MegaGirl's Beach Guide

Top 3.5 Things to Take to the Beach

1. Water-repellent book
2. Flip-flops with a thick sole
3. 2 bottles of sunscreen
3.5 A decent bathing suit

These are just my hints…other people may say other things.

For the book, you can bring whatever you want but it’s probably best to take a paperback, one with a thicker cover. A hardcover is fine if it’s yours (you definitely don’t want a library book!) and you don’t mind getting sand deep in the pages - because you will, for sure. But it’s heavy and if you have to lug it across sand, you won’t be happy. I’m bringing the paperbacks of the last 2 Potters.

As for the flip-flops, the reason you want a thick sole is that a) you don’t know what you’ll be stepping on and b) that sand is hot! Thin soles that might look cute and curve around your feet won’t hold up against the hot sun and dirty cigarette butts.

You need 2 types of sunscreen: one for face and one for body. This should be a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many people don’t know this. The face one is thinner so it doesn’t clog your pores and give you zits. And the body one is waterproof so you can sweat or go in the water and not worry.

Let’s define “decent” bathing suit. It can be a bikini or a tankini or a one piece or whatever so long as it doesn’t creep up in places it shouldn’t. Know what I mean? You want it to cover the parts that should be covered - I mean, really should be covered. And if you don’t know whether you’re covered enough, try pretending to lay on your blanket and then turn over. If the bottom part of your suit sticks and gets caught up and you have to dig it out (know what I mean?), you’re not covered enough.

So…guess where I’m going? :)

See you in a couple weeks...

The Summer of Meg

Totally torn.

A. Reggie’s family invited me to go to Santa Barbara with them for two weeks at the end of July/beginning of August, which means fun and sun and beach.

B. T’s family is letting him and his brother stay home while they take the little ones to camp at Mammoth which means he’s around to hang out whenever we want.

C. Lucie said I can do whatever I want.

What to do, what to do…

A sister responds...

Lucie told me she read the blog on Sunday. She promised to be better, promised she would keep her promises (that’s a new one) but said nothing about the lying. It went something like this…

Luce: Read your thing.

Me: Yeah…and?

Luce (shrugs): You know.

Me: I’m right, Luce. You know I’m right.

Luce: Maybe.

Me (waiting patiently): And…?

Luce (drinks her coffee and eats her toast): I’ll do things I promised.

Me: Okay.

Luce: I promise.

Me: Okay.

Looooooong pause. Crickets chirp.

Luce: You need a ride somewhere?

Don't Dis the Sis

Top 3.5 Rules For Being a Good Sister to Mega Girl

1. DO pick me up when you say you will
2. DON’T act like you don’t know me when you run into me at Starbucks
3. DO laugh at my jokes even if no one else does
3.5 DON’T lie

Lucie, do I really need to tell you all of this? Aren’t you old enough that you can figure it out for yourself? I mean, come on…you said you would give me a lift home from the Quakes game on Friday night and then, after I tracked you down at Aaron’s, you didn’t show UNTIL TWO HOURS LATER. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was? Before the game, T’s brother said he would pick us up and I was like, oh no, my sister will be here. She promised.

And what about Saturday morning at Starbucks? Reggie and I were sitting out front with lattes and you just walked right by. What the…Luce, geez. You couldn’t say hey? We already had our coffees. We weren’t going to ask you for money. Reg was like, dude, your sister just dissed us and I was like, oh no, she needs new glasses. She probably didn’t even see us. More excuses…

And when your friend Shawna was over last night and I was joking around about how we were goofing on those stupid singing shows this week, you sat there like a lump, not laughing or smiling or anything. I looked like a moron. Shawna probably thought I was like the deranged sister you never talk about.

And finally…you’re lying about something, Luce. I don’t know what it is but I can tell you’re hiding something from me and I want to know.

