still bored

I am the worlds biggest procrastinator, seriously...I had all day yesterday and all day today to finish homework, catch up on reading, etc. and what have I done? Nothing!! I guess that's not entirely true; I installed a wireless internet router all by myself! So I guess you could say I've been testing it to see if it works, and from the looks of it (I'm in my room, online and without a phone cord attached to my computer) it is.

I also woke up late this morning, or rather, I slept in. Last night a friend of mine had a party that I went to; it was off the hook! There had to have been over 100 people there at one point, drinking, smoking the hookah, playing beer pong, laughing, talking, singing...good times, good times! The cops showed up and lots of people left, mostly all the 21 year olds, including myself. I thought an MIP was bad when I was underage only to realize that a felony might be a little bit worse. Anyway, about a half hour later I got a call from Emily telling me that things were cool and I should head back to the party...so I did. The rest of the night was fun. I met some new people and really enjoyed myself. I like nights like that.

So here I am sitting in my room with the sun blazing down on Las Cruces and I'm trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my day. I have my Spanish book sitting next to me and I should probably attempt to do the work for that class. Ok, more blogging to come, I promise.

bored bored bored

Bored. Really there isn't much to say other than the fact that I am so bored I don't know what to do with myself. The cool thing about being bored when I was living in the dorms was that there was always someone else to be bored with you...always. But, here at home, with two of my roomates gone, I have nothing to do. My room is clean, so I can't do that. I have homework, but I'm saving that for tomorrow cause i know I'll be bored tomorrow, and I've already had my dose of sun and heat for the day...I went swimming for an hour earlier this afternoon.

In a couple hours I'm going to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith, so that'll be cool - and then I'm going to a party..woohoo. AO;DINFAS;OIEFFJA;IVMA;EIDFOIEW;HNGDFVN JGFNAW.CZSXIEHA;IDNCLKMSD.FJEWOIUHFSADF. yup. bored. nothing to freakin do.

Only in America

For the past week I've been going in the mornings religiously to Defined Fitness, the gym up on Juan Tabo. Last night I didn't have any money lto go out so I decided to stay home. By staying in I ended up getting bored of watching TV and figured I'd go for a swim at 10pm. I got a pretty good swim in, considering it was the first time I've been in the pool in over a year, and about an hour later I was ready to go home.

The second I stepped out of the gym I stopped dead in my tracks. I smelled something... something wonderful. I kept waking to my car and sniffing the air (I probably looked like a crazy person!) trying to figure out where the amazing scent was coming from. As I was about to open my door I realized what I was smelling.... Krispy Kreme .

Some genius a couple years back bought an empty lot on Juan Tabo and Candelaria and decided that it would be a great idea to build a doughnut shop RIGHT NEXT TO A GYM. Talk about bad luck! I mean, here are people who are going to the gym to get fit, healthy and in shape and they have to pass by one of the best doughnut places in the world.

Last night took every ounce of strength I had left in me (not much considering it was the second time that day I had worked out) not to stop and get a fresh baked doughnut (seriously - check those out!). I need to mention something else for this story to have it's full effect. After spending a little less than a year in another country, I can safely say that the doughnuts here are as good as they get. When I was over there, my friends once raved about their jam doughnuts, and it was at a point when I would have given my left arm for the taste of a hot Krispy Kreme doughnut, so I decided to give theirs a try. Talk about a let down. It was as though I had put a little bit of sugar on a roll and then called it a doughnut. Needless to say...my craving only grew stronger.

I didn't give into the temptation last night, nor did I this morning - but I can tell I'm going to hit a breaking point soon. It's just a cruel and mean thing to put something like that next to a gym...I'm strong, but I'm not that strong, dammit!

blakjdaisfa

Next week I finish looking for a job. I'm going to try Johnny Carinos, Red Robin, AOL and if none of those work out for me then I'm gonna go and ask for my job back at Dions. BUT, I'm going to see if I can work during the day instead of nights. I dno't want to go down to Cruces this early in the summer, so hopefully I'll get something this week...

In a few minutes I'm going to try to get my membership back at the gym. I think it should be cheap enough since it's towards the end of the month...I need to do something productive at least.

My parents anniiversary is tomorrow; 25 years. That's crazy! We're going out to dinner to Quarters, I'm actually kinda excited to go...mmm....steak...mmm...salad...mmm.... speaking of eating out - I wanna go get some ice cream cause it's hot outside.

Ok time to go.

I'm opinionated...deal with it!

Remember when you could go to McDonald's and get a breakfast MEAL for $1.99??? Well folks, I went there this morning (because I was actually up before the 10:30am cut off) and got myself a #3 meal. How much did it cost, you ask? $3.79!!! That's just crazy, and a crying shame. I guess I won't be eating at Micky D's for awhile...

Also on my mind - the other day I was at Walmart shopping for a certain gift for a certain holiday coming up and while I was shopping there I came to the conclusion that Walmart only hires those people who are completely incompetent to do more than one thing at once. Picture this: There are THREE women behind the counter and while my mom and I are standing there they all 'look' busy. One is SITTING on the floor PLAYING with the price sticker machine, one is LOOKING at what is in the case below her and the other is actually ringing up a customer (she's ok in my book). My mom finally has to ask to be helped and the woman looking at the case says she can't do anything because she doesn't have a key - Um, HELLO! Ask for a key!!!

Finally, after a heavy sigh and an eye-roll better than I could have done, she walked over and 'helped' us. When I say 'helped' I mean she put in as much effort as I would if I HAD to get up and do something during Alias... Moving on - so, my Mom and I decide on what we want to purchase and she puts the item in a bag. This would be fine and dandy if we were buying a shirt or something to that effect, but we weren't. I finally asked Ms. Helpful if she would mind finding a box and she replied, without even looking, that they didn't have any. I then said that the item purchased was for a gift and I would not be giving it to him in a walmart bag. Then, magically, a box appeared. BUT, this does not end there. This woman tried to STUFF the item in the box. She took it apart and tried to get it to fit in the box. She finally, somehow, got it in there, and we paid and left. When we got to the car we looked at the item in the box and took it out. Ms. Helpful didn't even try to put the item in the right way! It reminded me of when I was little and we would play with the circle, square and triangle blocks to get them into the correct shaped holes. Ms. Helpful had obviously never played that little game when she was younger.

That was my lovely experience with an incompetent person...why must there be so many of them out there?????

In other news - I still don't have a job. It's not that I haven't been looking though, because I have. I have applied at 10, yes TEN, different places and so far no luck. I have a stack of about 6 more applications to drop off tomorrow so hopefully something will come from them. I don't want to go back to Dions. It's not that I didn't enjoy working there...I did...when I was a Junior in high school. I'm a Senior in college now. I realize I'm running low on options, but I don't enjoy working at a place where the workers actually act like children. During this past winter when Laura and I were working there a girl actually SAT DOWN on the floor while making a salad and said "This is too hard and I'm tired". COME ON!!!! That's just RIDICULOUS. GEEZ.

If I don't find something by next week my only other option might be to move down to Las Cruces about a month earlier than I thought and find a job down there...and I really don't want to do that. I like living at home now and I like living in Albuquerque but if it means that I can start making money sooner, then I might go.

With that said...I'm gonna go see about getting me a job....

smart cars in the 505

What has America come to?? While I was driving home from running erands I looked to my right and what did I see??? A SMART CAR! It was red and black and I actually did a double take. I seriously didn't expect to see one of those over here for a long time!

Smart cars are these teeny-tiny cars that hold two people - barely. I personally think they're hidious and should be ran over by a nice big American truck...but what do I know? I'm just kidding...

It doesn't get better than this!

Yesterday I woke up bright and early at 4:30am and I didn't end up going back to sleep until 11:30pm - I was awake for 19 hours; now that's crazy! Yesterday was also one of the best days I can ever remember having!

When I woke up to the birds chirping my mom and dad were already awake so we talked for a little bit, then my dad went back to sleep and my mom and I watched some Alias while I unpacked.

Since it was Sunday, the four of us went to church. I really enjoyed being with my dad; really enjoyed it. After church we went to hurricanes for some very tasty New Mexican food!!

My dad needed some rest after church and the meal, so I went to go meet up with Jeff at his new house. His house rocks...I love it and it was wonderful to hang out with him! After I left his house I went to go visit my friends Curtis and Kent just up the road. From the moment I got to Jeff's house I had a smile on my face that could not be wiped away.

I drove up central to Curtis' and sat on his futon with a grin from ear to ear listening to him and Kent fill me in on the last few months! I realized the time and told them I had to leave to go hang out with the 'rents....but they both invited me back to hang out with them later at night, as did Jeff.

Again, while I was driving home I just had this overwhelming joy! I got home and my parents and I went shopping for some things...good times were had once again! After we got home I rested a bit before I went back over to the UNM side to hang out with my friends.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE driving in this city??? I left my house around 8pm - the PERFECT time to drive around Albuquerque in this city if you ask me. The sun was setting and if you've ever seen an Albuquerque sun set then you'll know what I'm talking about. I rolled down my windows, turned up my music and drove west...Staring straight at the sky that looked like it was on fire. The sunset was turning our sky an orange hue with pink outlining the clouds...then the clouds started turning purple. Too beautiful - yesterday I decided I will keep my camera with me in my car as often as possible.

A lot of us may complain about living in a desert and having to drive hundreds of miles to find an ocean but, the next time you're outside look up: there's our ocean! Then look down: there's our beach! We have it made...we seriously have got it made.

