Scrappy-dappy-do

Here's the most recent layouts.....




Credits: Everything from Jen Wilsons Seasonal Scraps CD - Early Autumn Bouquet except for Journaling Patch - Summer Travels - Sand Dune; font - my handwriting by september myles & batik regular; sketch templates (altered for 8.5x11) by Gina Miller

A new leaf?

While Pat O'Brien was here we went to the gym and were talking about various forms of exercise while walking on treadmills.....The subject of Spinning has come up various times - first because one of his co-workers is hard core into it, and also because its a good way to burn, like, a million calories in an hour.

So, I mad a commitment to myself to try something new and go to a spinning class this week, since its offered at my gym for no added cost, as are pilates and taebo classes.

Also, with my Spanish classes starting up, and my general excuse making routine in the evening, I decided I really just needed to start getting my ass out of bed and going to the gym in the morning. Its ridiculous to not get out of bed until 8:00AM after hitting the snooze 10,000 times and getting to work late every day, you know what I mean? And Pat O'Brien gets up early to run or ride his bike, and my mom used to get up like at 5:30AM and do it, and heck, I would get up at 6AM and run back when I was running regularly.

so I made another commitment to myself to get out of bed at 6:15Am in order to make the 6:30 class.

Then my alarm went off.

I actually contemplated hitting the snooze for a good minute or so, until I said out loud - "FOR PETE'S SAKE YOU MADE A COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF - GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED AND GET MOVING!!!".

It worked. I got out of bed and made it before the instructor did, and managed to get a few minutes of walking and stretching before the class started. Kicked my ass, but it felt good and I actually was on time and much more chipper than normal. Tuesday and Thursday are pilates, with Spinning on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So tomorrow, not only will I make good on my getting up promise, but I'll get to try out spinning as well.

We'll see how it goes - I'm making the commitment for three times a week getting up early, one Saturday gym session, and the other two days some type of work out video....with one day of rest. I'll let you all know how the progress goes later.

A new Fridge
On another note - my dear brother Keith was being a good boy and doing what I asked him to....he was chipping off the humongo frost that builds up around the freezer area. This frost build up prohibits me from retrieving my icecube trays (because it blocks the ice cube tray drawer), and makes me super cranky and angry every time I try to do so. So, back to the story - he's chipping away with a screw driver and hammer, and accidentally punctures a metal part - from which releases a nice little hissing sound. Greeeaaaat. So, turns out, by looking online - all the Freon probably leaked out, rendering the fridge useless (since it costs more to repair than to repurchase). He managed to save everything and put it into the other teeny tiny fridge (save for a few veggies, which I will probably cook for dinner tonight anyway). Tonight after he gets out of work we'll go ashopping for a new one.....for the next six months. Seems kind of silly to buy one for that short amount of time, but what else am I going to do? I don't think I can live with one teeny dorm fridge for that long either.

Sunday Market

One of the things we did on Sunday was head out to the Juarez Market. Friday is its biggest day, but there were still plenty of vendors there and much less people. At least I thought so. Pat O'Brien isn't a big fan of markets because he's a lot bigger and much taller than most mexican folk - and he doesn't like people running into him or banging his head on low hanging objects. Which is understandable. Totally explains why he was so crabby after we got home.

We made some good purchases - Keith bought a cool cowboy hat, we picked up a couple mexican blankets, and I got 3 dozen long stem pretty pretty roses for about $7. And, I took some cool pics of the food area - which always entrigues me. I really like the colors and smells of the spices and such. Also, I've always considered myself a typical American, and I really don't like to see the whole or parts of the animal before its cooked - it grosses me out. But here, its not a big deal. I'm not sure why that is...maybe because they are not wasteful like we are and use the entire animal for food? I dunno. Anyway, take a look at some of the photos below....

Earthquakes and other Ruckus

Had a great weekend with Pat O’Brien around…..seems to me though like I blinked and now its over. Only 6 more months left here though, and I won’t have a big bawl fest to look forward to every month. I’m doing pretty well now, and I did great this morning taking Pat to the bus station, but last night I was a wreck! I thought I was getting better at dealing with saying good bye, but its like I was tricking myself into thinking I was doing better, and all the raw emotions I’ve stifled for the past few months came rushing back. I could not stop crying…..

This trip was a nice change from our last visit where we were running around every three seconds to a different place. On Thrusday, we picked him up from the airport and headed to Polanco to meet his brother. Now, if you recall, I mentioned the protesters who were merely taking up space with their tents while the actual peole were no where to be found…..this particularly pissed me off when it took us a good 2 and a half hours to get to Mike’s hotel when it should have only taken us 45 mintues tops. It was quite possibly the worst traffic I have ever sat in my entire life.

Just so you know who and what was causing all the ruckus - here’s a picture of the PROTESTERS CAMPS. I don’t think its right for them to be f’ing us in the A just so they can play campy-camp while they get to participate in their normal day.



After arrival to the hotel and such, we went for a very nice steak dinner at The Palm – which was conveniently located in the hotel, thus providing us with a great dinner without the expense of having to sit in a flippin car for 4 hours to go 2 miles to our original local – El Rincón Argentino. Then we walked down the street and went to the Celtic Pub (yes, we went to an Irish bar in Mexico) and had quite a few more beers. It was actually a pretty darn fun night.

On Friday I wanted to go to the National Museum of Anthropology, which was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel – Pat, Mike and I made it but Keith was feeling a little too woozy so he stayed at the hotel. Apparently, shortly after we left was when the earthquake hit – but for some reason Keith was the only person who felt it. Not sure if we were in the elevator or at ground level it wasn’t as pronounced as being in the 20th floor of a hotel….but either way it was kind of cool to say I was in an earthquake, even though I didn’t feel it.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty much spent lounging around Metepec and Toluca – we went out and had some good food and some good drinks – and generally had a really great time. I love spending time with Pat – probably one of my favorite things that we do when we’re together is cook. Which is strange because I really don’t like to cook. Somehow though – its tranquil and calming when we are working together to create something, even if it is just spaghetti and meat sauce. It just feels so good, so normal, and it always manages to make me happy.

So now, I am trying to determine my plans for September and Christmas……and the airlines aren’t cooperating much with me as far as flight times and HOLY MAN – the FLIPPING PRICES! Its ridiculous. At the beginning of the year I was paying $280 for a ticket, now I can’t find anything for less than $460 and $580 for Christmas. That just bites the big one. Somehow I’ll make it work though. I’ll be damned if prices can keep me away from Pat O’Brien :o)

What protests?

Today I went to Mexico City to check out a place to hold our ACI meeting in October - we knew way ahead of time that the main drag in Polanco (Reforma) was closed down because of the protests that are still going on (I think its day 15???).

Seriously - WHAT A JOKE! The whole road was shut down because they had giant tents (think, outdoor banquet types) covering the whole road, and also a few tents for people to sleep in. But there were, like, NO PEOPLE!!!?!?!? Where the hell were they all? The city has been in chaos because the this road has been closed, and there is not even anyone there chanting or holding signs or anything. I was througoughly disappointed.

I was hoping to catch dinner with Pat's brother - but we were finished way ahead of schedule and just came back to Toluca. When I came home to call Mike, there was a nice message on my phone saying I haven't paid my bill and service is suspended until I pay it. Weird, eh? But I still have internet.....the funny thing is that I was bitching and moaning because "how the hell can I pay the bill if I never recieved one????". Until I found it under a few papers on the dining room table while I was cleaning up. Ooopsie. It was due last Friday. So, I gotta take some monies out so I can pay it!

One more sleep until Pat O'Brien gets here! WHOOO HOOOO!

Super lots of fun

Friday night I forced myself to go out - and I actually had a fun time, stayed out late, and didn't drink a drop of alcohol :o) Shocking I know. We went to a cousin of one of Keith's coworkers house. Aside from all the smoke, it was pretty fun. I had a chance to make some jokes in Spanish and show off my super awesome Spanish skills.

Saturday we chilled during the day, but at night we headed to an Italian joint for dinner (yummy calamari and caprese salad and fabulous red wine) and then went to the K-Paz concert. It was in a Soccer Field - with a big giant tent over most of the crowd. We stuck around the outside areas though because it was less crowded. The music was fun, the dancing was super fun too (I even had a stranger ask me to dance, wooo HOOO!) and we had a good time until it started to rain. Then I got a little crabby. So, a couple of us went back to the car to wait for the other hard core dancers in the rain, and had ourselves a couple beers - but then I started to get cold, so I got really crabby......so, we got a ride back to our car and headed home. I stayed out past 1AM for two nights in a row - I'm a mega partier!

