Bitchy Thursday

So I'm introducing the world to the phenomenon of Bitchy Thursday. This is kinda a big deal.

Hanging out with friends is an amazing way to blow off some steam, discuss personal issues, and sometimes just plain bitch. So my friend, Sivan, and I have actually planned a weekly ritual around the act of bitching- deemed BITCHY THURSDAY. From 1 to 2, on the steps of the liberal, accepting spirit that is Sproul Hall, we allow the superficial, judgy, obnoxious, and frustrated parts of ourselves to glimpse at the world (I'm from LA so they're not that hidden...) Our time together is fun and therapeutic and allows us to talk through issues- sometimes petty disagreements with roommates or unnecessary comments about certain individuals- but at other times it is a forum to talk through personal struggles with the help of a friend.

And I know that this sounds like an odd- and some might argue self-indulgent- ritual but at its core it is just another way to make sure I see one of my closest friends every week. And we are really are good people- but if you run into between 1 and 2 on a Thursday....I'd just keep walking. It gets pretty ugly.

And for the record- the name "Bitchy Thursday" in copyrighted in 14 states and legal action will be taken against the use of said word in a court of law.

DONE

-Jake-

Writing Scripts

I'm the spontaneous thinker with wild ideas flowing through my silly little head all day long. For no good reason, I can craft up the most random of situations and then BAM!, we have a starting point (you'll know what I mean if you continue reading). Jake is the logical and organized thinker, he makes sense, and most of all, he's witty. This is why we like to write comedic scripts together. We are a yin and yang of sorts- but together, we are a powerhouse for crafting funny lines met with funny choreography.

Jake inspired me to get involved in Theater for Charity after he joined during the first semester of our freshman year at Cal. He told me to audition, and the next thing I knew, I was a dancer for the upcoming show. Over a year later, he holds a board position and before we know it, he'll be making box office hits in Hollywood, going out to lunch with Beyonce, Stephen Spielberg, and Lindsay Lohan AT THE SAME TIME!

Long story short, we spent a few hours yesterday making our script perfectly equipped for submission into the running for Theater for Charity's upcoming "adventure" themed show. We are going to submit our script to the T4C (Theater for Charity) creative team, and we'll keep our fingers crossed that our script gets chosen! If so, we'll have a two for two record within the club and our prowess will continue to grow within the performing arts community here in Berkeley. Our next step will be casting actors an actresses to bring life, bodies, and voices to our piece, and then we'll be world famous and take over the world! (...we wish).

I'll leave you with this bit of inspiration for your day... During your quest to cultivate long lasting friendships, be inspired by the yin yang. By finding other people to complement your own unique personality and strengths, you will learn more about yourself, your strengths, and your weaknesses. EMBRACE THE DIFFERENCES you find between you and your friends, and learn something new about yourself!

xoxo

Rachel

Refrigerator Coaching 411

Backstory: Jake moved into his new apartment on Friday.... WOOHOOOOO!

A new apartment. Great right? HELL YES. but wait... what about dish soap? a toilet plunger? extra virgin olive oil? and FOOD? In theory, moving into your own place for the first time in your life is a crazy fun adventure, full of exciting opportunities for decorating a new space, be it with a new red clock (hehe, Jake), posters, light fixtures or perhaps a new coat of paint to better represent one's own personal style.

I transitioned at the beginning of the school year (August 2009) into my new apartment with amazing roommates, Kelly and Jessica. I went through the transition from dorming to real living. Yes, I just implied that dorm living is not real living. Having to bring your room key with you to pee to ensure you don't get locked out of your dorm room takes away any glimmer of real living if you ask me. Also, not having a kitchen at one's discretion for cooking and thus depending on the dining halls for sustenance is a sub par college experience at best. Cooking for one's self is amazing, my friend... and yes, that means you Jake ;-)

I had the opportunity to spend time in Jake's new place after he had unpacked his belongings (including his old bed from his old room, an adorable wood framed mirror handed down from his parents, his quilt composed of a beautiful patchwork design that he's had since childhood, and a new desk and chest of drawers from IKEA!) He and his apartment mate Juliet have put together lovely ensembles of furniture, rugs, tables, and chairs, topped off with a flat screen TV! But then I looked in his fridge. It was nearly empty, even after a trip to Trader Joe's earlier that day. I decided an intervention was necessary, this boy needed to get the 411 on how to cook a quick, delicious, healthy, and cheap meal when living on your own!

We walked the two blocks to my apartment and after fumbling around on the computer, playing some Ke$ha (we're for sure obsessed with Tic Tok!), and talking about upcoming social outings, we finally made our way over to my fridge. I taught him some of my tricks of the trade; carrots, sugar snap peas, and dried mangos for instance are quick go-to snack options that work with a college student's budget. Hummus, salsa, home-made pesto, and marinara sauce are all quick options either for dipping or adding flavor to a dish. Spinach, baby greens, string beans, beets, and avocados are excellent sources of vitamins and can be found at Trader Joe's for cheap! Pasta, bread, cereal, or oatmeal are fabulous ways of getting a healthy intake of carbs for the day, topped off with some freezer goods like frozen fish or even frozen burritos for finals week when the thought of cooking seems more daunting than running a marathon! (Yes, I have basically taken you on a tour of my refrigerator, but it was this coaching that helped inspire Jake to make a grocery list, and helped him to formulate solid ideas about what to in order to have what he needs throughout the week to make himself a healthy meal whenever duty calls.