I'm pretty sure the drivers of Albuquerque who've seen me around yesterday must think there is something weird going on with me because I just keep smiling all the time! I met Jeff, Kelly and Brian at Johnson Field at UNM and I played frisbee with them. :) It makes me smile just thinking about it...It was perfect. After the sun went down, about an hour later, I told them I had to leave...and went over to Curtis'.

More good times were had there... Natalie, Arlana, Curtis, Kent, Hawk, Elise and Crystal were there. It was just so chill and comfortable! Everyone was just filling me in on things that had gone on and vice versa! I love the chill nights like that, we literally just talked for about 2 hours.

This doesn't even hit the tip of the iceberg - it was the best start to the summer I ever could have asked for - I know it's going to be great! My goal for this week is to get a job or two (my first choice is Starbucks - wish me luck)! It's much hotter here than I'm used to, and I hope my body will adapt quickly.

Ok, I have things to do and people to see today! It's good to be home. Till next time...keep smiling :)

jet lagged

ok. it's 4:30am and i'm awake....i hate jet lag.... more to come later...i need to unpack...

Tea and Scones

Dear England,
This time tomorrow I will be sitting in an airplane and getting ready to take off back to America. Where did all the time go? I mean, seriously! My bags are almost completely packed and I've said bye to almost everyone. At the moment I just finished a scone and I'm drinking some tea...for the last time here.

Cheers for letting me stay and live in your country and for introducing me to awesome people. Even though I'm excited to go home, and get giddy at the very thought of being with my friends and family, I will miss this place. Yes, of course I'll come back and visit...just as soon as I start making some more money.

More nervous little habits started forming last night which made it hard for me to sleep. I'm still trying to decide if I should pull an all nighter tonight...or try to get some sleep. It's always a strange thing when you're changing time zones. Tomrrow will be the longest day ever! Basically I'll be gaining 7 hours to the normal 24-hour day...crazy.

I still have lots of things to do today, so it's time for me to go. The next time I write I'll be on American soil...damn...that's a nice thought!
Love,
Jess

Good luck to me

I don't believe in horoscopes, but this morning when I was checking my email I came across this:

Aquarius
January 20 - February 17
This is one of those days when you will be walking down the street, and all of a sudden you will notice a twenty-dollar bill in the gutter. This doesn't mean that you should go walking around town with your head down today, dear Aquarius. In fact, just the opposite is true. Keep your head held high at all times. Good luck will come to you when you least expect it. This positive energy will come in many different forms, so be open to everything that comes your way.

....I'm taking my last (and hardest) exam in less than an hour...

no time

Today was a typical English day...it's been raining since the morning. In a way it's kinda welcoming because this is how I will remember England, it was like this when I got here, and it's the same now that I'm leaving.

I have my last exam tomorrow morning, and I actually feel somewhat prepared for it. Hopefully I'll remember everything plus more when I actually have to write the essays and answer the short topic questions. The exam I'm taking is for my favorite class this year - Global Perspectives. I've learned SO much from it, and now I can actually form my own opinons and have some facts to back them up. Hopefully this won't be the end of my education on politics; I want to know more.

After my exam it's back to my house to finish packing. I think I'm going to be ok luggage wise...I HOPE it'll be ok... if not then...oh well.

Ok, there's too much going on at the moment, i have to go...

Longest weekend EVER

In my head the idea of leaving London at 10pm, arriving in Paris at 6:30AM, spending the whole day seeing the sights, leaving that same night at from Paris and arriving in London at sounded like a FANTASTIC cheap and fast idea...boy, oh boy, was I wrong...

The plan sounded so good to me because I planned on sleeping at night on the bus. It would have been fine and dandy except we were woken up ever two hours. The first time was a passport check...then we had to get off the bus and load a ferry...two hours later we had to get back on the bus...then two hours later get off in Paris. Sure, you can have two hour naps in between all that - but that didn't happen.

We got off in Paris and must have looked dead. Paris was a blur...I'd seen everything before so I just wanted to show the major sights to Karly and Chris as fast as possible. It was hot and I was tired. The 12 hour day in Paris somehow went by (we had to stop and see a movie because we needed to stop and get off our feet) and at 10pm we found ourselves back on the same bus we got off of earlier that morning.

The drive back to the UK was a little better sleep wise because I was so exhausted. Once we got back to London though, an hour earlier than we were supposed to, we had to wait another 5 hours for the bus to take us down to Bournemouth. I slept on that ride too.

Basically I'm tired of two things right now - Paris and busses. Surprisingly enough, I'm not tired of Chris. In the past 2 weeks I can only think of two arguments we've had. One was yesterday in the metro...we were yelling about who knew which stop was for the Louvre (I, of course, was right..).

Whew. It's been quite a journey. After I finish this update I'm going to take a much needed shower and then study for my exam on Thursday. The packing will commence either later tonight or tomorrow....

Oh yeah, the morning Chris and I were leaving Venice there was a song playing on an Italian MTV station and it hit me - hard. These are the lyrics and if you have a chance, try to listen to the song. It may not mean anything to you, but it means so much to me.

It's interesting though, when he sings "you" in the song I think of about 10 different people, there isn't just one person that springs to mind. It's everyone back home, my friends, my mom and dad, to some people I haven't seen in years...

......Four days......

"Home" - Michael Buble

Another summer day
Is come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
I'm fine baby, how are you?
Well I would send them but I know that it's just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I'm lucky I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I've got to go home

Let me go home
I'm just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life
It's like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
But this was not your dream
But you always believe in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
And even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I'm surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
Oh, let go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I've had my run
Baby, I'm done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all right
I'll be home tonight
I'm coming back home

my feet hurt

London. Chris and I have been walking around this rather expensive city for the past two days and I have once again fallen in love with the place. There's just this great vibe I get from it. People are out walking around everywhere...it's a great atmosphere. Yesterday it was hotter than I was comfortable with, but I still managed to enjoy myself. I liked walking around Leiscter (spelled wrong) Square and the parks. I love how people just congregate outside of the pub until closing time. I love the way my knee is sore from walking around so much...with that said...I have to go and enjoy my last night in London. Tomorrow night Chris, Karly and I hop on a bus to Paris...I'll let you know how that goes.

....ONE WEEK FROM TODAY.....

a year ago today

May 27, 2004 was the day I had my knee surgery. It was the beginning of a very LONG and hard summer. Actually, last summer was not a good summer for me..everything seemed to go wrong. But, after 12 months of practically walking on egg shells, I'm feeling very confident in my knee. I no longer have to worry about randomly falling down or not being able to stand up because it hurts so much. All of those physical therapy sessions and nights of sleeping on the pull-out bed were actually worth something. I would write more about how happy I am that now, a year later my knee feels fantastic, but I need my sleep. Chris and I are going to London tomorrow afternoon for the weekend (and then Paris on Monday) and neither of us are packed at all... and i'm exhausted at the moment. I'll write more when I can.

on two hands

10 days. I leave in a week and a half. It's SO strange how I have such a mixed feeling about going home. Don't get me wrong, I want to go home so bad I can't sit still half the time...but then there's this other side of me who has LOVED the independence I've had out here. I've loved doing things on my own (like cooking and traveling). Actually I think I've really enjoyed the fact that I did something I set out to do and I had my adventure. It wasn't someone elses trip...it was mine. I don't want that to end! I don't want to go home and get stuck in a rut, I've had too much of a good time out here.

I also don't want to say bye to my new friends out here. I'm SO tired of saying bye to people!!! Tonight I'm going to a going away party where I will have to say bye to the people who've been closest to me this year. It will be a nice night - no boys (because frankly, all the guys I've met out here have been nothing but arrogant and trouble - 90% of them have been like this...) - but it will be with my girls!

I've been back in Enland for only a day and I already miss Italy. On the plane ride back here I was trying to think of different ways that would bring me back to Italy next summer. Basically they all include me working about 40 hours a week without a break this whole year... Italy is THAT enchanting though...I might do it.

Last night Chris made me, Katie and Bertha dinner! It was SO good!!! He made chicken Parmasean (yes, i spelled that wrong...oh well). Hee hee I can't wait to get home and cook in a nice kitchen!

The last time I wrote I said we were going to the Cinque Terre. We ended up going there for an entire day; we had a blast. That place is amazing, it's SO pretty out there! We just wondered around and walked along the coast. We even made it back to Florence JUST in time for our free dinner at the hostel - perfect day, perfect timing.

The next day we caught our train to Venice. Venice...how do I want to describe it? Well, Venice isn't as I thought it would be. Just like Paris, I was expecting it to be some cheesy romantic city. I thought, before I got there, that I wouldn't want to wander the streets with my brother... Well as it turns out, Venice was just a tourist trap. It was beautiful and I will go back, don't get me wrong...but I think there are better hidden treasures around the country.

I am VERY glad I went there. Chris and I had enough time to check out two islands north of Venice called Muranno and Burrano..now those little towns were amazing! They were almost too perfect. Every street looked like it was the set for some movie, or like we were walking along the streets in Epcot in Disneyland. I say this because the crowds were very limited there and the colors of these buildings were amazing! Bright blue, green, red, pink, yellow, etc. homes all together. It was brilliant!!!

I took over 300 pictures in Italy!! I actually would have taken more, but my memory card got full...so my picture taking was limited towards the end. It's awesome to look back on them now. I can't wait to get back to Italy...can't wait!!!

