which is $2000, even though I will have worked a little more than half of my stipend by the end of summer), and then in sept when the school year starts and workstudy is dispersed, that workstudy will last around 5 or 6 weeks, and then the remaining balance which is less than half can be given as a stipend at the end.

Let me know if that makes sense.

Ok, so those 7 emails regarding this issue of me getting paid, I've always said thanks.

I've said "thanks" every time. Not "please", but what is this, 1850?

She is sooooo uninvited from my bday party and future wedding (no don't get excited it is not scheduled its years from now but right now I'm so mad I don't care.)

I'm sposed to get 4k for 400 hours. So, they were supposed to give me 2k now, and 2 k at the end. Simple right?

This is how they wanted me to do it:

Hi xxxx,

I just wanted to confirm with you before I mail anything to xxxx…

I talked with Jeannie about hiring her as a UCLA employee in order to use her work study award. The most straightforward way to hire her would be at 20 hours per week for the 20 weeks between now and December 12^th – that would equal $4000. Since she has already worked about 120 hours and plans to work less than 20-hours/week during the academic quarter, this method would entail keeping separate track of her hours-worked and hours-paid, and ensuring that the hours balance out in the end.

However, Jeannie would like to get paid right away for the hours she has already worked in June and July. Then when I hire her at UCLA, I’ll have to submit paperwork several times – to change her % time during the school year, to submit a work study job posting request, and to shift her to work study status. The only way I can think to get funds to her quickly for hours already worked would be to have her submit an internship invoice to xxxx. I remember you mentioning that you’d like to minimize the work xxxx has to do, so I wanted to check with you before I take any steps to contact Jackie or submit a New Hire form to xxxx.

Jeannie also mentioned that if using the work study award will only save AANCART $300, it might not be worth the hiring hassle and perhaps submitting invoices to AANCART for the entire amount would be more streamlined. I’m happy to do the processing for either method, but I wanted your okay before proceeding. I know you’re traveling the next few days, but whenever you get a chance, please advise which method of payment you’d prefer. Thank you so much!

Have a good trip,

xxxx

Yeah, she wanted me to lie and pretend I worked certain hours just to make her job easier. Ummm, she's getting paid to do paperwork, no matter how difficult. She is NOT doing me a favor. This is HER JOB. If she is so bent set on being professional in the office, then she should leave her fucking sensitivity out of it.

Jerry suggested I say this:

xxx,
Unfortunately your own interpretations of my professional emails are an overreaction. Your expectation of over-politeness has nothing to do with the fact that my email was assertive and contained a direct request. Everyone has their own interpretation of workplace etiquette and customs. Now, and especially in light of xxx's criticism of excessive chatting between you and I in the office, it's necessary for me to maintain a strictly professional demeanor. I understand and appreciate that you are the middleman for the information, but I have to fight an uphill battle to get this payment processed especially with the way that my payment options have been presented to xxx. (dont actually write this)

People in the office don't understand that this payment is my only source of income for rent and school. I've already worked 120+ hours and over 6 weeks without being paid! By withholding payment for the sake of paperwork convenience, I have no income and will have to look into other options which are putting an unnecessary financial strain on me. This is the reason for the directness in my email. Don't you think that someone should be paid fairly for their hours worked, and not withheld payment because of some extra paperwork?

I hope you understand that this is just a job to me, and has no bearing on our relationship outside of the office. I will continue to perform my work at a high level without interruption.

Jeannie

This was Jerry's option #2 (he was kidding, I think):

Jerry to me

show details 9:34 PM (1 hour ago)

Reply

how about this:

Dearest xxxx,
Thank you so much for your comments. I really appreciate them and all the hard work you do in the office. Please have a lovely day and always remember that I'll be thinking of you. May the love of Christ brighten your day and touch your soul eternally.
Bestest regards,
Jeannie

That made my smile. Ok, so of course those two emails are on the extreme, so a middle ground would be nice. Or, I Do Nothing.

Ok, consensus is so far that I ignore it. I probably will, because no matter what I say, she'll always be sensitive and defensive. No point in stirring the pot any longer. What do you all think I should have done?

Knitting

Jerry's mom taught me how to knit during our weekend up there. She teaches sewing and knitting classes at Joanns, so I tagged along and attended her Knitting 101 class. There were 5 of us that day so we got plenty of 1-on-1 attention. His mom's a really patient teacher. We pretty much all sucked at the beginning but after she would show us for the zillionth time, we'd finally get it. Although afterwards she told me one of the girls still really needed more help, haha.

Ok, so the blue one was my first one, I started off all messy but it looks better in the later rows, yeah?? The green one was my second attempt and as you can tell, I started off much more evenly. We learned how to purl also. I found purling to be much easier. Knitting is hard on your fingers overall though (for me, even harder than crocheting). So in addition to Wii wrist, I also got Knitting fingers that weekend. But yay, another thing off my list. I can still cross it off even though I kind of forgot already, right?!

Rockband and Wii

Having known that I've always had horrible hand and eye coordination when it came to video games (who else manages to go backwards in Super Mario Cart?), I also found out when playing Rockband for the first time that I had horrible hand-eye-feet coordination as well.