Today we didn't do a whole lot, but we did see Superman in 3D at the IMAX theatre in Mexico City. Well, actually Santa Fe, which is right before DF...we got there about 20 minutes before the movie, and there were only 8 tickets left! We managed to get in and get decent seats, and I must say I really enjoyed the movie! Keith didn't like Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, but I thought she was OK. The little boy reminded me a LOT of Austin....which was funny.

Speaking of Austin - I got a layout done of hime for a challenge....He's way too cute, Mayer forehead and all :)

Papers - Jen Wilson - Sofisticated Tide Pool - Longing for the sea, coastal strips, sand patterns, seaweed; chipboard stitched circle - amy teets; sand scratch overlay, paperscrap, summer word art - jen wilson; paperclip - shabby princess; staples - scrapsy daisy; Sketch - Amy Teets; Breeze word art - Lauren Bird

Also got another one done of Pat O'Brien and I :)

Credits: Jen Wilson - Seasonal Scraps - Apple Blossom; Font - Occidente and Hurricane; Sketch - Gina Miller

Saving the world

Most of you who know me also know that I am pretty much a bleeding heart liberal, with hopes of saving humanity and everything else that needs help. Now, obviously I'm not so into it that I give away all of my worldly possessions and go off and join the Peace Corp, but the thought has crossed my mind more than once in my life.

I've been tormented on many many occasions here passing through the cities and seeing the extreme poverty and all the homeless animals....and really it does rip my heart out, and it truly affects my moods. I can be in a great mood, see a poor old woman begging for money and I will be crying shortly after that. I just can't help them all.

One of the things that I thought I would have time to focus on while here is community service....but I haven't really done anything at all. And, when I think about it, I feel really selfish. I have available time to go out and do things, but I have not made the effort to make a connection with a group and to participate. There is a local church nearby that I'm sure could steer me in the right direction, but I haven't gone there in months....I guess I blame my not having a strong command of the language on not wanting to take the step forward to try to make that connection.

The problem is, I'm not sure if I will make that connection while I'm here, and I kinda feel bad about it. I should. I really enjoy helping people and making a difference in some one's life, but I also enjoy, or rather need, the time to relax and rest. I mean, its hard to take care of someone else when you are not taking care of yourself, right? So, I am trying to give myself permission to not feel obligated to save the world, so I can reduce one more source of stress in my life.

I do what I can - I try to give away my money when its available, and I always support the efforts of young people when they are coming around selling things in our neighborhood - I've even started to become more active at home by writing my local congressman on various topics that I feel strongly about.

I'm not sure why I have always felt such a strong desire to help our furry friends, some people would say that if our efforts to support humans were as active as many people's efforts are for animals, that we would solve homelessness or world hunger - and there is probably some truth to that. Maybe its because they are so cute and fuzzy, and maybe its because they can't help themselves....regardless everyone has a soft spot, and I guess that's mine.

Anyway, One of those topics is related to the fates of many house pets that were stranded and separated from their families during the disastrous hurricanes that hit the US last year. I remember feeling so horrible for the families, and for the animals. I think I managed to sign up for a tree-hugger website, and they sent out a notice saying that a bill was up in the Senate to require local and state disaster plans to include provisions for household pets.

I thought it was a great idea, so I sent an email to Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin and asking them to support it....well, I sent them an email through the tree-huggers website.....at any rate, they actually responded to the request. It may have just been a canned response, but it kind of made me feel like I was taking part in our great democracy, and actually making a difference.

The bill did pass, you can read more about it here at the tree-hugger website:

PETS Act (Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards)

Anyway, I thought the whole thing was pretty cool. And it makes me feel better by saving the world, from the comfort of my living room.

ick. cow brain tacos.

Today I tried eating a cow brain taco knowing full well that it was cow brains. They didn’t look appetizing, but I was going to try them just to try them. Because when in Rome (or in this case Mexico)…….. My Coworkers weren’t going to tell me what it was……but as I was bringing it to my mouth they told me. And I’m pretty proud of myself for still trying it. Or rather, for still taking two bites until I could feel the texture of brains and the taste of ass and then spit it out into a napkin. When I spit it out – I gagged a little bit, but I didn’t barf all over the table. I also couldn’t really eat any of the other food (chicken soup and carnitas) But hey, I tried something new, right? Ick. I still want to gag every time I think about it. I guess that means I’m out for Fear Factor, eh?

Last night I finished up a few layouts I’d like to share:

Fer - Fernando is our friends’ adorable youngest son. Sometimes he is such a ham!

Credits: Celebrate Life collaboration kit at ACOT

More Love - This is the first time I used a layered sketch - the quickest layout EVER! Pic is one Pat O’Brien took of us while we were walking back from the Lincoln Park Zoo. Aren’t we the cutest !?¡¿EVER!?¡¿

Credits: Papers and elements - Carla Gibson Embrace Sampler; Sketch by Gina Miller; Love stitched label - Jen Wilson

So what’s up with the Protests in Mexico City, you might ask? I don’t know man, they are crazy! And, they are camped out on Avenida de la Reforma, where all the super nice stuff is, and the same area that Pat’s brother Mike is staying at when he arrives on Monday. It’s not like its violent or anything – they call the protestors Plantones – because they are pretty much just “Planted” there, standing around blocking roads and such. It will just make it a pain in the arse to go to that area after we pick up Pat O’Brien at the airport on Thursday. Who knows though, maybe they will get tired or maybe the government will kick them out – I know the business around there are losing butt loads of money.

Plans for the weekend? I plan on chillin tonight, then going to a Banda concert tomorrow of K-Paz. Should be a good time. Maybe I’ll have a beer tonight – it feels like that kind of day.

Random thoughts.......

Holy crap. Three posts in one day?!?! I must be going mad. No, no I'm not - I'm just procrastinating work that I should be doing. I'm pretty good at that.

Looking at my posts I seem to have gone from really low to pretty high. Ah, well, I'm not flying too high like jumping all over the place, but I am whistling when I walk to and from places, and that usually means I am in decent spirits. I swear I'm not manic though, just to make that clear.

So, on with random thoughts.

Matilde normally comes on Wednesdays and Saturdays - but sometimes, she comes on Thursdays and Sundays, depending on her other 12 jobs she has. I told her no problem - that she doesn't need to come tell me every time she has a little change in schedule. I'm so laid back like that. But, I was thinking back to the first time she didn't show up on Wednesday and didn't tell me - I imagined that she came in to our house, took one look at the mess, turned around and went back home. So now, every time she doesn't come on the normal day, I think of her doing that. And it reminds me of how much of a piggy I am sometimes - especially in the kitchen. The dishes pile SKY high - especially if I cook. Pat O'Brien - I promise I will be better at that once I move in...its the not having a dishwasher that sucks butt.

Did you know that liquid paper was invented by a woman? I forget her name, but she worked in the typing pool at a company and was sick of retyping a whole page to correct one silly mistake. She started selling to other typists, and somehow started mass producing and that was that. She sold the company a few years later for like 50 bazillion dollars. That’s a smart chick. I learned that on the history channel. Keith and I have been watching a lot of that lately. Guess we’re getting sick of watching CSI repeats.

I named the interns’ fish today. They have a big bowl with a really pretty Beta (his name is Jovas), and today they added two tetras and two guppies. I was quite disappointed to hear they weren’t going to give the other four names. So I took control, and named the little guppy Guillermo (Memo for short) and the big guppy Bob. The tetras are called Los Gemenos (the Gemini’s, or the Twins) because I can’t tell them apart. I think they are much more happy in their home now. I think the interns just think I’m a bit nuts.

OTHER GREAT FANTASTIC AMAZING YOU ARE SO NOT GOING TO BELIEVE NEWS!

Seroiusly, you are SO not going to believe this – are you ready? Can you stand the anticipation? I just got quite possibly the best news I have heard in the entire past millennium. WE ARE GETTING FOAM SOAP installed in our bathroom at work!!!! I never thought I could be so happy. Fluffy, smooth, smells pretty – and 80% more effective at killing germs and bacteria on our hands! OH HAPPY DAY! Seriously, I’m stoked. No exaggeration – I love foam soap. You should have seen me jump for joy when I found foam Dial hand soap at Wal-Mart. It makes hand washing so much more fun.

What a difference a few hours makes

So, after listening to some more cheering up music, talking to Pat O'Brien, and eating a good lunch, I feel much better now. I think the turning point was the song "If I Had A Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies. Its almost impossible to mope when that song is on.