I have my second exam this afternoon, it's over marketing...and I hope I do ok. I'm not too worried about it. I probably should be, but I'm not. Tomorrow afternoon Chris and I are going up to London for the weekend and then Paris on Monday. I'm looking forward to it...you know what I'm also looking forward to??? Packing everything up (some how) and getting on that plane the morning of Juen 4th!!!

....adios....

change o' plans

....change of plans, going to Cinque Terra tomorrow - I'm SO excited!!!! Florence was AMAZING today. SO much to tell..but there are people waiting for the internet and I need sleep because we're leaving early... more tales to come :)
Jess

Rome part two

Good news...my cold is getting MUCH better. BUT, now whenever I cough my lower back hurts since I've been coughing so much. Oh well..at least I can somewhat breathe again!

Good news/bad news... my skin has FINALLY, after almost a year, seen some sun. BUT, I wasn't expecting for it to be sunny yesterday and I didn't prepare for it, so now I am sunburned. I'm hoping it'll turn into a tan soon, but it's pretty darn red right now, plus the fact that the rest of me is so pale and white doesn't help anything.

A bird pooped on me while I was standing outside of St. Peter's Basillica today. Apparently that means very good luck in Italy.

There was a metro/bus strike today and so Chris and I ended up taking a taxi back from the Vatican. Well, the traffic ended up being insane so we paid the driver and then started walking (we left our map in the hostel by the way) about 1 minute later I realized Chris was missing something. "Chris, where's your camera?" He didn't have to say anything, his look said it all...he started SPRINTING in the direction of the cab. I was shooting up prayers like nobody's business that somehow he'd find the taxi we were in.

About five minutes later I saw him walking towards me...with his camera in hand. Talk about a sigh of relief!

Lots of other things to talk about...but I'm too tired. We're leaving for Florence at 8:30 tomorrow morning so we're gonna have a chill night tonight...and hopefully find some good place for dinner tonight!!!

Ciao.

Rome update

Ciao,
I'm here in Rome, sitting in the lobby of our hostel waiting for Chris to finish writing an email. Just a few things....my small caugh turned into a full blown cold - NOT fun. I bought some Italian cough medicine and nose decongestant. Buying those two things was a trip though...you never realize how different cultures and languages are until you really need to get someone to understand you.

Today we got up at 8 (early enough to go searching for a pharmacia) and then joined up with a tour of the Eternal City at 10. We walked all around Rome for a good 5 hours, seeing everything. Chris continued to video tape everything so we should have some fun footage.

After the tour we went over St. Peter's Basillica to see about catching a tour tomorrow of something UNDER the basillica...but as it turns out, reservations had to be made at least a month in advance. We walked around a lot more, got some lunch, walked around, caught the metro and then walked back to the hostel....and here we are now.

Chris wants to go on a pub crawl tonight and since I'm not feeling my best (WHY'D I HAVE TO GET SICK NOW????) I'm gonna go up and take a nap before tonight. Sadly, I won't be drinking tonight. I don't want my immune system lower than it is right now...

....with that said...my little bed is calling my name....
till next time.ù
jess

Italy, baby!

Whoa. I leave tomorrow morning. EARLY tomorrow morning; the bus leaves at 7am, but luckily it's leaving from my university so all I have to do is walk to the bus stop - for one pound I can't complain! So why am I leaving so early? Where am I going??? Well, I"m going to Gatwick Airport in London to pick up my brother!!!! I'm SO excited to see Chris! Four hours after he gets in we're catching a plane to Rome!!

I'm very excited for him to see Italy. I hope he likes it, I'm sure he will...who doesn't like Italy? Lets see, after Italy (Rome, Florence and Venice) then we're coming back to Bournemouth so I can take an exam and then we're leaving for London for the weekend with a day trip to Paris. Ha ha, like the way I say this all so non-chalantly?! Yeah, me too! After Paris it's back to Bournemouth for yet another exam. I'm assuming those last three days here I will be frantic to pack everything away and say bye to everyone.

Everything is happening so fast....CRAZY. I'll try to write while I'm gone. Eh, who am I kidding, I won't have time! You'll just have to wait for all the tales of the trip! Till next time...
CIAO,
Jess

calming down

ok, I'm feeling better about what went on last night - I just had to write it down. If any of you know me, you know that I don't like political discussions - when have they EVER turned out good??? ...I just don't do well with them, mostly because I don't know enough about what's going on to form a solid opinion based on fact.

OH, the other thing that pissed me off about this guy was that he was trying to make me say that I hate the UK. Seriously, he kept pushing to know why I wanted to go home so bad and why his country hasn't been good enough. Seriously... I hadn't been that angered and annoyed by someone in such a long time. How come he couldn't have been this awesome guy instead?

So close...

When I first moved to the United Kingdom back in September I remember being terrified of speaking. I literally tried to not talk as much as I could, for fear that someone would start yelling and questioning me about everything America has done wrong in the world. I'm not exaggerating either. Since I came out just before the presidential election I got a mouthful from practically anyone who had more than 2 minutes to spare; that includes everyone from the taxi drivers to the workers at the store down the road. Anyway, to make this background history short, the election ended and people finally realized that there was more to me than the country where I came from.

...Move ahead to tonight, three weeks to the day when I leave England. I decided I didn't want to go out clubbing with some of my friends because basically the weather was really windy and gross and I didn't want to spend money. So, Katie invited me over later to watch a movie at her place. After the movie we heard people a few houses down having a party, we ended up going downstairs and some of the people, about 5 in total, came over.

One of them, Max (a cute guy, by the way), noticed my accent straight away. So there I was thinking my evening just took a turn for the bright side, when all of a sudden he starts asking me silly questions about my country, government and the stance we take in the world as America as a superpower. He said, "If it were up to you, would you have gone to Iraq? Not up to your government, but up to you - personally." So, I gave him my answer, "Yes." Just for the record, we had already been 'discussing' for about an hour on politics....and he had been drinking.

Of course I needed to follow up my answer with a reason, so I gave my reason. I told him that the people in Iraq, specifically the Shias who were oppressed by Saddam, were dyeing under him and living in fear. He retorted to that by saying that America shouldn't barge into countries unless the people of that country request help. My response was, if the people asked for help they would die, no question about it. So then he asked why didn't the United States didn't go into Iraq years ago; why did we let it get this far.

I was speechless for a good 5 seconds after that (this was a heated argument...sorry, 'discussion'...there was no time to actually breathe). When I could finally speak again I said something along the lines of, "So we're dammed if we do and we're damned if we don't. America didn't go into Rwanda to help with the genocide there and the world blamed us, so now when we go into Iraq to help the Shia people we get blamed for #1)being in there and helping now and #2) going in there too late. It's a catch 22 - we can't do anything right."

I wish I could say the conversation ended there, but it didn't. It of course went on to other segues such as Weapons of Mass Destruction and Oil. Towards the end of this lovely debate he brought up the Bush and Kerry race (it was inevitable), when I said I voted for Bush and gave my reasons for wanting him as my president instead of Kerry he said if he was an American he wouldn't have voted at all. My response? "Well you're not an American and if everyone were as apathetic as you and didn't vote for someone what would be the point of living in a democracy?" He dismissed my response and went back to the Iraq war. That's when I said I was finished with the conversation and started to walk out.

That's when he called me an 'Arrogant American.' Of course I acted like I didn't care and just let that comment role off my back, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt. It's just such a shame that people have to have this view of America, and even more so, it's a shame that I had to talk to this guy three weeks before I go home. So long to finding my 'prince charming'.

I'm going to let this go and go to sleep now; I know there's a saying about not letting the sun go down on anger, or something like that...so I needed to get this off my chest, and I can type much faster than I can write.

If you've read this far, please feel free to comment. It's late. I need sleep. 21 days.

Evil Six Letter Word

I wrote a few posts back about my dad going through several tests to find out what's wrong with him. Well, after waiting for months and months and going through test after test, we now finally have some answers. We found out on Cinco de Mayo (05/05/05) that he has cancer.

Cancer. My dad has cancer. I have to keep telling myself that over and over again because honestly, it doesn't seep possible. Maybe I'm in denial, I'm not sure but what I do know is that I HATE the word cancer. I hate it with every fiber in my body. Not only does it eat you up physically, but those evil six letters can make your mind go crazy with thoughts.

Non hodgkins Lymphoma(good website by the way) is the type of cancer he has, and according to the doctor (and my brother), it's "one of the best types of cancers a person can get." Chris is going to have to explain that one to me, because right now I'm not sold on that idea. From what my mom told me, lymphoma non hodgkins is very treatable and curable, which is why it's a 'good one to get.'

My dad starts chemotherapy next week. Chemo makes you nauseous, weak, and in most cases patients will lose their hair. I was reading online and sometimes hair loss begins 1-2 days after they start chemo which means there is a huge possibility when I get home my dad will look very different to me.

My friends out here are being more supportive than I ever could have imagined, and I know I have a huge support system waiting for me when I get home. Speaking of home, I don't think June 4th can come soon enough - It's time to go home. I have done EVERYTHING I wanted to do out here. I made friends in other countries and visited them, I traveled until I literally ran out of money, I studied at a high rated university and I made lasting friendships.