Jer's roommate Peter has Rockband so one night when Kim came over for belated bday pizza, we busted it out and I played for the first time. Sigh, I needed a lot of saving at the beginning. Jerry would lose trying to save me, haha. But I was not entirely hopeless! We managed to finish a Garbage song and "When We Were Young" by The Killers. I look so awkward playing though, but at least I didn't suck at the end as much as I did at the beginning. I don't think I'm ever meant to be good at vid games. But it sure is fun to try!

I also got to play Wii for the first time and finally, I don't suck (as bad) at a video game!! It turns out that I am a pretty decent pitcher (I almost struck out the side before Jer's friend's toddler turned off the TV by mistake) and if I set up all the way to the right, I am a good bowler. Haha. Fun times. We played all the games: boxing, tennis, golf, baseball, bowling and it was really fun except I got Wii wrist. :( Oh well, at least I can cross something off my list!

OC Fair

Yay, another thing off my list. We went to the OC Fair one weekend. Pictures over at photoist, and c&c (comments and criticism) over at Photosseur. I'm pretty slow sometimes, it took me forever to realize the double meaning of this year's "Say Cheese" theme. I knew the food part of it, which is the cheese, but it wasn't until we were at the photography exhibit that a lightbulb went off in my head. Duh!

The fair was kind of what I expected, but I thought we'd find more things to do. The only really good thing was the photography exhibit, and the food (the bbq sandwiches and waffle fries were yummy!). I was looking forward to eating more fried things, but with the weather being so hot and humid, we weren't in the mood for anything fried really. Luckily we had the Camelbak so we didn't have to spend money on water. Since we didn't trust the rides and didn't want to play rigged games, we basically walked around, ate food, and took lots of pictures. The animals were cute, but I didn't wanna pet them b/c they were stinky and I was too lazy to find a restroom to wash my hands, haha. Anyhoo, it was a nice way to knock off a few hours. If we ever go back, we'll def go at night when it's cooler. Then we can practice night photography!

We're trying to incorporate more public transportation into our lives, which is a hard thing to do in LA, but we do what we can. Jer did some research for the fair and found that if we took the OC Flyer for $2.50 roundtrip, we'd get $2 off each tix. Plus, we didn't have to pay for parking which saved us $5. So if we drove: $18 for two tix plus $5 parking = $23 plus we'd have to find parking in a crowded lot (when we left, there were cars in a queue trying to park), and walk further to the entrance. Since we took the shuttle at Goldenwest Transit Center (plenty of parking at the park & ride lot), we spent $5 for bus and $14 for tix = $19 and we got dropped off at the front entrance. The bus wasn't slow either since there was no stop along the way. Also, since the buses leave on the hour and every half, we just timed it so we wouldn't have to wait for the next bus to come along. All in all, we didn't waste any extra time bus-ing it than we would have if we drove the entire distance (which is why in general ppl don't like buses- it's faster to drive, and in most cases I totally agree). Oh and we saved on a bit of gas: the bus was 18 miles round trip, so with gas prices these days, we saved like $10 on gas too! So if you go, I would recommend this option!

Hello and Goodbye

Right now I'm in the room that Jerry and his bro shared while growing up. Jerry's sleeping in his old twin that he barely fits in now, and I'm in his brother's twin on the other side of the room. We've stayed at his parents' house twice now, and each time I get a twinge of nostalgia as I think of his childhood and what things/ppl influenced him to be the person he is today. This trip was especially meaningful for me b/c I had a lot of downtime to relax and interact with people.

We took a walk around his neighborhood and I learned about the spelling bees he's won (and yet homeboy still loses when we play Scrabble), the shenanigans he pulled as a kid (not unlike the shenanigans he now pulls as an adult), and the smack he used to dish about his neighbors (no wonder he's still such a gossip/smack king to this day!).

I now understand why he feels a bit sad every time he leaves this place. I feel the same way too. We've had the most wonderful time here, and I'm sad to leave the ppl that I've really gotten to know, esp his sister/parents/nephews/friends: my previous association with them have involved minor face time (we went to d-land with his nephews), or via chatting (his sister keeps sending me bridemaids dresses links, ha!), email (his mom will email me to ask me where her son is, doh!), or through Jer's stories of his friends and their quirks. But after reading the Sunday paper and painting 2x4s with his dad, learning sewing/knitting from his mom (that post is coming), looking at cheap-o wedding dresses with his sister on amazon.com (just for fun, okay!), playing Legos with his nephews (they are SO cute and brought up so well), and embarrassing myself at Wii in front of his friends/talking smack about our mutual so-cal friends (Jer, you've been hiding your cool friends up north!), I feel like I've barely gotten to know these people and I want to hang out with them more!

If we decide to settle in LA eventually, we'll have to repeat this process of coming but also leaving. The thing about getting close to people, they make leaving places more difficult. On the bright side, they make each of our visits worth looking forward to. :)

Okay, can't wait for September which is our next scheduled visit! In the mean time, we have a 300 mile drive to do today. Boo. When I get back I'll post more about our trip (including ATVing in Pismo!).