Also a mood-bringer-upper - talking about potential positions in Chicago with Pat O'Brien. It just made things a lot more real - not just THE END IS IN SIGHT - but more thinking about how could I best use some of the skillz that I have aquired (and will continue to aquire over the next few months)......I think I will much more confident in whatever position I take, just because of the sheer amount of knowledge I've gained so far. Confidence in knowledge = power to do just about anything! And boy o boy - that feels good!

Blah.

I’ve managed to be marginally warmer than yesterday - I made sure to wear long socks. They are black and white stripes (New Zealand All Blacks Socks - I save them for special occasions, like when I don't have any other socks or when I'm freezing). Although my wet hair sure isn’t helping things this morning. I woke up late – or rather I woke up on time and took a wonderfully long shower – and left for work late, but I don’t seem to be caring much today eitherway. Turned out, its OK because no one was here to see me walk in at 9AM anyway.

Today is day 3 out of 4 this week where I have had to talk myself into going to work. I had a genuine excuse on Monday with my migraine and I still went in – but today I just couldn’t get my throat to hurt quite enough to stay in bed. I really did NOT want to go to work – I mean more so than the other three days that I didn’t want to come in (Tuesday was OK because I got to do something cool in Mexico City and learn a new test the rest of the days were blah). I am very very VERY blue today (not like a Smurf but in regards to my emotions) – my cats couldn’t even make me smile this morning – even my “Cheering Up Songs” playlist on my iPod didn’t do it. I managed to sing one song, albeit half heartedly. I didn’t even really want to blog, but I figured if maybe I wrote about it, there would be some kind of therapeutic response and I would have enough energy and fortitude to want to make it through the rest of the work day. If this doesn’t work – I fear I will talk myself into going back home and hiding under the covers for the rest of the day.

Geez – I am actually frowning right now. Ick.

Not exactly sure what’s going on that’s so dramatically different from the rest of the week – I haven’t been this sad since I left, or at least it feels like it. If this last through next week I’ll have to go to the doctor to see if he can up my meds. That’s exactly what I don’t want to happen – I want to try to get off of them, not go up in dosage. Really, depression sucks.

OK, going to try to throw myself into work and forget about whatever it is that is making me so down. I hope my day improves….or at the very least I hope I stay warm.

Cold Ankles

I am seriously freezing my butt off. Its August and I’m chilly. In Mexico. I can’t even begin to fathom the heat that is sweeping the Midwest right now, because I can’t even feel my fingers. Its not that cold outside right now, maybe 70 or so, but these concrete walls are insulating it in here too well – and it gets pretty cold at night, about 45 – 50 or so. I think if all the homes were made out of concrete in the US, we’d totally be averting the energy crisis – or at least when it comes down to cooling our homes with electric powered A/C units…...next time I build my house – totally going concrete.

I think what makes it worse is that my ankles are cold. I wore short athletic socks today because I don’t have any other clean ones (Yes, white short athletic socks with black loafers – super HOT!). And, my jeans are too short. So I get a nice breeze right at my ankles. Let me explain why my jeans are too short – I got 4 pair of jeans as a work uniform, and they were hella long. So I had one of the muchachas (cleaning ladies) here take them home and hem them for like, $50 pesos. They were the perfect length, and I was so happy! Then I washed them. They didn’t shrink at all - you see, it’s the beauty of having to flippin’ air dry your clothes because there is no dryer. So everything gets all crusty and crinkly and wrinkly, especially jeans – it ends up making them about an inch shorter with all the wrinkles. And, I hate ironing - I avoid it at all costs. And I can’t find Downey Wrinkle Releaser here, so I’m stuck with wrinkly clothes. I suppose I could ask Matilde to do it once a week or so, but she’s already got enough crap to clean up for us. Anyway, so that’s why I have cold ankles – my jeans are too short because they are wrinkly and I am wearing short socks.

So, I put on my steeltoe boots because they lace up around my ankles to try to warm them up – so now my ankles are warm, but my toes are cold from the cold steel. And if my feet are cold, my whole body is cold – that explains my FREEZING ness.

I feel like I’m not making any sense today. I tried to write a report but everything that comes out is jibberish. I’m like distracted – like a flea or something. I dunno – maybe I just need to eat.
Or maybe I just need to go home and take a nap – I am super crabby…..grrrrr…….

Well, at least I can look forward to a trip to Home Depot to get some supplies for a new test I’m going to set up…..trips to HD always make me happy : )

8 more sleeps til Pat O'Brien comes to visit me!!!!

Over and out.

Mondays.

Mondays. They almost always suck my ass. They especially suck my ass when I have a splitting migraine. They also especially suck my ass when I have had a migraine since Sunday afternoon. And when the only reason I peeled my no-seeing-out-of-my-left-eyeball-because-there-is-an-arrow-poking-through-it ass out of bed was to discuss this week’s testing program with Javier and I find out he’s on vacation all week. While I’m here I might as well attempt to get some work done – with my door closed and lights off in my office. Ugh. I hate this!

Although my hypochondriac self would like to think that my increased frequency of migraines is the result of a large tumor growing in my head, the more practical side of me realizes, or hypothesizes, that it is more likely the result of the increased nasal/sinus irritation that this great country brings, in addition to the increased amount of stress of just living here. The air quality is soooo crappy, I am always having issues with allergies and sinuses and other such crappy debilitating irritating things. Which makes me think I should go see an allergist, but I really don’t feel like A) finding one, B) trying to find the office and C) trying to explain in Spanish, my life history of allergies? A few people have recommended going to a homeopathic doctor – but I really just think they’re kooks, and if you don’t believe in the practice, there is no chance of their methods working. Maybe if my mood improves I’ll look for a specialist later today.

OK, enough of my crabbiness…..this weekend was fun – Friday Keith went out with the Wall Street crew and I just chilled at home making a gift for our friend Martha’s birthday. Her party was Sunday. On Saturday after Keith got out of work we went to Dos Rios to see the end of the Rugby tournament….which the Wallabies won! WHoooHOOO! I also managed to buy some fun Mexico Rugby shirts too, which is always a bonus. Keith was still hung over, so we didn’t stay long, and when we got back to Toluca we decided to get some grub at Texas Ribs in the mall. It was pretty yummy, but the baked potato left much to be desired.

Sunday we went to Martha and Fernando’s house, where we met their family and went to a neighbor's (who also shared the same birthday) for some barbacoa and beer. It was a really nice afternoon – a bit on the warm side when in the sun, but really nice when the clouds passed by or when we were in the shade. Maybe 80° tops. No humidity – just sunshine! Not like the 100°F searing humid head that is piercing the mid west and California right now. I hope that passes soon.

After we got home I started feeling woozy – and a migraine soon followed. I don’t normally get barfy when it comes to migraines – usually just sensitivity to light, and once in a while sound – so when I was barfy I couldn’t take the drugs to get rid of the migraine because they usually make my stomach a bit upset, and to me, being nauseated sometimes is worse than having a migraine. Sometimes. I tried everything else to get rid of it. Yogic stretching, nice long shower, my new neck massager. I should have taken the meds though because nothing else seems to work.

So, that’s about it. I am going to sleep under my desk now. Maybe that will help.

Me voy a casar

The meeting went well last night, although my ride got stuck in traffic after going to a jobsite and we were about 2 hours late. No big deal though, I managed to scrap a page while I was waiting…



Credits: Paper - Amy Teets, Font - Decker


We still made half of the technical presentation (we missed about an hour – a two hour long presentation! I’m glad we missed the first half!) and the important part – drinks and snackies! It was held at CEMEX, our competitors, CTCC (Center for Technology of Cement and Concrete). Not to be confused with the place I work at, CTC (Concrete Technology Center). It was a nice place! You can tell they are #1 here in Mexico – everything was top notch. The only down part was that I won a CEMEX water bottle at the raffle. Nice bottle, but bringing it to work would be like drinking Pepsi at a Coke plant. It’s just not right.

It was nice to practice my Spanish a bit more, also. Although I did manage to make some mistakes. We were talking about greetings, and I used a phrase with the word güey, which I thought meant “dude” or “man” as in, “What’s up, Man?” (“¿Qué onda güey?” is actually the example I used). Apparently it has a more negative & crude connotation to it that I wasn’t aware of. I mean, I hear it everywhere! Then I was told, yet again, that it’s a word I should use, because young ladies shouldn’t talk like that. UGH. That just makes steam come out of my ears. I can’t wait to get home to the US where I can be myself and talk and be as crude as I want and people won’t be appalled. That really bothers me here.