Since leaving home in September I've also come to appreciate things so much more. I know how important my family is to me and how much I take them for granted, but it's because of them that I've been able to do and see so much in my life. My friends (new and old) mean more to me than they ever have - if that's even possible. It's hard leaving home (even for college, let alone leaving the country), no knowing if your friendships can sustain the distance, but my friends have proved that nothing can keep us apart; my friends are without a doubt an extention of my family. There are about a dozen other things I appreciate more since moving to England, but I don't need to bore you with them.

I'm sure I'll be writing about this as I understand more of what's going on. I've been busy scribbling away in my own journal, but since it's hard for me to talk about this with people outloud I decided this would be a better way of communication for me.

Please keep my dad and my family in your prayers, this is a really difficult time right now for all of us and any extra support will be appreciated more than you know.

*** Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

*** For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

*** The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. - Psalms 34:18

edited

I woke up too early today. I didn't have to be at my TV class till' 10, and I got in at 9...silly, silly me. Oh well, it gave me some time to do some more surfing online...and I found a pretty funny site. Seriously - I've just been laughing out loud.

'Busted Tees' - there are some ridiculously funny shirts on there. There are two I will be buying when I get home. The first one is this one about New Mexico. I'm getting that simply for the fact that it's about New Mexico and I want to represent. The second one is about England...or is it Greece??? Either way I was laughing so hard people started looking at me, and then I had to show them. The good thing about that was, they found it funny too. SWEET - British people finding something I like funny, just one more reason why I want that shirt!!!

So I've kinda been bragging about the weather being so amazing over here lately. I should have knocked on a huge tree or something because today is crap weather right now. CRAP. I woke up to the wind and rain pounding my window. I still despise the wind because it makes my knee hurt...and when it hurts I don't want to go run (I've been running lately).

Ok. class is starting...

We're going places

I have some of the most amazing friends. There is absolutely NO doubt in my mind about that. We have accomplished SO much and sometimes when I sit back and think about it (like now) I just get this feeling that I am the luckiest girl in the world to be surrounded by these people and to have the privilege of calling them my friends.

Two of my best friends, Jeff and Mike, talked about working in Disneyland when we were in high school. They talked about doing that while Abel, Laura and I talked about living and studying in another country. Of course this was just all talk; this was us trying to escape the fact that we were stuck in high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico - a place where the majority of Americans didn't even know was part of the US. Basically...we wanted out!

Last summer Jeff and Mike left the desert in May to join Mickey & Co. in Orlando, Florida. They were accepted into Disney World's College Program. The previous year, Abel studied abroad in Norwich, England. When Abel got back, he and I took a little holiday to visit our friends at "The Happiest Place On Earth." Laura would have joined us, but she was studying at The Sunshine Coast in Australia. The timing to go out to Orlando was perfect; we missed the hurricanes and I got back in time to get ready for my big adventure of studying in England.

Long story short - we did it. We had dreams and we followed through with them. I am so proud of who my friends are and I'm even more excited about what's to come. Abel just got accepted into a program where he will spend the summer in Italy and teach English to little Italian children. I'm not going to put my hopes up, but if things go well for him (and if I work harder than I ever have this next year) it's something I would like to look into. The thing with traveling and following your dreams is this: once you start...you can't stop.

Chick Flicks

As most of you know - I am a hopeless romantic, and as a romantic I love chick flicks. I have to say though that I am in desperate need for a good new chick flick to come out. The ones I've seen recently just haven't done it for me.

I saw The Wedding Date last night with Lucy and Katie. This is a movie I've been looking forward to...it had all the necessary ingrediants for a good romance comedy; the good looking girl, the handsome man, the ex-fiance, and a crazy British cousin. But it was still lacking something, something I would like to call chemistry. I just didn't see any connection on screen and it made me sad.

There I was wanting to walk away from the movie with this notion of wanting to fall in love, and instead I got into the taxi thinking about the preview I saw for War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise.

Finding Neverland was pretty good, really good actually. I also really liked Hitch. Come to think of it, that might have been my favorite overall. It had the romance and the comedy and at the end I was happy with the outcome.

I'm just rambling, of course....trying to make the time go by before my seminar. Ok, back to movies. These are some I want to see when I get home:
The Wedding Crashers - Owen Wilson and Vince Vaugn!!!
Smile - watch the preview for it
Batman Begins - I'm usually not a fan of this type of movie, but Christian Bale is in it :) gotta love him.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - looks cheesy, but I will be watching it...

I was checking out previews yesterday on Itunes and those were some that stuck out to me. Ok. Time to go face the world.

GGRRR

Last night I was looking around my room trying to figure out what I would wear today and low and behold, all of my clothes were dirty. So I set my alarm early enough to give me time to go and do my washing. I got there in time to get a machine (there are only 3 washing machines for 300 people) and put my clothes in. Keeping an eye on the time, I went back an hour (YES, it takes AN HOUR to wash clothes here) later to put the clothes in the dryer.

To my surprise, when I opened the washer door, a flood of water poured out. Something was wrong. Something was VERY wrong. I went to the accommodation office to see what to do about it and the three women sitting there (chatting about Desperate Housewives last night - I kid you not) told me that I would have to call the laundry company and speak to them. I stared at them in disbelief for a minute then said that I don't have a phone. (ok, I do...But it was all the way back home) They told me, well, there are two pay phones in the Student Village, you can use one of them. I didn't say anything else (for fear that explicates might be the next thing out of my mouth) and I walked away.

I managed to wring out, BY HAND a lot of the dirty water from my clothes and put them into the dryer. I have things to do today...I can't just sit around and wait for the bloody washer guys to come and fix it. So, I get home and use my phone, and my money, to call the stupid company. First of all, the lady I talked to, spoke to me as though I were about five years old and from another country (....Yes, I know I'm from another country - but we are both speaking English. Now was NOT the time for her to be patronizing me.) After I FINALLY got her to understand that the machine was BROKEN I asked her about a rembersment because I'm going to have to spend at least five more pounds (yes. that's $10) on drying my clothes for the rest of the day. I'm not kidding...they were SOAKING wet.

I am very very very irritated about this...

You know you're from New Mexico when...

*I thought I posted this awhile ago, but it appears I didn't. My appologies again for not writing as often as I know I can. Enjoy this until I have something worthwhile to talk about!*


You Know You're From New Mexico When...

You buy salsa by the gallon.

You are still using the paper license tag that came with your car five years ago.

Your favorite restaurant has a chile list instead of a wine list.

You do all your shopping and banking at a drive-up window.

Your Christmas decorations include "a yard of sand and 200 paper bags".

You have license plates on your walls, but not on your car.

Most restaurants you go to begin with "El" or "Los".

You remember when Santa Fe was not like San Francisco.

You hated Texans until the Californians moved in.

The tires on your roof have more tread than the ones on your car.

You price-shop for tortillas.

You have an extra freezer just for green chile.

You think a red light is merely a suggestion.

You believe that using a turn signal is a sign of weakness.

You don't make eye contact with other drivers because you can't tell how well armed they are just by looking.

You think six tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful front lawn.

You have to sign a waiver to buy hot coffee at a drive-up window.

You ran for state legislature so you can speed legally.

You pass on the right because that's the fast-lane.

You have read a book while driving from Albuquerque to Las Vegas.

You know they don't skate at the Ice House and the Newsstand doesn't sell newspapers.

You think Sadies was better when it was in the bowling alley.

You have used aluminum foil and duct tape to repair your air conditioner.

You can't control your car on wet pavement.

There is a piece of a UFO displayed in your home.

You know that The Jesus Tortilla is not a band.

You wish you had invested in the orange barrel business.

You just got your fifth DWI and got elected to the state legislature in the same week.

Your swamp cooler got knocked off your roof by a dust devil.

You have been on TV more than three times telling about how your neighbor was shot or about your alien abduction.

You can actually hear the Taos hum.

All your out-of-state friends and relatives visit in October.

You know Vegas is a town in the northeastern part of the state.

You are afraid to drive through Mora and Espanola.

You iron your jeans to "dress up".

You don't see anything wrong with drive-up window liquor sales.

Your other vehicle is also a pick-up truck.

Two of your cousins are in Santa Fe, one in the legislature and the other in the state pen.

You know the punch line to at least one Espanola joke.

Your car is missing a fender or bumper.

You have driven to an Indian Casino at 3am because you were hungry.

You think the Lobos fight song is "Louie, Louie"

You know whether you want "red or green."

You're relieved when the pavement ends because the dirt road has fewer pot-holes.

You can correctly pronounce Tesuque, Cerrillos, and Pojoaque.

You have been told by at least one out-of-state vendor that they are going to charge you extra for "international" shipping.

You expect to pay more if your house is made of mud.

You can order your Big Mac with green chile.

You see nothing odd when, in the conversations of the people in line around you at the grocery store, every other word of each sentence alternates between Spanish and English.

You associate bridges with mud, not water.

You know you will run into at least 3 cousins whenever you shop at Wal-Mart, Sam's or Home Depot.

Tumbleweeds and various cacti in your yard are not weeds. They are your lawn.

If you travel anywhere, no matter if just to run to the gas station, you must bring along a bottle of water and some moisturizer.

Trailers are not referred to as trailers. They are houses. Double-wide trailers are "real" houses.

A package of white flour tortillas is the exact same thing as a loaf of bread. You don't need to write it on your shopping list; it's a given.

At any gathering, regardless of size, green chile stew, tortillas, and huge mounds of shredded cheese
are mandatory.

Prosperity can be readily determined by the number of horses you own.