So I suppose the moral of this story is to take some of your friends on tours of your refrigerators? ... actually, that's nonsense. But speaking more metaphorically, be the "refrigerator coach" to friends in need. Obviously food doesn't have to be the issue, but if you have the upper hand in some instance with a friend and are in the position to help enlighten this friend, don't hesitate. Give that friend the best darn tour of your refrigerator that they could have imagined.

xoxo

Rachel <3

L.A. Life with Stacie

Friendship is NOT temporary

We're back in Berkeley! The land of hippies, unpredictable weather (my Converse found themselves taking a swim this morning in front of the bookstore), and classes, Classes, CLASSES! It's at this interlude..the few days after we come back from our adventures either at school or at home..that we're able to step back and really understand the people, the life, and the culture of which we are a part.

We're at a unique moment in our lives where life seems temporary...we spend a few months at school reading and writing and partying...fueled by caffeine and the occasional night's sleep. And then we're back to our old lives...family, trendy restaurants, sleep that isn't crudely interrupted by the all too punctual alarm clock. We shop for ourselves, manage our budgets, cook our own meals, navigate through the public transportation system (Go Bart! [I'm in their commercial]) and are then able to retreat to meals at home, our own cars, and our old lives...a comfort mixed with the sting of what we know is at this point only temporary.

And being in these two places...arguably polar opposites...gives us the ability to play the parts of actors in our own play. We become who we were..who we are..while a little voice challenges us to figure out where we belong. And it's exhausting trying to make sense of it all- but what has not been temporary, what does not change on a monthly basis, and what has never been an act is my friendship with Rachel. And that's when I remember who I am.

DONE

-Jake-

GYMING..and background

We like to joke that our friendship is built on the workout mats of our school gym…and it’s not that far from the truth. It’s on those pale, blue mats, with the putrid stench of college insecurity, that I’ve shared more with Rachel than anyone else in my life. Not to get sentimental- it’s just that our workouts combine friendship and aerobics in a way that calms the mind and tones the body. And we’re religious about our workouts- our friends definitely think we have a problem- but it’s really a chance to escape it all and retreat to the blue mats of friendship and crunches.

So here’s a quick background- Rachel and I met in preschool (I’m pretty sure we were bathroom buddies)- fast-forward five years and we meet up at middle school orientation- me, 4’10’’ and painfully shy- and Rachel with a big smile of braces that would melt any middle-school boy’s heart. In high school we were in all the same classes but different groups…and it wasn’t until Ms. Cohen’s Trigonometry class that our friendship began to blossom. We both hated math and science (of’course we went to a Math/Aerospace Magnet)- so we’d study together as a desperate measure to get our work done. And it helped- Trig..check. Physics..check. AP Statistics…err…hesitant check.

And when college acceptances rolled around…we were both in at UC Berkeley (our friend Stacie made us crowns to celebrate). So the friendship didn’t have to stop…we didn’t have to press pause at senior year and hope that the inevitable change of locale and self didn’t alter what we had become. We grew together...we studied together…we worked out together…and got to watch our friendship change and alter in the most meaningful of ways.

So we gym for ourselves…we gym for our friendship…and we gym so we can use our made up past tense of the verb..jammed. The abs are just a byproduct.

DONE

-Jake-

First Post EVER! let's give this blogging thing a try...

As we made breakfast together this morning in Jake's kitchen, one thing was certain: we are pathetically adorable (is that possible?) Combining random findings from our respective kitchens to create the delicious omelette and fruit salad we ate for breakfast (despite my tardy arrival to Jake's lovely abode), our years of working together in the kitchen came together as we minded our own business and took on the task at hand. I brought over some homemade pizza from the night before and felt silly because Jake's dislike for cheese totally slipped my mind! Regardless, we both felt satisfied after eating our tasty meal. I thoroughly enjoyed perusing the web with Jake after we finished eating as we researched why the heck the Kardashians are famous, who Hugh Heffner has wed (he's quite a player!), and realizing that he has two kids nearly 50 years older than the most recent other two!

Then we headed to Beverly Hills where we hit up the Urth Cafe and spotted a fellow Cal student. Our Cal/Berkeley sweatshirts were I'm sure the talk of the town. From there we headed over to get Jake's hair cut... and his barber told me to chop all of my hair off (what a good guy... I think), but where Jake actually DID chop his hair off!

All in a day's time, we accomplished much bonding... now back to Berkeley we go, to continue living out our funny and sometimes obsolete existence :)

xoxo
-Rachel