The other interesting mistake had to do with my excitement about spreading the news of my upcoming nuptials. I was telling people I was going to get married in March. Or so I thought. The phrase I was using, “Voy a casar” (casar is the verb To Marry) apparently sounds about the same as “Voy a cazar” – which means I am going hunting. As in killing deer and other small woodland creatures. Not exactly what I was trying to say. But, thanks to some friends who don’t mind laughing at me and then correcting me, I learned the appropriate saying, which is “Me voy a casar”, or “voy a casarme”. So now I know. And some people are still running around wondering why I am going hunting with my boyfriend in Chicago in March. Eh. It doesn’t really matter. I’ll probably never see them again anyway.

Happy Birthday!!!!!

A big giant super HAPPY 30th Birthday to my favorite person in the world PAT O’BRIEN!!!



I was pretty bummed out that I couldn’t be there to do anything nice, like take him out to dinner or something like that. I did, however, manage for the first time ever to get a birthday present that (I think) the person doesn’t know about. Hopefully he’ll find out about it today – if not then tomorrow. If you’re reading this, Patrick, DAMMIT I just ruined the surprise. But I hope you like it still :o)

Other big news of the day……well, its actually old news for those of you who were camping with us at the Diaz Camp-O-Rama…..Pat O’Brien and I are officially getting married! WHOOOooOoOOOO HOooOOOOO! We’ll be getting hitched in Chicago sometime in March. We wanted to do Vegas, but its just not realistic with our and our families’ budgets….besides, Chicago rocks and there are very many cool places to do it. Of course those cool places all cost $5000 to rent not including the food, so we won’t be getting married in them, but we’ll find another option. Its going to be a small, intimate, short ceremony – just us, our parents, our siblings and our nieces and nephews – and then a nice dinner at a restaurant after. I’m looking forward to it! It will be about a month after I get home, so its more cool stuff to look forward to! And, just because it’s a small wedding doesn’t mean any less planning. I’ve still got a lot to take care of :o)

Funny thing – there is a dude called Rent-A-Rev who I’ve looked at to officiate the ceremony – and he’s the dude that married the My Fair Brady peeps that aired this weekend. The guy called Pat to make sure he knew the episode was airing. I thought that was funny. But hey, man, advertising is advertising – I’d work it anyway I could too!

I’m pretty bummed out because I planned on going to the gym to crunch out an hour of exercise, but I totally forgot about the meeting I have tonight in Mexico. Crap. And I almost totally got up early and went at 6AM. Seriously! I did! I woke up to call Pat and be the first to wish him Happy Birthday…..and I was planning on going to the gym right after. Unfortunately I took a nytol last night to help with the sleep, but I didn’t take it until like midnight because I thought maybe I could go to sleep by myself….so I was all super groggy and weird feeling. I figured it was best to stay away from heavy machinery and treadmills while feeling like that – so I went back to bed for an hour. So now, I’m going to have to get up early tomorrow morning and do it. I need at least 60 minutes three times a week.

Oh yeah, update on the scary Gyno-ness. I called the Doc this morning and he said that from the blood work I had done it looked like I needed a Measles booster. That was it. I was flippin out for nothing. They recommend getting the boosters for measles/chicken pox if you haven’t had them in a while to protect the fetus en utero. No, I’m not pregnant, but I am getting married in 8 months, so I figured I better get the works done to make sure the plumbing was all good to go for the next year.

Apparently everything else (pap smear, infection check, blood check) came out perfectly. It’s just like me though – I flip out and always expect the worst. I’m not sure why. Typically I’m not a pessimistic person, but when it comes to health issues I always feel like I’m gonna die. I definitely need to start seeing a shrink about that when I get back to the states.

You know, it doesn’t help that Keith comes home yesterday and tells me one of his students has Dengue Fever. I totally feel like I’ve been exposed. As a matter of fact, maybe strange, mysterious bruising and rashes is a symptom of Dengue Fever.

Ugh. I’m such a hypochondriac.

OK, off to Mexico. Have a great day!

Miscelaneous stuff

I've been yelled at for not keeping more current......I really will try to get back to my regular posting schedule. Its been difficult though - usually I update at work, and for some reason our firewall has been blocking blogger, and on top of that I've actually been pretty busy. They finally have realized that I am leaving come hell or high water in February, and that I really need to have the lab time and resources dedicated to finishing my objectives. I finally have sent out some cylinders that should have been tested at 28 days...and now they are at 128. WTF!?!?! Anyway, it feels good to be busy.

Tonight Keith, myself and some new friends Jamie and Omar (from Keith's work) went to Wednesday night 27 peso movie night at the move theatre. We wanted to see Superman, but it was all sold out by time we got there....which is fine because if I see Superman I want to see it in 3D at IMAX......anyway, we decided to see "Viviendo con mi Ex".....or living with my Ex....or, the Breakup with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. Actually pretty darn good. It was very real. Also very cool because of all the Chicago Shots / and thats my future home! They even mentioned a little bit of Ann Arbor (something about Michigan vs Notre Dame game). I really dug it.

It made me a bit emotional at one point where they are standing in an empty home with everything packed up and ready to move out....it made all these raw emotions flood back from after Troy and I split up and sold the house and embarked on our new lives. I was bawling....and after the movie when I tried to explain to the crew why I was crying I just started to cry more....then, after talking to Pat O'Brien he told me nonchalantly mentioned the Gyno called and left a message...."No big deal". HA! Its never "not a big deal" when the doctor is calling you back after a pap smear and blood work. UGH. Just one more thing for me to freak out about.

OK, time to do yoga and head to bed. Hope all is well in cyber land.....if you're out there....reading....leave me a little comment or two.....it feels good to know that I'm not out here talking to myself.

Hasta Lluego!

Forgive my absence

I got home on Monday night, but have not felt much like blogging....mostly because I didn't want to make myself more sad by recounting all the wonderful things that happened this weekend. I had serious homesickness this time - worse than the last. I thought it was getting better, but alas, it has not.

I think it was worse this time because Pat O'Brien and I spent the time together in our new house / neighborhood.....and I loved it! The condo looks so awesome with our stuff in it (well, mostly his until I move in) and our neighborhood is so cute! It made me not want to leave - I want to start our life together NOW - not wait until February. It made me want to move my repatriation date up to November....but alas, I wouldn't be able to finish my projects and I would get slapped with all sorts of crazy taxes - so its best to wait til the beginning of next year. Mark my words though, if I can finagle a earlier than scheduled return, you can bet I will!

A few words before heading out

I'm headed to Chicago tomorrow evening :) It should be a good time - its also the weekend of our Diaz Family Canoe Trip, so we will definitely have a good time!

Before I go I will leave you with a couple new layouts completed last week. One of my hunky hunky man.....


And one of our fun travels in Acapulco.


Have a great week! See you on Tuesday!

brown skin and bloodshot eyes

holy man. i am exhausted. it was a long trip for two days, but it was definitely a great time. i just wasn't prepared to feel like death when i woke up this mornig - two hours late for work!!!! no matter though, they are pretty cool. i'll just skip lunch and stay a bit late today.

got a great tan this weekend - managed to religously reapply sunscreen and not burn....but i am a yummy carmely brown :) except my lips. it seems that no matter how hard i try, even if i reapply sunscreen on my lips every hour, they always get burned. maybe i need to try zinc.

didn't sleep much over the weekend though. left at 4 am saturday monring, got back at 1:30 am monday morning. keith got even less sleep than i did since he dind't get back from going out satuyrday nigth until 8:30 sunday morning...i turned in at about 3AM cuz i am a ligth weight.

i'm still super exhausted, so you'll hve to excuse the typos. no, i'm not drunk, jus ttired. i had a total of two beers the whole weekend. just wans't quite in the mood i suppose.

the tourney was great, the hotel was nice, the pool was nicer and the 2 hour boat ride we had in the bay was the best. i opted to not watch the world cup but rather sit in the pool and enjoy the crowd response for a distance. it was a much better decision since I could have given a rats ass about who won. There were lots of frenchies around though - so it did make it exciting to listen to. they were all pretty heartbroken that they lost!

it really was a great time! also got to meet lots of great rugby players from around mexico and the world. They really are a nice bunch of boys! i'll have pics soon, i'm sure.....i'll post as soon as Keith downloads them and puts them on photobucket.

until then - back to work. only two more sleeps until i get to see pat o'brien! and our new house! whoo hoooO!OOOOO!OOOO!