A tarantula on your porch is ordinary. A scorpion in your tub is ordinary. A poisonous centipede on your ceiling? Ordinary. A black widow crawling across your bed is terribly, terribly common. A rattlesnake is an occasional hiking hazard. No need to freak out.

the countdown begins...

wow. I am the WORST blogger EVER. I'm really sorry! It seems as though I'm never home anymore, and when I am home I'm online looking at airline/hostel ticket prices...I lost the time to just come here and type until my mind goes blank.

My brother is coming out here on May 18th and I am WICKED EXCITED!!!! Now we're starting to plan what we're going to do when he gets out here. It looks as though Italy is what's on the table right now. I found a way to do it as cheap as possible...which is still not cheap because it's the stupid pound over here -but, nontheless, cheap.

I think we're going to leave the day he gets in and fly to Rome, stay there for a couple days, take the train to Florence then maybe a side trip to Pisa. Train it up to Verona (where Romeo and Juliet took place) or Milan (to see Leonardo's Las Supper - IF we can get a reservation, I heard a rumor that you have to book it at LEAST 3 months ahead of time) then we would go to Venice and leave from there.

We'd make it back to London two days before my second exam which would let Chris see Bournemouth and my friends! After my exam I want to take him up to London and show him the sights of one of my favorite cities, then a day trip to Paris. We'd come back to Bournemouth one more time for me to take my last test, finish packing, and say goodbye to everyone. Either the night of June 3rd or the morning of the 4th I will say bye to Bournemouth one last time as we board a bus to take us to the airport outside of London.

Whew. And THAT is what has been on my mind. Not too mention I have three exams coming up. One of them I'm not very worried about, and the other two will be fine..once I start studying for them (which I have plans to start that this week.). I am SO excited to see Chris!!! He's bringing his video camera out here -which makes me VERY happy, that means I can record my friends out here AND the places we go! Pictures are awesome, but on video is even better :) :)

Speaking of friends - I can't believe I'm leaving here in less than 8 weeks. My friends and I out here are getting kinda sad. I don't want to think about it. We've all been hanging out a lot more lately, and since the weather is getting nicer (with the exception of today) there is more to do.

Last night, for example, we went into town. A huge group of us went to a pub, got some drinks then went to the cinema and saw Guess Who - not the best movie, wait till the $1 theater - and then some of us went for a walk along the beach! SWEETNESS. Tonight i'm going to a cocktail party (doubt it will beat the one from two years ago down at NMSU).

And, with that said...I need to stop writing and searching for cheap flights and go get ready...I have to leave in 10 minutes!!!!

lonely

Today was a GREAT day. I really can't remember the last time I had such an amazing day. I woke up early, looked outside and saw the sun shinning so I went for a run. Not a long run, but a run that let me enjoy the fresh air in the morning. I had one lecture which made me realize how much I miss school back home...I miss actually learning something (call me crazy if you must).

After that Katie and I went into town and had a blast. I thought lunch would take about a half hour, but they forgot to bring us our dessert, and after an hour (yes, an hour) and two trips to tell someone about it, we finally got our hour old apple tart with custard. We left 'The Moon' with tears in our eyes because we were laughing so hard...and proceeded to go shopping.

I walked away with a fantastic cup of coffee, a new purple skirt, white top and beads, all for under 20pounds!!!! Came home and read a couple great emails from home and then went to Legs, Bums and Tums at the gym. I thought I was going to die, but I stuck through it and felt wonderful afterwards. Then I made dinner - stuffed peppers. I was really proud of myself fof that!! After dinner I went to CU and hung out with people there for awhile and then came back home...

But here I am, after one of the best days I've had since I've been out here, and I'm sad for some reason. There is no reason for this feeling - I have awesome friends out here and I'm happy!! But I just have this huge urge to start crying, for absolutely not paticular reason. I hate doing this, but I'm going to blame it on PMS - yes, I'm taking the easy girly way out. There are a thousand things on my mind and all of them include me wanting to be home at this very moment..

It's nights like tonight that reminds me of eating at Chope's with the girls in Las Cruces, or hanging out at a park with friends in Albuquerque, just talking the night away. I want to smoke hookah at the new place downtown and I want to be 21 in the states and go to the bars with my friends! I want to drive my car on the 'RIGHT' side of the road. I want to see my family, who I've been missing VERY much the past few months.

I know I'm being selfish, but you're allowed to do that when you're homesick. This will pass, most likely by the time I wake up and see the sun shinning again, but I needed to vent and maybe have some encouragement - for any of you who actually read this far. This post will be deleted when I no longer feel this way...

PICTURES

Ok. My pictures are back up and running! You don't need to sign up for the site - I'm only using it to store my pictures there. If you'd like any of them, please ask me...thanks! Enjoy

no more boredom

My weeks of doing nothing and being lazy are going to be over. This has been a pretty boring week for me with nothing to do..but I've hung in there. Every time I think I've reached the end of the internet, something proves me otherwise. But, I didn't spend all my time just online. I also managed to read a couple books.

I read John Grisham's "The Firm" and a book called Do You Remember Your First Time by Jenny Colgan. Two completely different books, but both grabbed and held my attention. I want to read more Grisham though - he not only grabbed my attention, but left me wanting more...

Tomorrow morning I'm leaving for Ireland. Northern Ireland, to be more specific. I'm staying with my friend Lucy out there for about 5 days. I don't know where we're going or what we're going to do - but I'm excited to go exploring some more. She mentioned going to her 'holiday home' and seeing castles - I'm not going to complain about that!!!

I was talking to my grandma and it turns out I'm more of a mut than I thought! Her side of the family has relatives from Londonderry - where I'm going. Small world. Ok, back to the 'mut' statement. I'm such a mix of different cultures it's crazy. Heh, I'm a true American right here - I am the melting pot for different nations.

Ok. I'm getting really tired and none of what I'm writing is making any sense to me anymore. I'll write about Ireland and Wales when I get back...oh yeah, i'm flying from Ireland to Cardiff sometime next week.
till next time...

Happy Accidents

Since we live in a society where we blame anyone for just about anything, I decided I would blame the United Kingdom for my new strange tastes. (And for those of you reading this from the UK..no worries, mate!!!!)

1. Mushrooms. I used to hate the things, and I mean HATE them...who wants to eat slimy, rubbery, fungus??? If they were anywhere near something I would be eating I'd pick them and throw them off anything they might have come in contact with. But that all changed when I tried the 'Traditional English Breakfast'. I accidently ate one and found it to be really tasty! Now I have mushrooms on everything from salads to pizza - WEIRD. Next on my list of things to try...'magic' mushrooms....
- yes, everything you see there is most likely worse for you than a breakfast from McDonalds. Also...those are baked beans with breakfast which brings me to my number 2...

2. Baked beans. "Beans, beans a natural fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot." We all sang that while growing up, and if you didn't...well then frankly, you're a loser. Anyway. I can't remember the last time I ate baked beans at home, but over here they have them ALL THE TIME. To be fair, maybe they would think refried pinto beans for breakfast is weird - mmm... breakfast burritos...mmm...Dos Hermanos

3. Vinegar. Two words - Easter Eggs. That was always the first thing that came to my mind when I thought of vinegar. It's gross and it should only be used for coloring Easter Eggs...well, that's what I though, at least untill I accidently picked up a bag of Salt and Vinegar crisps (chips) instead of regular salt. I've gotta admit, I must have had a classic face for the first bite, but after that I was hooked. Now I have vinegar with my chips (fries) and on salads (I could never imagine eating a salad with 'oil and vinegar' or any other dressing that had vinegar in it).

Ok, so maybe this isn't the most extensive or exciting list, but it's a start. Next time I'll try not to write this at two in the morning and I'll try to make it less rambling and more coherent. Funny how most of those things were by accident... Happy Accident???!!!!

The Sun

The sun is out today and with it came a nice breeze. I'm wearing a short sleeved shirt and no jacket. This is the weather I like. I went outside to read my book in the sun and something happened though... the sun was too bright for me to see the pages of my book. Maybe I'm exaggerating or taking the sunlight too far, but my eyes seriously never adjusted, and I was out there for a good half hour. My right eye even started to tear up - and I'm not exaggerating about that! I wish I had sunglasses out here for days when the sun decides to peak its head out from the clouds. Cross your fingers that it's nice like this tomorrow though because I'm walking into town and spending the day there and I don't feel like walking in the rain!

Also, for anyone who reads this, please keep my dad in your prayers - he's going through more tests as the doctors still aren't quite sure what's going on with him. We have a few more weeks of waiting. I'd write more, but I really don't understand all that's going on, so anything I say might be wrong.

Ok, I'm gonna go take another walk and see if my eyes will adjust this time!

Vanity Hair

When I was younger, a lot younger, I had very long hair. The picture I remember most of my long hair was back on my first day of kindergarten, I had two pigtales and they were crimped (for you boys reading this - that was a very cool thing to do in the 80's, it makes straight hair look wavy). That was the only time I can really remember having long hair, because some time after that I just started cutting it shorter and shorter.

Every time I cut my hair I said I would grow it out, but I just got impatient with it, and six months later it would be to my chin again. Then I did something stupid. I grew my hair out...for a boy. I knew he liked long hair so I tried my best to fight cutting it and let it grow. It worked for awhile, I got it past my shoulders my freshman year of college, but alas, I got tired of it and cut it.