Fly away home…

Lady Bird Johnson died yesterday and it made me wonder about her name. How does a grown woman get to be called Lady Bird? And was she Lady first or Bird? Or did they come together? She was the wife of a president a really long time ago. (Frankly, I thought she had already died.)

Or was she “ladybird,” like the little insect that flies and is red with black spots? Did she look like a ladybird when she was a baby? Or did she wear red and black clothes when she was a kid?

I wonder about these things.

That Hit the Spot

I caught Lucie yesterday.

She told me she was going to work at 9 like she always does. This was supposed to be her first day back after the vacation she took when we were painting. She was at the Target on Foothill in the baby section.

Now why was I in the baby section, you ask? Well, I had run into the store to pick up some shampoo and conditioner that was on sale (Thermasilk Revitalizing Shampoo and Detangler Conditioner which are normally like 8 bucks each but yesterday they were 2 for 9 which is a major savings) and I was cutting through the baby department. I never look there since there is absolutely no need but then I saw her red hair which she’s been wearing in a braid lately with little clips over the ears.

I stopped.

I knew it was her.

I watched her for about five minutes. She was standing in front of the cribs and just staring at them. She didn’t touch them or move to another area. It was only the cribs and she was only looking. I left without saying anything to her, like “Why aren’t you at work?” And, “What are you doing in the baby aisle?” Which I totally would have been justified in saying. But I didn’t. I went to the beauty section and got my shampoo (only the shampoo because they were out of the detangling stuff).

I am hoping to god she has to go to a baby shower or something.

The Best Phraseology

Top 3.5 Favorite Words I Want to Hear This Summer

1. Air-conditioned
2. Jazz Festival
3. Half-Price Matinee
3.5. Free Frozen Yogurt

First of all, the apartment looks AMAZING! Lucie and I did a great job. It’s a good thing we don’t have any posters or pictures to put on the walls because it looks so good, I don’t want to ruin it. It was totally worth the sweat we put into it and the (minor) fights we had.

Anyway, I just want to say a couple of things about this list. The Jazz Festival is not my favorite festival around here. That would be the RC Grape Harvest in September. They actually stomp grapes to make them into wine! It’s a pretty big deal, which I found out last year. Everyone at school volunteers to do something - bake pies for the pie-eating contest, sell tickets, help with the kiddie stuff - and it’s way fun. I can’t wait for that! In the meantime, in August, there’s the jazz festival. There’s art to look and an old car show and lots of music. Not that I am into jazz but it’s kind of cool to be walking around at night, listening to jazzy music as the sun goes down and the air starts to cool off. So that’s next month.

And the second thing: free frozen yogurt! If you haven’t noticed, SoCal is way into fro-yo these days. It started with Pinkberry in Hollywood and spread all over LA and it’s finally reaching us (we’ve got Pinkberry and Golden Spoon already). This one place on Foothill Boulevard, I forget the name…Orange Mango? Yogotogo? Something like that. Anyway, they are giving away free yogurt this weekend to celebrate their grand opening. We have had like, the hottest weather ever and it’s only the beginning of July! There will be people lined up down the street for free samples and Reg and I are gonna be there!

Funny how the smallest things can be so exciting…

Transformers, Robots in Disguise!

Transformers, more than meets the eye!

This movie was kick-ass. I mean, it was a story based on toys so that part was kind of lame but the action was awesome! We’re talking giant transforming robots, what’s not to love? And I think - I think - I’m getting the tiniest little crush on Shia LeBoeuf. I know, crazy, right? This was the kid in “Holes” which was like, a kid movie, but he’s growing up, let me tell you. And he’s going to be Indiana Jones’ son in the next movie with Harrison Ford which is pretty cool for him and this whole movie was just him running around being all action-y in a black t-shirt and jeans which is a very cool look on him.

And okay, he looks kind of like T. Sue me. There’s a look I like and that’s it. T’s hair is long and shaggier and he’s a little thinner than Shia but yeah, he sort of resembles him. That little smirk Shia’s got going on is just like T and so are his cheeks, which is a weird thing to resemble but it’s true. Shia’s got cheekbones just like T.