Patriotic layout

after my patriotic post yesterday i figured it would be a good idea to post a patriotic layout, since i did one :)

What freedom means to me

230 years our nation has been celebrating and defending the rights of freedom. I have always been the patriotic type - I think it had something to do with my obsession with Marines - but living in a foriegn country has definitely given me a different perspective. It means so much more to me, or maybe I am just more aware. I've seen a couple different things online, and watching the CBS evening news tonight, and I found my self all choked up watching the clip from the fireworks display in Chicago, or the story about new citizens, or even the story about the lonely families of Fort Hood, TX. I couldn't help myself from crying.

SO, although ususally when I think of the 4th of July, I usually have fireworks, beer and hot dogs on the brain, I decided to change my thoughts a bit and write a little bit about what freedom means to me. freedom means driving down the highway, and not having to look over your shoulder to see what cop is targeting you today.

freedom means being able to stop and ask the police for directions, and knowing they have your best insterests in mind, and are there to help you and keep you safe.

freedom means trusting that your vote has been and always will count.

freedom means being born into one social class, but knowing that you have the power and will have the opportunity to educate, increase and provide a better life for yourself.

freedom is remembering your family members who are currently serving, and have served this great country to protect your rights, and the rights of those around the world, and thanking them for every breath you get to breathe in the land of the free.

freedom is a promise. promise of a better life, promise of a new day, promise to be able to live your life as you see fit, without judgmet and predjudice.

freedom is not having to live in fear.

So, what freedoms are you thankful for?

Weekend plans

Ick. I just ate a pack of baby carrots. can i say how much i don't like veggies? ew. But, I bought a whole shit pile of groceries last night, and I have vowed to not let ANY go to waste. I'm still managing to lose weight without including a ton of fruits and veggies, but I am hoping that upping my good food intake will jump start my loss again.....I need to lose at least 1.5 pounds this week to reach my current challenge goals.

As far as weekend plans go.......

There is a rugby sevens tournament (they play with 7 players instead of 15) in Acapulco this weekend....its been planned for a while, but my brother's team (The Wallabies) didn't decide to participate until the last few weeks or so. We signed up today to go. $500 pesos each, includes a tournament shirt, bus ride there and back from DF, dinner and open bar saturday night, room at a 5 star hotel, breakfast on Sunday, and a World Cup finals viewing party on the big screen. Not a bad deal :)

For that price its a 4 person occupancy, but i think that instead of sharing a bed with keith and two other stinky smelly rugby guys, I might get my own room. At most it will be an extra $1000 pesos, and I just got an unexpected bonus (that I should be using to pay bills, but I'm not really) and I think I can afford it.

I'm looking forward to going to Acapulco again, even if it is for a short weekend. I could use the extra tannage to prepare for my canoe trip next weekend :) I can't very well show up in Michigan in front of all the Mexican side of the family and not look like I've been living in Mexico!

Good times, tense shoulders

We made it to the volcano yesterday, despite not wanting to wake up at the ass crack of dawn. But, based on my time living in Denver, I knew if we didn't make it up there by mid-morning we would risk running into some nasty storms. And, since the volcano does occasionally see some snow cover even in the summer, I didn't want to risk it.

We were up and at 'em and on the road by 8:00AM, and made it to the entrance of the park by 9. The ride up wasn't too bad, the road wasn't very well maintained, but I got to see a couple humming birds - huge hummingbirds - like the size of sparrows - but we didn't get any pics. There was lots of nice scenery and plenty of other things to keep me occupied. Lots of pretty pretty flowers, like this one:


We decided to not hike in the lower regions of el volcán, but rather opted to head right to the top to see the Lagos del Sol y Luna. Once I took a look at the road though, I started having second thoughts.

I've driven up many a mountain in my day, both on paved and unpaved roads. I've conquered Mount Evans & Pike's Peak repeated times (both over 14,000 ft), along with Trail Ridge and Fall River roads which head up the ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park, and through Red Mountain Pass (both about 12,000 ft). So really, despite being a nervous and paranoid person, cliff faces don't bother me, heights don't bother me, i figured it wasn't going to be a big deal when people at work told me the road was dangerous. It was a bit higher than any mountain I have been on (this summit was 14,700, as opposed to Mt. Evans which is the highest I have been at 14,264 ft...and even surpasses Colorado's Highest Fourteener - Mt. Elbert - 14,443)

I should have listened. Considering the repair of many of the roads in the city, when a Mexican tells you a road is dangerous, you better damn well belive the road is dangerous. It was really only bad for the last 3 miles......but those last three miles is what has my neck and arms all sore today - i was so flippin tense that last hour! The trail was so narrow, it barely wide enough to fit our car through. The roads were not only dirt and rock, but soo poorly maintained that every time we hit a rock or bump i was afraid we'd lose control and go careening off the side, even though we were going less than 5 mph. And of course, throw in the steep unguarded edges, hairpin turns, and the fact that this road supported two way traffic you can bet this paranoid girl was doing everything she could to NOT have a panic attack. Deep breathing doesn't work so well at 13,000 feet though....FYI. Not quite enough oxygen. Here's a couple pics, but it really doesn't do it justice...


When we reached the summit it was kind of anti-climactic, we haven't had a lot of rain, so the lakes were much smaller....maybe it was just because i was too wound up.....although it was kind of cool to be hanging out inside the crater of a volcano. At any rate, we managed to get out and hike for about an hour and took a few cool photos. it was a good work out, and it must ahve gotten my blood flowing well because i was much more relaxed on the way down, even though we had to park ourselves halfway up the side of the road in order to let people pass. i vaguely remember the rule of the road in Colorado to be that the person going down has the right of way, but I didn't bank on any person knowing that here (especially because people were having TAXI's take them up). So, anytime i spotted a car ahead the second we located a semi decent spot to park we did and waited for the other people to pass.

Pics at the summit......


All in all, a good experience, but not one that I think I'll be repeating. Oh, I'm sure we'll head back and maybe hit a couple trails in the National Park, but if anyone is planning on visiting, you can cross heading to the Summit of the Nevado de Toluca off your list, because it AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!

happy July 1st!

i feel kind of left out :( Everyone is headed to various places for the 4th of July weekend, and I won't even be able to get any real fireworks. Bums me out dude.

today is a chill day, since Keith is at work til 2pm. Tomorrow I think we'll go hiking at the Volcano. I've been meaning to go since we got here......we'll see how it goes.

tomorrow is Election Day for the President of Mexico. it will be intresting to see who wins (we should know by 8pm central time).....whomever wins will have a significant effect on future relations with the US. one guy is open to business exchange, another is rather bitter towards us, and the other guy seems like he doesn't really know whats going on. at any rate, it should be a close race.

I wanted to also take this opportunity to sing the praises of Adobe Photoshop. I love it. It takes good pictures, and can make them GREAT!

Original Photo

Photoshopped version :)

Super Cool Other News!

My dad has these dudes that he's been friends with since his football days at SVSU. They used to babysit me when my dad was at class. I've always thought of them as family - I guess Uncles of sort. They are all pretty incredible guys - teachers, coaches, FBI dudes, safety equiptment, rocket scientists. Yeah! A rocket scientist. Well, not really. A mechanical engineer.......he has had some pretty impressive career success as of late - he's one the lead flight director for the Space Shuttle Launch scheduled to take off on Saturday. Yeah, thats like Ed Harris in Apollo 13. Pretty cool, eh?

Here's a few more details, if you'd care to endulge.....The front page of the Saginaw News (lower right hand corner - Anthony (Tony) Ceccacci), or the full story on MLive.com - Shuttle Job 'A Dream'. It makes me pretty proud to know him!

And, if you'd like, here's a link to watch the launch live at NASA.gov (2:49PM Saturday July 1, weather permitting)

Good Things....

After I gave some peeps a good talkin' to, I finally got things straightened out for the planning of my projects :) That makes me not crabby.

Other good things - I really like falling asleep with my kitties....it makes me happy to have them all cuddling up and purring next to me.

I also had a great success today - I leg pressed my body weight (160 lbs) with my bad knee. Why is this significant, you might ask? Its significant because the doctors told me once I was able to do that (10 repititions) I would be pretty much clear to do whatever I want. Clear for dancing, tenis, whatever :) It pretty much means I'm healed, rehabilitated, good as new. I actually almost cried right there at the leg press.

It feels good to have a good day.

