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!