So if you know what Shia looks like, well, now you know what T looks like. I almost wrote “bf” but he’s not. I mean, we hang (a decent amount) and we kiss (not nearly enough) but it’s not official. And I don’t really know what does make it official. A formal “Will you be my girlfriend” kind of thing? Or is that something that other people make official? Like, is it not real until everyone else starts calling you bf-gf?

If there are rules for this, I’d really like to get a copy.

Oh and note to Aaron? You rocked on Fourth of July, dude! In a totally folkie hippie way, but yeah, you hit it. Congrats.

Happy Fourth of July, America!

JMO but holidays in the middle of summer are a waste. What's it a holiday from - vacation?

The Fourth of July has never been a big deal for me and Lucie. I like fireworks but honestly, I think my sister is a little bit afraid of them. Like a dog she usually runs for cover when she hears loud noises. lol! Thank god we don't have thunderstorms or anything like that around here!

So far we have only lived in one place where we had a barbecue. That was in the trailer park out near Joshua Tree, which was the name of a really great U2 album but is also smack dab between a giant national park and the country's largest Marine corps base. Our place was actually pretty nice and the people were really cool too. I mean, there's this reputation people who live in trailer parks have, like they're hicks or inbred or something stupid like that but really they're just normal people. They have hobbies and go to school and host parties. It's not like they sit around at night drinking grain alcohol and shooting at rats at the dump. Ya know?

We had a lot of friends when we lived there. And I remember on the Fourth, we all got together for a big barbecue potluck. We brought appetizers - which were crackers with Cheez Whiz. We thought it would be cheap, like hot dogs and burgers, but other people had chicken filets and salmon steaks and someone cut up veggies for kebabs. And after the sun went down and it cooled off (cuz the desert heat is miserable in the day), we toasted marshmallows and I had a s'more for the very first time. I liked it.

Things are hazy after that. We probably moved not long after the barbecue cuz I don't remember celebrating my birthday there.

Today will be different. We've been invited to Reggie's for a big party and then at night, there's Aaron's show in Hollywood. He's opening for a folk band that's known for their patriotic songs so I guess this is their big day. That could be good for Aaron, although I don't ever remember hearing him sing anything pro-American. Maybe he can sing the Star Spangled Banner. That'll give him fans.

Congratulations to me - this is my 100th post! Whoo-hoo!

Big Pix Lure Hix From Stix

Top 3.5 Movies I Want to See This Summer

1. The Simpsons Movie
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
3. The Simpsons Movie
3.5 Transformers

Reggie and T finally have something in common: they both want me to see Transformers with them. They better come see Homer and Marge on the big screen with me - twice!

Can you tell what movie I’m most looking forward to? I really don’t care much about those other blockbuster movies, like all the stupid sequels to the movies I didn’t like in the first and second places, and summer isn’t exactly for small, quiet artistic films where people sit around talking or die of sad diseases or sit around talking about people dying of sad diseases.

Now, don’t think I’m shallow. I do like those movies but not in a giant air-conditioned theater that I’ve just shelled out $12.50 for plus seven bucks for a soda and a box of Junior Mints. For that kind of money, I want serious entertainment. I want to see things fly or blow up or…

…hear Homer say “D’oh!” in THX surround sound. Yes! I mean, D’oh!

As for Harry Potter, I’ve already seen all the others and even though I stopped reading the books at Azkaban, I feel like I’ve invested a lot of time and energy getting to know and care about these characters so I really should see it all the way through. I have to know what happens to Harry. Don’t you? I should probably read the last book which comes out in a few weeks, huh? Do you think I need to go back and read the others first? I guess that could be a fun summer project. Maybe I can convince Lucie to let me go with Reggie’s family when they take their vacation in Santa Barbara and I can read them there. It’s not the books that are the problem, it’s the going away part.

D’oh!