More Bitching (warning...due to colorful language may not be suitable for Children under 17)

I am just in the shittiest mood ever. They say “Estoy de malas”……I suppose that fits right now. I wasn’t in the greatest mood to begin with this morning, but there’s nothing to tank your mood than a crazy stupid ass bus driver. I was in my lane, driving like any other normal person would, when this big ass bus driver (not the normal buses, mind you, but the large passenger long trip buses, which are supposed to be less nuts) started creeping over into my lane – while I was half way past him! Look asshole, just because your huge doesn’t give you the flippin’ right of way to change lanes whenever you damn well please without looking for other vehicles that MIGHT already be there!!! So, as he was almost crashing into my passenger side door I slammed on the horn so he would know I was there. THEN THE GUY BEEPS HIS GIANGANTIC HORN ANGRILY AT ME!!! WTF???? You were going to hit ME asswipe – I was there first, I had a right to be there, I don’t HAVE to move out of the way just because you get the whim to change lanes!

But that’s not all. No our friendly bus driver decides to be the king of dick-dom and charge ahead full speed behind me and RIDE my ass. He was so close I couldn’t even see the emblem on the front of his bus. Then he cuts over, almost taking out the rear quarter of my car, and sped ahead. OOhhh, that just pissed me off. I had half a mind to slam on my breaks while he was changing lanes, and if it was a normal size car, I probably would have. But that would have been retarded because obviously it wouldn’t have even dented the buses bumper to ram into me.

*ugh* that just made me angry.

So I get into work and I find out a meeting I have tomorrow goes until 6:30, so I can’t go to another meeting I wanted to attend (ACI México City Chapter) which starts at 5:00. This just sucks because students are going to give a presentation on their university’s first concrete canoe, which I helped them with. And I really want to be involved in this chapter……because I want to improve my chances of receiving an ACI Young Member award at the national convention in the spring….because it would validate my existence in this industry if I got something like that.

THE Other thing (yes, there is more) that miffs me off is that I haven’t been able to work on any of my projects because there are other projects ahead of me that apparently are more important. People, I DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT! If I don’t complete the mix portion of these projects by the middle of next month, I am not going to be able to complete my mission here, and then this whole assignment will be for naught. What do I have to do??? Get pissed off and yell and scream at people to get them to think my projects are important? Guess what peeps – YOU were the ones who assigned them to me…..YOU were the ones who told me they were incredibly important and URGENT……so why in Gods green earth will you NOT give me the resources to COMPLETE THEM!!!?????!?!?!?

*sigh* I don’t think I really feel any better by getting this out – but hey, I can’t hold it all in, right? Or else I might explode. And that would just be too messy.

Stuff that bothers me....

Ugh. the flies are starting to drive me crazy! They are everywhere! I hate especially when they are buzzing around my ear at night, or when I'm at the computer and they land on my hands. In the past, they haven't bothered me much. But when its an infestation, I get kind of grossed out. I keep on thinking "every time a fly lands it poops". I don't know where I heard that, but I really feel gross and dirty. AND, I don't really have many means of irradicating them either, aside from the trusty fly swatter. I really wanted those sticky roll things to hang up, but I couldn't find them. I've also tried a bottle with sugar water in the bottom - that attracted and killed about 5, but I need something more effective. I bought this plug in thing that is supposed to keep flies out, but it really only works for the smaller rooms and only for 6 hours at a time (then you have to change the dinky little pad thingy).

I spent half the night saturday night killing them. Like, standing beside the wall and stalking them until they landed, then killing them in cold blood. If they even have blood. I think I took down like, 26 in total. And I didn't feel like picking them all up so now there is a billion little fly carcasses laying around. The root problem is that we do not have screens on any of the windows. Its not so bad to keep the patio downstairs closed, because its nice and cool, but upstairs gets lots of sunlight so we have to keep some open. i went to Home Depot to look at getting some screen material of some sort - hell, I'll duck tape it if I have too - but like a big idiot i forgot the measurements.....DOH!

Other things that bother me - when people try to make it through the almost red light, and end up stuck in the middle of the intersection blocking your GREEN LIGHT!!!! COME ON people - I understand if there is plenty of room past the intersection - go ahead, speed up and make the light - but if its practically red, and there are already people IN the intersection - THAT DOESN'T MEAN ITS OK FOR YOU TO PARK YOUR ASS THERE TOO!!!!!!!!!!! Then, people behind me start honking thier horns incessantly, like its going to help the other dickweeds in the intersection move. It happens on an almost daily basis, and it makes me want to shoot myself. UGH!

Guess thats all the bitchin for me, for right now anyway. Today was weigh in day - down 1.5 pounds....I need to break this stupid 160 barrier - I've been loosing and gaining the same 5 pounds for the past two months it feels like. But, overall, I've lost 13.5 pounds in 12 weeks, so i guess thats exactly how your supposed to do it, right?

More Scrappin

I don't think I have ever completed so many layouts in one weekend. I decided I'm becoming a little too obsessed, so I actually took the morning off and went shopping and layed out in the sunshine for a while. It was nice!

Here are the layouts I did create - first, a traditional layout, using real scissors, paper, glue and stuff!)

Brothers & Sisters
Credits: Basic Grey papers, Making Memories stamps and paint


And now for the digi-layouts:
Red Wings
Credits: paper- arti-bytes NSD (altered), inked edge - gina cabrera, frame - carrie stephens express yourself, Foam Stamp Action - Atomic Cupcake, font - Eras Bold ITC and my handwriting, created by September Myles, Various blending modes on the photos


Mexican BBQ
Credits: alpha - carrie stevens suprise inside, font - eras bold ITC, everything else - carrie stephens express yourself

Beer
Credits: Papers - Jen Wilson Rain Shower, Staples & Frame - Lori Barnhurst Grungy Games, Create - Gina Cabrera Bookbag Essentials, swirl - Rhonna Farrer 2Peas Brush Set, Alpha - Jen Wilson Soho Sass 

More Scrapalicious-ness :o)

Here's some recent layouts I completed....I think I am becoming slightly obsessed, but it occupies my time!

COSMOVITRAL
Credits: Ribbon - Jen Wilson Country Carnivale, Gel Action - Atomic Cupcake, Papers - Kim Christensen Summery Nights, Fonts - Vivaldi and Occidente



ENERGY
Credits: Paper - Helen O'Daniels wildflowers (altered), font - stone serifmonogram - stone serif covered with wildflower stripe paper



TIA KARIN
Credits: Brand spankin' new collaberative kit at A Cherry On Top - Celebrate Life 

  

México no ganó

Dammit all anyway. They lost 2-1 to Portugal. We didn't have to work this morning, since they had the auditorium set up again to watch the game. Then we ate barbacoa at half time. It was pretty cool to be around all these people crazy passionate for Mexico, but it was sad to see thier disappointment when they lost.

So, I'm not sure what this means for México.....I guess we'll have to wait and see who moves on to the next round. I think, we need Iran to beat Angola. Dunno. I'll keep you posted.

Throwing myself into scrapping.....

Since Pat O'Brien is now gone, and Keith is working a ton, I have lots of free time to throw myself into scrapping. I spent a lot of time over the past few days re-organizing my digital elements...Like a big giant dork I moved some folders around and of course lost all of my tags and groups in Picassa. DOH! So, now thats done I should be able to do many much more pages. Here's a couple done Monday and Tuesday.

JUNGLE CAT
Credits: Ribbon - Gina Miller, Rubon Alpha - Amy Teets

All other elements and papers - Jen Wilson

NEW YEARS EVE 2005
Credits: Country Carnivale Kit - Jen Wilson

Good Weekend

This weekend flew by! It seemed like just yesterday Pat O'Brien and Heidi arrived, and now they are gone. I think Keith and Heidi are on thier way to the airport right now, actually.

We had a good time - we watched some world cup action, drank some brewskis, ate lots of good food, went to a cool kick ass water park, and had some other fun experiences in between. On Saturday, after visiting Cosmovitral and picking up Keith from work, we....or rather I....decided I really wanted to try to go horseback riding. I've been dying to do it ever since we got here. In the area of La Marquesa, which is halfway between Toluca and DF, they have lots of outdoorsy picnic type stuff to do, and there is always a ton of horses just waiting to be ridden.

Well, it was a good idea - the clouds looked a little forboding in the east, but we decided to head that way anyway. If it rained we could always turn around. The weather held basically until two minutes into the ride. Little drops of rain weren't a big deal, and we were headed into the forest anyway so the foliage would give us some cover - right? Wrong. Not only did the temperature drop about 20 degrees and started torrential down pouring, but we also got pelted with hail not once, but TWICE! Now, this sucked, don't get me wrong, but it sucked the worst for Keith. All of us had on hats and jackets - but not Keith. Just a short sleeved rugby shirt and his own hair.