About a week after I cut it I heard about Locks of Love. This organization makes hairpieces from human hair and gives them to children who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss called alopecia areata. I think that is one of the coolest things someone could do. So, after I heard about that I decided I'm going to let it grow. Not for a boy and not for me, but for someone else. I'm growing my hair for some little girl who doesn't have a chance to put her hair in pigtales, or to have her mom brush and braid it before she goes to school.

By the time I get home my hair should be long enough for me to donate, and I plan on doing just that. I'm really excited about doing this...and if any of you are reading this and have long hair (or would like to think about growing it out) I'd encourage you to do so!

Getting around the system

I'm sure I've already posted something like what I'm about to say...but deal with it :) As I'm sure most of you know, my favorite TV show is Alias and, if I do say so myself, I've done a pretty damn good job of not watching TV for almost 6 months. That hasn't stopped me from watching my show though. You see, I've been downloading (yes, it's illegal) Alias. Everything was fine and dandy until my lovely university put up a firewall against downloading... WELL...I think I might have found a way around that problem - it's called Wireless internet - and I love it.

This couldn't have come at a better time either, you see - I'm starting to get a bit of 'Cabin Fever' from doing nothing all day. The campus is pretty much deserted because it's the Easter Holiday, and I'm saving what money I have left, so I can't go into town. Because of this, I'm staying inside (oh yeah, don't tell me to go walk around outside..This is England...it's raining...it's always raining) and usually I watch movies - BUT I've overwatched every single flick I have. Which leads me to downloading. If anyone is reading this who feels like reporting me - DON'T!!!! thanks :)

Shoot - how bored am I? I just wrote two lengthy paragraphs on pirating tv shows from the states. Goodness. What else can I bored you with?? Well, in about 2 hours I'm going to register for classes for next semester and I'm actually really excited to do that! I'm crossing my fingers they'll all still be open. I plan on taking 17 credit hours and finding a job next year. I'll let you know what i'm taking after I'm sure I get in.

Yesterday afternoon/evening I spent my time catching up with my old friend from back in the day. It was awesome. Seriously, it was one of the best conversations I've had online in a long time. I couldn't really tell you what was so great about it - it was just surreal to be talking to him after all these years. I hope we get to talk a lot more while I'm out here...

A few nights ago I was talking to my brother online - ok, it was more like I was talking and he said one or two words in reply. Anyway, I realized how soon I'm going home. It's really soon; sometime in June...first week or second week, maybe. That's no time at all - TOMORROW IS APRIL - APRIL!!!!! That means I really only have two months left out here. TWO MONTHS - where in the world did the time go??? #

My friend Abel sent me an email the other day while I was in Italy. It was about a program to live in Italy for the summer and teach English to children out there. I can't tell you how much I want to do that. They pay for everything except for your plane ticket to and from Italy. If would do it in a heart beat except A) I have no money B) I need to be home with my family this summer - too much is going on at home and C) I didn't apply and the application is due this Friday...

Ah. Right on. In the time it took me to write this I was able to download an episode of Alias. That means I'll only be in here for another 2 hours or so. SCORE! Ok. I have to find something else to occupy my time now - sorry about the long post....does anyone even read this besides my mom????!!!!!

Typical England

You know what's funny? It seems as though whenever someone comes out to visit me (I'm basing this on my Mom and Grandma and Natalie coming out here) the weather suddenly decides to be PERFECT. Seriously. The weather is a 10 - sunny, warm and wonderful. But the minute they step on the plane the clouds roll in...And I'm not exaggerating.

I've been home since Sunday night and I haven't done a single thing. At all. I finally decided to shower this morning - because I needed a change of pace. I'm just being lazy...Sleeping whenever I feel like it...Watching movies, reading books...Doing nothing really. My plan for tomorrow is to actually get outside (despite the weather) and try going for a run.

I'll be sending an email or posting about the trip I just took; there's just so much to talk about and so many stories to tell that I don't even know where to start! Oh yeah, and pictures to follow also. It was awesome. I've decided if my career in journalism falls through I'm moving to Italy and I'm going to become a tour guide. No, I'm not joking. At all. I'm seriously thinking about it. I love Italia.

So what else am I doing with my spare time, you ask? Well I'm surfing the net. There's this community called myspace where you basically have a profile and meet other people around the world. I've met up with lots of friends from home and some people I've actually forgot about over the years. Last night though I found this guy who seemed interesting...so I added him. Turns out I know him from way back in the day. I haven't talked to him in a good five or six years - so we're just catching up on our lives. It's really cool. Even cooler is that he would randomly pop into my head and I'd wonder what he was up to...now I get to find out.

OH! Other awesome news...Papa Johns is now in the UK! Very exciting news because the pizza here is just crap, and now there's Papa Johns. I'll have to wait for some of my friends to get back so we can all order it and split the price...so until then...I'll wait and eat my frozen pizza!

Well I've pretty much bored myself of writing! I'm going to Ireland next week - I'm wicked excited about that since I've never been there. And, apparently my grandma's side of the family is from Londonderry - which is very close to where I'm going!
....till next time...

Packing 101

My bus is leaving in an hour and I think I'm all packed. THINK is the the key word there. Packing is a tricky task. You never know exactly what to take and usually you take too much. I hope I'm not taking too much - I tried to plan this one out. I'm going to be in different degrees of weather, so I'm preparing for that with layering.


This is my 'suitcase'. It's actually a camping 'rucksack' I just bought. I hope it will do me proud - I'll let you know. *just a note - it looks a lot bigger than it actually is* When I took that picture I also took this one -and kinda likedd it...so I'm putting it on here!

Yes. That is the SUN on half of my face. Go figure...the sun comes out the day I leave - how's that for some irony! Ok. Well I just need to take care of a few more things before I go... bye for now!

Mac vs. PCs

I'm not going to lie - I don't like Macs. I don't like the format and I don't see how they're 'easier to use.' I'm a fan of PCs - I love them. Well, up until today I loved them, now my vote is starting to go towards the direction of Apple Computers - The Mac.

In order for me to register for next semester had to find out what classes I've already taken at NMSU. That's presents a problem when you can't talk to your advisor face to face. My advisor told me about the STAR Degree Audit check - an online service that will tell you exactly what you still need to graduate. PERFECT!

Perfect, that is, if you can get to the site. I tried logging in from my laptop and about 5 other computers around campus - NONE of them would work...I just kept getting the stupid 'page cannot be found' page. It was frustrating me. Then I had an idea; there was one room of computers I had yet to try...the macs.

Well what do you know, it let the page come up and I was able to log in and check my progress. Turns out Macs are good for something, this little adventure has made me think more fondly of the computers I usually want to kick. Actually...my loathe for them reminds me of the scene in Office Space with the fax machine...that's how much of a fan I am of them. And there's more good news! I'm not as far behind in school as I thought I was! I'm still pretty sure I'll be at NMSU for more than another year..but it'll be worth it.

Oh. More computer problems before I go. I tried to download the newest episode of Alias this afternoon - if you know me at all you know that's my favourite show and I hate missing it - and it wouldn't download at all. The school has gone and put up this gigantic firewall. NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!!!

To leave this on a happier note - I'm leaving tomorrow for London. I think I'm pretty much packed...well I hope I am at least! I guess we'll find out. I tried to 'pack light' whatever that means...I'm a girl - come on! I'll try to post tomorrow before I leave, but if I don't - then I'll be back in a week and a few days!

Ciao
p.s. happy st. patrick's day!!!

Blah

I feel the need to apologize for not writing in here. There's been some personal stuff going on lately and so I've been writing more in my own journal instead of this one. I know what you're thinking, "well gee Jess, you always write about whatever comes into your head, personal or not." Yeah, that may be true, but sometimes you just want to vent alone without knowing the rest of the world has the chance to be listening in. Anyway, that's my excuse.

Actually, this blog will see another dry spell pretty soon because...I AM GOING ON VACATION IN 2 DAYS!!!! I'm really really excited. Natalie couldn't be coming at a better time. We finally finalized all of our plans for where we're staying and how we're getting places. The only thing we don't know is what we're doing once we get to each city...we're going to play that by ear! I went to the store with my friend on Monday and despite the fact that I'm skint (broke) I bought some scones, jam and cream for Natalie to try - they are HEAVEN!!!!! No worries, you will get a FULL report when I get back!

My friend Kayla is going to meet up with us in Rome, it will be nice to see her! She's studying up in Swansea (Wales) this semester. Oh! My suitcase broke. Well, the zipper part is detaching itself from the rest of the case...and I didn't want to chance it on this trip, so I *sigh* bought a camping backpack. I "sighed" because it was something I needed to buy...I just REALLY didn't want to pay for it...one of those things. I hope it will work out for me, I actually really like it. I decided if I don't have room to bring it home, I'll just sell it out here.

You know what's interesting? Ever since I got back here after winter break my email inbox has been empty in the mornings. I get a few emails here and there, but at the beginning I would have at least three different emails from different people, just talking to me and keeping me company. Now I'm lucky if I get one real email a week. It's actually kinda sad in a way to wake up to nothing. I know everyone is really busy this semester...but still! I want some love dammit!

One of my favorite things in the world is coffee, and the best roasted coffee you can find is the New Mexico Pinon Coffee; it's amazing. You can get it in over 60 flavors, but the originalis just as good. Check this out - "If green chile is dear to the hearts and stomachs of all New Mexicans, the Pinon is dear to their souls." Ah. That's just music to my ears!

