A very, very long overdue New Year’s update

*Blows dust off of this WordPress account* Oh boy, it has been a while hasn't it? Guess the best way to start this overdue update is by wishing all of you a happy new year and a happy new decade! There's something overwhelming about the idea that we have a new blank slate to work …

A family tradition

Many years ago, my Mom helped Alyson and I create a special gift for Dad. We went to Color Me Mine, a chain of shops for the commercial buying and painting of porcelain goods ranging from dinnerware to sculptures of robots and dragons that are put through a kiln on-site. In my experience it's a …

Stars full of Jazz in 2019

Last year I wrote a post about Alyson's end-of-year Jazz Under the Stars concert. It's a yearly event that is a lot of fun because you get to see the students at their peak and raise some money for the arts. But this year Jazz Under the Stars was a bit more hectic for the …

Post-Grad socials

There are a lot of things to do after you graduate from college. An obvious example is looking for jobs. But what do you have to do before you look for jobs? The smart folks in my audience will say you have to cultivate a strong set of marketable skills to entice and/or fool employers …

Wrapping up Gaming

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. You heard it here first. I'm officially done with Gaming... In American Culture. You know, that class I was taking for fun with my friend Mimi this last semester? Despite it neither fitting into my Comm major nor my Psych minor. As you may recall from this great post, that …

That time of year again

Hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day! We Rochlin children celebrated by getting my Mom breakfast donuts (as requested), went out for lunch and then had fancy home-cooked pasta for dinner. A very food-focused affair. Spending the morning and afternoon with her (as well as the night with my friends losing hours to Minecraft) left me with …

Meeting expectations

If my life were a series of Sesame Street episodes, the word of the day would be: Meetings. Pretty much as soon as I woke up, I joined Mom at a local Starbucks to have breakfast with Tatjana — the wife of Magic Moreno, who I spoke to for Gladeo not long ago. Worth reading if …

The penultimate week

My apologies for the absence this last weekend, oh loyal viewers — wherever the five of you may be. I took a little time for myself following the Honors Conference (both my panel and a few friend's panels I attended on Saturday) to focus on the last few assignments I have to complete before the …

My Senior Honors Project debrief

These graduation milestones are really starting to gear up. Today's adventure took me out to Fullerton with my parents so I could officially give my Senior Honors Project presentation. It has been literal years in the making. After I spent some time reflecting on my novel and compiling the work behind it into a PowerPoint, …

Industrial aesthetic in Culver City

If you've been around my blog long enough, you know I have a thing for interesting architecture and industrial design when I see it. The prior was on full display when I went to Pasadena City College for one of my sister's auditions, while the latter was best seen with this weird and pointless piece about hedges …