At one point after we turned around to head back and it started hailing again, the horses were SO not into it. We were pretty much walking right into it. So, the horses (Viento del Oro for Pat O'Brien, Indio for me) decided to turn the other way and chill a bit. I didn't blame them - it was horrid. We eventually got them to turn back around and follow the crowd...all the way to the car.

Oh yeah, and my horse stepped in something it didn't like (or was spooked by the thunder), and decided to buck about three times. Enough to almost throw me off and hit me in the head with its neck. I was kind of scared, but managed to hold on and calm it back down, so it turned out OK.

When we got to the car we peeled off our outer layers and threw them in the back, and headed home. I actually took off my jeans too, because in my opinion there is nothing in this world worse than cold, wet jeans. We didn't get many pics on the ride, but there is a couple of us soaked in the car....

*sigh*

Pat's gone, I'm sad, but not dying. Which is a good thing.

I've got to run to my class now, just wanted to say:

Bummer Dude

Just found out that tomorrow at 2pm we're having a huge party at work for the Mexico game. Complete with beverages and food. Lots of Mexicans. And a big TV. I won't be around because I'm taking a 1/2 day off......so I guess we'll have to find a group of Crazy Mexicans in a bar somewhere else to party with.

ACK

Remember that Disney Commercial where the kid and his sister are laying down in thier bedroom - and he says in the cutest voice ever "I'M TOO EXCITED TO SLEEP!!!"? Thats how I felt last night. Now, I just feel restless....

Pat O'Brien is actually being pretty adventurous and taking the bus from the airport to Toluca. Since Keith is actually working now, he couldn't pick him up from the airport or the bus terminal. So I'll be leaving work a bit early to get him :) Ick. My belly just gets so sick with anticipation!!!!!!

Keith's friend Heidi got here last night.....she's a pretty cool chick - and cute too :) She even looked good in Gauchos. And I hate gauchos. I hate gauchos even when the gauchos at the Brazzilian steak houses wear them.......so anyway, it was a big feat.

SCRAPBOOK
Decided to do a challenge from A Cherry On Top since they had a really fun chat last night and it got me all motivated. The challenge was to create a layout with "white" or "dead" space, since it is a growing trend. Some people do it really well - I just feel like it looks naked. But hey, naked isn't always a bad thing, is it?



Credits: Paper - Jen Wilson - Signature 01,Potting Shed; Word Art - Jen Wilson - Potting Shed; Taped Layer, Flower, beads - Jen Wilson - Country Carnivale; Line of staples - Jen Wilson - soho sass; Fonts - Karin by September Myles; Paper Tear - Steph Krush

HOUSE SUCCESS
Yes ladies and germs, Pat O'Brien and I are officially homeowners :) The closing went smoothly yesterday morning, and there is even some cash left over so we don't have to eat ramen noodles for the next few months. We just have to get one more key, and we're in like flynn! It feels pretty good to have this taken care of - now I have a home to come home to!!!! And, I know Pat O'Brien feels lots better because he had to do all the hard stuff. Now, its just time to relax!

Isla Couture

Isla Couture was the name that I submitted in one of my favorite designers "Name My Kit" contest. It wasn't picked as the winner, but I did get the runner up prize....which is actually the kit - free! WhoooOOOOoo HooOOOOoooo! Plus, its just kind of cool to see my name up on someone else's blog :o)

You can see it here at Jen Wilson Designs

Productivity and weekend plans

well, i had a very productive day today at work. I finished updating my development plan and adding all the attached files to it. I also managed to clear off ALL the stray papers on my desk. Granted, they were in nice little piles, all over my desk, but they were papers without a home nonetheless. I organized them, 3 hole punched them and stuck them into appropriate binders. I filled two 3 inch binders and one 2 inch binder. My desk looks so naked and clean now! i wonder how long it will last......hopefully for a while, i don't want to take another 3 hours 6 months from now and do it again.

So, after getting a project like that done I am filled with a new sense of efficiency - i feel so productive and motivated to do lots of different things now. i hope this feeling lasts until tomorrow, because I am about to head home.

Keith's friend Heidi is flying in tomorrow, so I'm kind of excited for that. It will be cool having one of Keith's friends around instead of making him entertain my friends. Then, Pat O'Brien comes in TWO MORE SLEEPS!!!!! I can't wait! I get off work early on Thursday, so I will get home just about the same time his bus comes in. Oh yeah, he's taking the bus in from the airport to Toluca. I hope all goes smoothly - I'm not very good about giving directions. I think I might have Keith make a map when he goes to pick up Heidi so I can scan it and send it to Pat. I'll feel better about it that way. Really, El Caminante (the bus line) is a really great way to go. It takes about 15 - 30 longer, but they show a movie and give you snacks and have really comfy chairs. And you can sleep :) And its only $100 pesos - which is only $50 pesos more than the toll to get to the airport. Then on Friday I get a half day, which means we'll probably go to a bar or something for lunch and to watch La Selección play. Should be a good time!

Lets see, what fun do we have schedueled for this weekend...I'm pretty sure we're going to a water park on Saturday - it is a traditional water park with all the fun stuffs, but it also is the site of hot springs, so they have a few natural thermal pools and such that are supposed to have magical secret healing powers. The best part is that its relatively cheap - we get a whole day of non-stop fun for $15 each. That sure beats Soak City's $40 admission! Sunday - which by the way is Keith's 26th birthday - I think we're going to go to La Marquesa, which is a national park between here and DF. They have horseback riding, go cart racing, food, nature and all that jazz. Thats all I have planned. Oh, and there are a few new restaurants I want to try out, but thats not that big of a deal and doesn't require us to leave Toluca. You know, I have a tendancy to over plan things and try to squeeze too much into a short time, so I'm trying to take it easy. Its a new feeling for me, but I have a feeling it will work out well.

OOOOOhhhHHHhhHHH! Tomorrow is supposed to be the big day where we close on our new home! In actuality though, I'm not 100% sure its going to happen. There were a few things from the inspection that the sellers didn't want to take care of, and then there was some confusion with some stuff, and as of last night Pat hadn't heard for certain what the deal was. Its stressful being in limbo. Its even more stressful having Pat take care of all the stuff, and watching him be a stressball. He's at the walk through right now though, so I assume that means everything is a go.

OK, time to go get a hair cut. Maybe I'll get my eyebrows done too. I don't know though - I'm afraid they'll give me cholo painted on eyebrows. That is a scary thought.

Rugby players....

Rugby players make great friends, and even better drinking buddies.

But Rugby players as parents? God save thier children :o)



Seriosuly, I don't know wether to laugh my ass off or be appalled. Don't worry though - really, its OK. it was just water! And as someone who never learned how to bong, I can say that its probably better for her to learn now - it will save her much embarrasment and beer soaked shirts 14 years from now....

Viva Mexico!

I just finished watching my first ever complete soccer game - Mexico vs. Iran. Mexico won 3 - 1. It was kind of hard to get into, but it was fun to hear my whole neighborhood erupt when they scored a goal.

I watched the game from home because I am nursing myself back to form. Keith went over Fernando's house, but my poor poor headache wouldn't allow me to leave my home. I feel better now, I ate a bit and such, but I am still kind of icky.

My shoulders are sunburned from watching the Wallabies lose 15 - 13 on the last play of the semi-final yesterday. It was a good game, but sad to see them lose. Keith didn't get to play, but he did look super cool rockin' his faux-hawk. He just woke up that way, and thought it looked cool, so he put some product in it and it stayed that way all day. I also got to dog sit on the sidelines a cute little chihuahua named Fia. She was just so tiny and adorable!


After the game, we went to one of the players home - Bruno from Spain and his fiance Karin (she's my Tokaya...thats what they call people who share your name). Their house was beautiful - muy mexicana! And we had about 30 kilos of meat to grill and eat. It was totally yummy. The rest of the evening was spent drinking vodka and tonics and general carrying on. It was a good time. it was my first iPod party - the music was completely provided by an ipod stereo. I don't know why I thought it was so cool, probably because we interchanged iPods and I got to play some from my own collection. It was just fun.

OK, I'm heading to hang my laundry now. Even though I'm not feelig well,it doesn't excuse me from doing house work.

Coke Commercial

You know how I said I had a favorite Mundial commercial? Well, I finally found it! It totally rocks and makes me all excited to be a part of it....because, you know, I drink Coke. So I am totally playing with the Mexico Seleccion!



I can't get the other one (really, my favorite one) to embed here, so here's the link instead. Super Cool Other Coke Commercial But, the first one is my favorite too. Its OK that I just got the first one to embed because they're both favorites. In the first one I especially dig the dude in the Sombrero rolling the Giant Aztec Calender. That is too cool.