I really want to work in a coffee shop when I get home. Whether it be Starbucks, Flying Star, Blue Dragon...or any other coffee shop - I want to work there. I just adore the aroma that coffee has and I love how every cup and every roast can have its own unique taste. It's brilliant.

Right now I'm listening to The Postal Service, Jeff sent it to me :) It couldn't have gotten here at a better time either...I was going to upload my new playlists to my iPod either today or tomorrow. If you don't have an iPod yet you need to get one...they are amazing. I take mine with me EVERYWHERE. I was on the bus a couple days ago and I saw a guy with a portable CD player. To be honest with you...it was the first one I've seen in a VERY long time, and it was kinda weird to see!

Well, I think I've made this long enough for now. I'll try to write in it again before I leave...

Breakfast for dinner

After spending a whole day walking around my town, going to different friend's houses, I was hungry. I got home and looked in my fridge. Eggs, bacon, ham, cheese, may and pickle relish. Seeing as how I'e eaten ham and cheese sandwiches everyday for the past week, I quickly ruled out the meat, cheese and mayo. That left me with eggs and bacon.

I also found a can of baked beans and green chile in my cabinate. I brought out a Frontier Tortilla from the freezer and started making my breakfast...I mean lunch.

The use of baked beans has become somewhat of a custom for me now to eat with eggs. At first I was completly opposed to it - anyone who would eat baked beans 1)for breakfast and 2) on eggs had to have something really wrong with them. But, I like to think that I can't knock something before i try it...so I tried it and surprisingly enjoyed it.

I decided to spice things up and put some green chile on the egg with the beans. I laughed out loud while I was eating it because I had made my 'dinner' something into a very cultural dish! I had a very New Mexican/English breakfast, what with my tortilla and all!

...and...well...that is my post for the day. There is a lot going on with me right now, but I'm keeping it safe in my journal until I feel the need to post it to the world. I was going to go out tonight, but decided to save my money instead...now I'll be staying home and watching a movie :)

America

I just had a really good night. It involved talking about America...the cultural side of America instead of the political point of view. Actually, it seems like within the past few weeks lots of people have been asking me about the culture of America. I REALLY like talking about this opposed to the "why did you guys vote for such a !%$@#^$^ for president?" questions I got at the beginning of the year.

When people ask me culturally what America is like I sometimes pause for awhile before I answer... even though I already know what I'm going to say. After awhile I finally say this: "America is diverse, it's one of the most diverse places you could ever visit. Every single state is different. No, every city is different. Wait, no, every single community has it's own personality." That's how I view my country at least; every place is different. There is no way to define it except saying it's diverse.

A country like Britain is very very concerned with keeping it's 'national identity' but I think that America's national identity is basically not having one. I love talking about New Mexico. "You can go skiing in Northern NM and then drive south and be 'stranded' - it's amazing." Even talking about other states makes me realize how amazing America's diversity really is. Think about it. EVERY SINGLE STATE is different. And each has something to offer, it may not be spectacular, but it's something.

No matter how much people don't like our government, or don't like the role we're playing in this world - there's still this excitement and awe about my country and I love it. In fact, I secretly get a kick out of hearing people talk about McDonaldization...because even though they may knock it - I know they still eat there. (bad example and actually pretty irrelevant...but i wanted to throw it in there).

Anyway, to sum this up. I love talking about America. I'm even getting better about sticking up for it politically. I'm gaining confidence to stand up for things that we have done and are doing. If someone says something totally off the wall, I call them on it and we have a discussion about it. Sometimes I'm wrong, but sometimes I'm right...and either way I'm learning so much about the USA and myself - it's just crazy - I like it.

Career Ramble

Journalism.

Journalism consists of several different fields. The two major ones are broadcast, radio and TV, and print, newspaper and magazine. Yes, there are more than that...but this is my post and those are the ones I'm focusing on at the moment.

I went into journalism because I enjoy writing, so I automatically narrowed my field down and decided I wanted to do print journalism, newspapers specifically, without giving any others a second glance. Well, then I had an internship in advertising. Not the direction I wanted to go in...but as it turns out, advertising is a MUCH, I repeat MUCH higher paying career, plus it's fun too!

So then I had print newspaper and advertising to decide between. I had already ruled out broadcast because...well...it just didn't appeal to me since I didn't see much writing involved, I mean, they talk on a radio all day...come on... so I never took a class on broadcast at NMSU. But then I came to Bournemouth and broadcasting was fit into my schedule.

I had radio the first term and I loved it. Radio was great fun I loved the spontinuity and real-time aspect of it. And there is actually a lot of writing involved, a lot that makes you think on your feet, I liked that!

This term I'm taking TV...and TV is an entirely different story.

I've been to several workshops on it and have even put a piece together, so I've given it a shot. I hate it. I don't like TV. I don't like having to get everyday people to become actors for you just so you can get a nice shot, or to make it fit the angle you're trying to do. Editing is a nightmare - cut aways are just a pain in the arse! TV, simply put, isn't my niche.

But, along with broadcasting in my work load, I also have magazine feature writing. Now there's something I really enjoy. I feel like it allows me to be more creative and original than newspaper, but still makes me follow a strict style.

So. Basically I am now juggling a few options in my hands: Magazine, newspaper and advertising and maybe even radio. I like this. I like the fact that I have seen and tested the options out there for me and have given them a shot. Now I can start focusing on what I enjoy doing and am best at. This year is almost over and even though I have a lot more options than when I first decided on majoring in journalism, I feel like I've come a really long way!

This might sound really really stupid, but I'm excited to go back to NMSU and take more classes in journalism..there is so much to do and so much to learn! WOW. Ok. That might have been the most dorky thing I've said in a REALLY long time.

If you have actually read this far down - I'm impressed. I didn't intend to write this much, it sorta just came out. I have to register for next semester pretty soon, but I think writing about this just helped me figure a lot out - so basically this probably did more for me than it did for you!

With that said....I am going to sleep.

Middle of Nowhere

As if my weekend couldn't get any better, I just finished watching Miss Congeniality, had about three spoonfulls of strawberry cheesecake ice cream and put on some tunes. I didn't put on just any music though...I put on Hanson.

Yes. The brothers from the late 90s. To make things even more emberrasing for me, I'm not listening to any of their latest albums, I'm listening to THE album - the one with 'Mmmbop'. It's great. I'm not gonna lie, I like singing along to it. And, to dig a hole even deeper and to make me even more of a loser...I still remember all the words. Stop laughing at me and making that face - I know you know them too.

Every club I've been to out here, with the exception of the drum and bass nights and the techno nights, have played 'Mmmbop' and EVERY time I get such a kick out of seeing a club full of 19-22-year old British boys and girls singing "mmmbop da ba do bop, in an mmmbop you're gone, in an mmmbop you're not there, mmmbop do ee dap ba do bop" at the top of their longs. It's great.

Ok, I'm going to finish listening to this cd and then watch yet another movie. Stay tuned...who knows what crazy stuff I might be doing the next time I write in here - I'm out of control. :) Now stop reading this and go put Hanson on...I know you want to.

Lazy Weekend

What did I do this weekend, you ask? Let me tell you - nothing! It was/is great. I went out Friday night for one of my friend's 21st birthday. We went to our student union club in town and I had a lot of fun. It was really nice to hang out with them. We danced the night away, good times. Then we got Subway before our ride back home - 24 hour Subways, I love it!!!

I woke up Saturday morning around 12 or so and was pretty much lazy all day. Katie and I went to the store and picked up some ice cream to go along with City of Angels. That was awesome...ice cream and a chick flick...again, I can't complain! I actually went to bed somewhat early last night and slept in again till noon :)

Today I just lounged around some more and I just finished watching Behind Enemy Lines. Good flick. Made me think about what's going on today...there was a lot of mention of the Serbs, Croats and Muslims...will it ever end? I don't think so. I'm probably going to watch another movie tonight...my bed is too comfy to actually do anything productive today - jealous? you should be!

Tomorrow I'm gonna go into town, I REALLY need a coffee fix. Other than that, I don't have anything else planned. It's two weeks and counting till Natalie gets here. And the trip is also coming together for when my mom and dad come. We're thinking we might make it up to Belgium :)

Ok...now for some random talk that might make me seem a bit odd. Sometimes when I watch movies I wonder what the extra's characters are. Do they have a story? What are they doing there. It's sorta like people watching...only I'm people watching in the movies. It's fun to do if you've seen the movie several times. I just pay attention to the extras, the people sitting in a restaurant, walking on the street, shopping in a store - what rae they talking about..what are they doing. Eh. Yeah...so that's my random thought of the day!

Dave Matthew's Band is going to be at the Journal Pavillion on August 31, I think I'm gonna try to see it this time around. I just recently got into him over the past two years, so if I can find a way to win some tickets...I'll go. I'm hoping Alb. gets some other good acts this summer. What am I talking about? Heh I won't have money to go to concerts...any money I get from a job (which I don't have) will go straight to paying off my credit card!

Time to find something 'productive' to do...and by 'productive' it either means I'm going to A)take a nap B)surf the internet or C)just take a nap.

Emer'gen-C

Is your refrigerator running??? ...well, now that you mention it - NO! It's actually our freezer that isn't working, so that means all of our frozen food is thawing out - NOT GOOD. But, we called in a maintenance order and they came and fixed our fridge today. Ok, they didn't technically fix it - they just gave us a brand new one! AND this one is bigger!!!! Ah, the joys of my life.