New Look

I guess for summer time I deserve a new look. I have 15 pounds off, and continuing to go lower :) I got my hair chopped a few weeks ago, and I'm about to go shorter, because its not quite short enough :) So, I figured the blog deserves a new look too. Not too bad for my first try - it will settle my urge for change for a little while, anyway!

If the font in the title picture looks familiar, its because its my handwriting! Its from from the font September Myles made for me a week or so ago. I think I said before, it really does look like my handwriting, just much much neater!

What a day

I thought this day was going to go well, since I had a massage scheduled for first thing in the morning before my Doctor's appt. My massage went well, I found the Doctors office OK, but thats about as good as the day went.

The doc is a ENT, i finally made an appointment for him to review the CT scans i had a while back. I'm not sure what I was hoping for - I guess maybe a magic fix to the years of pain and suffering at the hands of my allergies. But, i got the standard "swelling due to allergic rhinitis, siniusitis and deviated septum". He perscribed me another plethora of meds, including another shot in the ass for the swelling and sent me on my way.

He did mention that he thought it would be worth my while to have the deviated septum corrected. He said if it is corrected, it reduces my predisposition to getting sinius infections and will help me breathe better. I really thought he was going to tell me something else about roto-rooting my plugged up and clogged nose, but since all that is due to inflamation, they can't do anything about that.

I have had multiple doctors mention the deviated septum thing in the past, but the two times I've gone to another doctor to find out more about it (granted, its never been an ear nose and throad guy), I've been told not to worry about it - that its not significantly deviated enough to cause serious issue.

So the question becomes do I have surgery here with the hopes that MAYBE I will be able to breathe better? do I get another second opinion? do I just wait until I get back to the US and do it there? I mean, I've gone this far in my life without breathing right, whats a few more months? or do I just leave it and continue treating it with loads and hoards of ineffective medicines in the hopes that maybe someday my allergies will simply go away?

Oh, did I mention that i was so super relaxed until he checked out my ears and decided to pull a wax chunk out of each the size of golf balls? Yeah, gross, I know, and I understand he was helping me, but I had just spent $50 on a 90 minute massage, and now I'm all tense and cringing in pain because he decides to poke at my brain. I swear, the first chunk had grey matter attached.

Then, I am trying to fill out the paperwork to get reimbursed for my doctors appointments and meds and such, and they are so hard to understand. I just have this feeling that I am going to fill them out, turn them in, and they will send them back to me saying that I'm retarded and can't fill things out right, and that they are going to keep my money just based on principal.

Ugh. I just want to feel better. I just want to be able to live without a box of tissue attached to my hip. I just want to be able to smell. Why can't someone just fix me??!?!?

El Mundial

Everyone knows that America, as a country, doesn't have the torrid love affair with futból the rest of the world does. Yes, its growing in popularity and there are plenty of soccer moms,and many people like to play. But, there isn't the crazy fanatisism and passion that captivates the rest of the world (that is, unless things have changed in the past 7 months).

The reason I decided to talk about this is because we got a corporate announcment today that said all employees were entitled to either A) have a TV installed at work with the games playing or B) stay home and watch the game, of course with thier bosses approval. I'm not sure how many bosses would approve it, but the fact that they sent out a corporate announcement stating the possibility is beyond me.

Keith and I are going to our first Mundial watching party on Sunday, when Mexico faces off agains Iran. Our friend Fernando and family invited us. They are going to miss church this week so they can watch it. I think there will be a lot of empty pews at the 11:00 AM masses this weekend. I think when Pat O'Brien and Heidi are here next weekend there will be a Mexico game, so hopefully we can go to a bar so they can experience the insanity too.

Even knowing Mexico's passion for soccer, I really am astonished at the amount of hulabaloo and marketing that is surrounding the World Cup, or El Mundial as its known here. Geez, the marketing. They have been advertising since we signed up for our satelitte "Sign up with us and you'll get coverage of ALL the Mundial games - included!!". That was 7 months ago. Its like marketing for the Super Bowl, on steroids.

Gradually it has become more and more pronounced.....Coke has billboards touting that if you buy these cans, you are supporting La Selección (the Mexican Selection, or the Mexico Team) - and all of Mexico. Commercials galore - its nuts! My favorite is the commercials that say "When La Selección plays, all of Mexico plays with them". Soccer shaped Bimbo Cakes, baby bottles and cups. Pizza Hut has a special Mundial Soccer ball, bag and water bottle signed by the Pepsi endorsed players. At the fair we got Bud Light cups, which is the official beer of the World Cup. Wal Mart has practically changed thier colors from blue and grey to red white and green - there is so much parafanalia decorating the inside and not to mention, for sale. Every single thing that is for sale, has some kind of Mundial reference, more often than not a reference to the Mexican Selección. It took me two years to find my bread this week because they changed the damn packaging, in order to support Mexcio.

A couple of weeks ago, when i went to my first Mexico ACI meeting, a few of the chemical and cement companies were giving out Mundial Horarios - or schedules - conveniently sized for your pocket with times and dates of each game, also emblazoned with the company logo. One company that made Machines to test compressive strength of concrete cylinders had a picture of one of thier machines, with a soccer ball positioned where the cylinder should be. The raffle for the evening featured a plethora of prizes, but the grand prize was an official World Cup ball, straight from Germany. People were going nuts over it! i was pretty excited to win a $40 bottle of wine for my $1 ticket.....I could have cared less about the soccer ball. I probably could have sold it on eBay for a profit though.

I have to admit I'm a product of marketing and I have given into the hype. i bought T-Shirts, Polo shirts and cups. I even gave in and bought Mexico Jersey bottle/can coozies at OXXO (7-11 for Mexico). Its hard not to, you know? The buzz generated could get annoying, but at the same time its kind of exciting. Its nice to be able to experience this from a different perspective.....I definitely wouldn't have the heigtend level of interest if I was still in the states. But I draw the line at red, white and green potato chips. Thats just gross.

Here's a little treat for you. This video combines Mexico's two favorite things - futbol and scantily clad women.

The Moon ate it

I found out a funny thing yesterday at my spanish class. Often, when people and animals are born with something missing they say that the moon ate it. The subject came up because my teacher said he had a cat with three legs, and I asked what happened........and he said the moon ate it. I must have looked at him funny, because he sensed my confusion and explained it. Just thought it was interesting......

If you are looking for a beautiful song, check out Abrazame - by Camila (yes, strikingly similar to my mother's name). Its so amazing. Every time I hear it I want to cry, even though I don't know what its saying half the time.

Finished a couple more layouts. Not prize winners, but very close to my heart anyway. They are both regular hand made scrapbook pages and were made for My Heritage Album.

Grandparents



Childhood Friend

Good news and bad news

so, which do you want first? Bad news - OK. I found out yesterday that a friend from the Dundee Plant died unexpectedly. Its not like we were best friends, but we talked quite a bit while I was working in Ann Arbor, and I always appreciated his kindness and willingness to help me when I was in a jam. He had a plethora of health issues for many years, but I still was shocked to hear he died.

The news of his death really has shook me - for a couple reasons.

1. I thought I had more time to drop him an email or give him a call to say hi. I actually thought last week about giving him a call, but of course life gets in the way and you push it aside......and then, its too late. Thats always the way, isn't it? It takes a death to make you realize who you need to tell you care about.....

2. I can't go to the funeral. If there is a funeral - I'm not even sure. I think the issue is that basically I feel alienated, just so so so far away. God forbid anything happened to my family - I can't just jump in a car and drive home. It just bothers me.

OK, good news. I didn't win the ultimate scrapbook challenge, but I did win "The women of our lives" challenge at ACOT. Take a look see here....ACOT Challenge Winners. I won a $25 gift certificate with which I bought all sorts of cool stuff. I actually was pretty darn excited about it! But, in perspective in the big scheme of things, its not that big of a deal, is it?

Yes, I realize, I am a nutjob

BUT I AM SO EXCITED!

I don't know what it is - I should scrap just for myself but I love to be validated by others.

Which is why I am so excited. In the June 1st A Cherry On Top email Newsletter, I checked out the link for the CT Spotlight, which features layouts that have caught thier eyeballs - or as they say, they feature Superior Layouts. Much to my suprise, one of mine was in there! Whooooo HOOOO! Check out the article here!

OK one more

So sorry for the heavy graphics as of late, I hope I am not causing issues for the dial up users :(

I just wanted to show one more layout I made a million years ago, but decided to scan in and showcase! Its my favorite one of me, my sister and mom - made with all Basic Grey materials!