Now back to the title of my blog today. Emer'gen-C. I LOVE this stuff. Remember how sick I was feeling? I was taking my herbs, drinking tea, and taking it easy...but I just wasn't getting any better. Then I remembered about my Emer'gen-C, so I started taking it. No joke, the same day I started taking it I started feeling better. It's great stuff. No worries, it actually tastes good, you can get it in several different flavors too...I'm drinking a raspberry one at the moment.

Ah. look at the time, I have to get to work. I'll write more later. Today has been a very hectic day....

Snuggles

r.i.p snuggles 

My mom called me this afternoon and told me to go outside and look at the sky. For years now, that's been her and my way of saying "a pet has died." I was afraid to ask her which animal died. Was it her bird, or my extremely old gold fish, or... *deep breath* one of our dogs. "Go outside and see if you can see a cloud that looks like Snuggles," she said. I seriously think I felt my heart drop an inch or two.

It's amazing how a pet can feel so much like family. Snuggles was my dog. Chris has Oreo, my mom has her bird and my dad...well...he doesn't want to have any association with our animals! We've had Snuggles for years. I know my mom would know just how long...but I'm willing to guess it's been at least 10 years, probably more.

I feel a bit childish writing an entire post about a dog...but he was my dog, and I loved him very much. Snuggles loved everyone, even our other pets. He would go up to our birds (like the one in the picture) and just watch what they would do. He especially loved my hamsters back in the day when we had them. I wish I had more pictures, but I only have that one and one with a quarter of his head.. It's a shame he won't be there when I get home. He will be missed.

one down one to go

I finally finished my essay. It's ok. Actually, I kinda like it...but I have an uneasy feeling about it. I'm pretty sure I should have taken a more political view of globalization rather than the cultural outlook of it. As long as I pass I'll be fine, it's just waiting for the mark that's the hard part. Now I only have to finish my Feature's layout that I have to turn in on Friday and I'll feel much better about school.

Natalie and I are one step away from finishing our plans! We were going to play some of it by ear, but since we're traveling during Easter we need to actually book our hostels, train tickets, etc. We are for sure hitting up the Netherlands, France and Italy :) I'm really really looking forward to it. My parents and I are still trying to figure out where we're spending two free days that we have - maybe Liverpool or Paris or Belgium or Barcelona??? Not sure yet..but we'll figure it out soon enough.

I changed my bulletin board tonight. During one of the breaks from my essay I took down the post cards I had up and took the quote calender I had and tore out the quotes. Then I put them on the board and then put up some photos from home. :) it is nice.

I'm talking to Katie online and she told me she went out for dinner tonight and had apple pie with custard and I can't tell you how much I want that right now. I am so hungry and I've been craving that for weeks! I'm saving my money - and doing a very good job, I might add - but I told myself that I'm going into town on Thursday to get myself my Cafe Nero's coffee ONLY if I finish my layout by tomorrow. So, I have some motivation to do that.

Well, I can't think of much else to say right now except I'm really tired and ready to go to sleep. So I will let the music of Matt Ryczek put me to sleep.

Who let the dogs out?

I'm taking a break from my essay to write this post. The essay is kicking my butt. I think I have enough to back up what I'm saying...but I don't know what the lecturer is looking for with the paper. I'm doing it on globalization, but I'm taking a more cultural look at it and now that I'm about half way finished I have this strange feeling he's going to want a more political view on it (something I don't know enough to write about) and there's too much recent history going on at the moment for me to keep up and understand it all at the same time. So for now I'll just stick to what I have and cross my fingers when I turn it in.

But, in other news - I went to the Greyhound dog races yesterday night. I only took 10pounds with me, and to get in set me back a 5er. So anyway, the friends that I went with explained how you bet on the dogs; when you enter they give you a racecard with all the races, all the dogs, and which is the 'best bet'. Well...I didn't exactly want to play like that. So I bet on which names I liked the best. Here are some examples of the ones I bet on - "Cooblers Doodle," "Ninja Magic," "Jack don't Start," "Quivers Blaze," "Ice Flash," "Fintona Falcon," "Bankers John," "Never Ever Stop," "Isadora," "Fantasy Flight," "Quivers Floss," "Pennys Sonata," "Amandas Summer," "Firpits Matt," "Lively Feller," and "Firpits Paddy." - I just thought they were fun!

Well, all of the guys started making fun of me for betting on just the names, they tried to teach me the 'strategy' of the race. Turns out my 'strategy' was a little better than theirs, because I ended up winning money in the end. Not just a little money - I won 30pounds!!! How exciting is that? REALLY exciting! I can see how racing and betting can become addictive though... I think I'll pace myself before I go back there.

After the race I went back to my friend Lance's house (the guy who invited me) with his girlfriend and about 5 other people. We got there, and made a dash to get some food. When we got back we pulled out some cards and chips and started playing Texas Hold 'Em. I had a lot of fun!!! We played untill 3:30 am. I played darts and watched Family Guy and listented to conversations...in a small way it reminded me of home. Everybody was just hanging out, being themselves. It was the first time in awhile that I felt genuinly happy out here on a Saturday night.

Even though I have a cold (and staying out till 4am wasn't the brightest thing to do) I'm really glad I went out! Ok. Now I need to get back to my paper.

silence

I watched Grease tonight for the first time in a couple of years. Wow. What a difference the real version is from the version my mom recorded off the TV when I was younger - that movie is all about sex! You see, when you've watched the censored version your whole life you miss out on what actually happens in the movie. I don't know if I like the way Sandra Dee changed for Danny Zucko - we shouldn't have to change who we are... to be liked. To be fair, I suppose Danny changed too, becoming a 'jock' and all. That's enough of that. I'm not going to sit here and analyze Grease..I'm too tired for that. I will say one last thing though, I really enjoyed watching it again, the music is great and I caught myself wishing I could go back in time to a dance like they had... just good clean fun.

Tomorrow I have the training for my new job all day. It's PAID training, so I shouldn't complain. After that's over I'm meeting a few friends of mine from my course. We're going to see some grayhound dog race...apparently it's really big over here...I'll let you know.

Natalie and I got our flight and hostel (The Flying Pig) for Amsterdam, and I'm wicked excited. I found out that The Ann Frank Museum is there, and I REALLY want to see that. It's the actual house that she hid from the Nazi's in. Actually, seeing that is almost higher than tasting what else Amsterdam is known for. When I was younger and read Ann Frank I remember thinking that she was the bravest and most amazing person for being able to write down everything she was thinking and doing, during such a terrible time. In a way, I think she inspired me to want to write. Sometimes I think to myself that if I were to suddenly die, at least people would know what I was thinking. That might sound kinda of morbid, but it comforts me.

You know what else comforts me? The thought that in just about 4 months or so, I won't have to live in this tiny box anymore!!! It's been a fine room, but I'm not going to miss it, not one bit. I don't think I'm a really messy person, but this room seriously is so cluttered it's not even funny.

I'm going to make this my permanent journal. But not now. Because I'm too tired. And not tomorrow because i'll be too busy. But maybe Sunday. Maybe. But as for now. I'm going to sleep.

good night

You know how I know when I'm sick? I sleep, a lot. I woke up at a decent hour, went to the library and got some work done, and then I went back home, had some lunch and fell asleep for four hours. FOUR!!! I missed my workshop...oops.

Tonight was a good night (still not over though) I came home from the lectures I did go to and made me a salad, some pizza with ranch dressing (mmmmm!!!!!), poured myself a glass of wine and sat down to watch Alias. Gotta love it. I love wine.

My eyes have seriously been glued to http://kievster.blogspot.com - check it out if you have some free time on your hands. I really should be looking over what I'm going to say for my presentation tomorrow, but all I really want to do is go to sleep...

more snow

I can't remember if I talked about the snow here, or on the blurty...if memory serves me right, it was blurty. Anywho...it snowed again here today - and it's supposed to snow more tomorrow. I'm tired of this weather - I want the sun!!! To be completely honest with you, I'm really glad I'm going home during the summer. I love New Mexico in the summer time. Come to think of it...I love New Mexico, period.

I've been really bored lately...mostly from the fact that I'm just procrastinating with actually doing anything productive. I don't know why I don't do it..it just seems pointless to me for some reason. No worries, I'll get my butt into gear and start it soon. The sooner the better, I don't want to be freaking out because I waited too long.

Right. Back on track. To cure my boredom I find myself looking at random blogs. Seriously, before I know it, I'm going through random blogs (the top right hand corner). I found a really interesting one. There's this boy (don't know his age or anything about him) named Jonathan. The only thing I do know is that he has a family (friends included) that loves him so much. They've taken up camp in the hospital waiting room and the whole family posts on their blog, updating what's going on and how Jonathan is doing. I think it's amazing. The way people can pull together in times of need is amazing.

My grandma had surgery today. Her breast cancer came back and she had a mastecomy (sp) done. It really hurt to hear that...it hurt knowing there is nothing, absolutely nothing I can do from out here. My mom called me after surgery to let me know that things were ok. She's going to stay at my grandma's house for then next few days. The amazing thing is, the people at my Grandma's church are all pitching in and helping too. They're cooking and coming over - it's great. I remember them being there when my grandpa died. Again, people amaze me sometimes. Truly amazing.

Ok. with that said, I feel like I should do something productive. I'm going to make me some tea (because that's what you do if you live in England), turn the lights on, put on some good music and get cracking on my presentation.

Take care.