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http://b-logna.blogspot.com/
--Link to my BLOG-na or blog for Bologna.
Maggie Kiki Roo will not be updated until I get back to the States in July 2007.

Highly volatile

Well I sold my car finally and I hope I can live on the money in Italy for at least a few months. It's bittersweet because I really like my car and it's in great condition--but I guess it's more useful to me right now in its liquid form.

I leave in less than a week so I'm trying to get everything I need together and finish up some business here in the U.S. so I don't have to handle it while I'm abroad.

I'm taking two courses in Economics this month. My classes are pretty demanding and all I do all day long is Econ. I sit in class for 5 hours a day and write pages of notes. I'm also not getting enough sleep and I'm struggling to understand the subject. If there are any economists out there who would like to offer their services, please let me know.

Also as of yesterday I've taken to crying at the slightest provocation so watch out for me. Yesterday I cried because some old lady was being brusque and overly verbal about how I was filling out some medical form wrong and I cried when my boyfriend didn't understand what I was saying and then I cried a little when I managed to run over my foot with one of the wheels of the chair I was sitting on at the time and I'm sure I'll cry many more times before I get on the plane, and then the whole time I'm on the plane, and then for a while when I first get to Italy. And then hopefully once I'm in my new surroundings with my newfound student friends I will feel happy enough to keep my crying to regularly scheduled late night sessions when no one else is around to see me red-eyed, snotty, and blotchy. Waaahh!

All Muddled

We were treated to a mojito bar at a party I recently attended. Such a cool idea. I'm going to make a panini bar for a party tomorrow. And we're making bellini's too, which apparently is an Italian drink involving peach nectar and champagne. We're doing it with nectar de mango though. And we're making virgin bellini's for the children and the pregnant woman.

Papa's Got A Brand New

Top shopping find of 2006. It makes me so happy to look at it. Exactly what I've been looking for all this time.

Hot Pockets

My boyfriend and I were undertaking the agonizing task of selecting an ice cream flavor based on taste, quality, and value at the local grocery store when we decided to share a quick kiss and a hug.
"Ooooh, you're gonna melt the ice cream," winks the lady walking by at that precise moment.

That lady was quick.

A Life Legitimate

I just went to the dentist for the first time in almost 2 years and it feels so good. It feels good to be insured again. It's something I will no longer take for granted. Does anyone else enjoy visiting their dentist so much? It also helps that my dentist is pretty cool. She has traveled the world and knows Chinese and Spanish and hacks at your teeth like a true pro. My grandma was my first dentist. My worst experience was throwing up a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips while my grandma worked on my teeth. To this day I avoid that flavor--it tastes like dental bile. I also associate the taste of Bernie's famous teriyaki chicken after a good teeth cleaning with the taste of tooth. Yes, when I can truly taste my teeth they taste like roast chicken. What do your teeth taste like?
When my grandma was still practicing (she retired at the ripe old age of 75 or so) I had so many good times in her dental office. My first paid job was filing paperwork in her office. My brothers and cousins and I had water and air fights with the little tools for your teeth. My grandma and her coworkers made little animal figurines out of plaster of paris for their children patients, and I collected them. I don't have any in my possesion now, regretfully. I would take naps in the chairs on slow days, adjusting my position with the cool controls. I feel asleep to the easy listening channel that was on (which could explain why I get random Kenny G songs stuck in my head sometimes). Her assistant at the time was an awesome person. She once gave me a glass mickey mouse piggy bank with my name etched on it. In fact, that piggy bank is in the room with me now, and it's been full of coins for probably 8 years. She was the first person I knew personally to die. She had cancer, but she didn't suffer long.
My teeth are so clean. Let's make the feeling last.

Comfort Comes To Call

The way I am around my little brother is the way I should be around everyone.
If I wasn't so guarded/thinking too much/cautious/embarassed all the time.
I need to work on standing up for myself. I did it yesterday a little bit, looking people in the eye when they do annoying things like blabbering loudly on the phone--when did cursing become okay in front of kids, women, strangers? And then there was a guy on the plane showing his buddies behind me a picture of a guy giving the finger. When did this become okay?
I can't help but feeling old-fashioned. I can't believe the 2000s are my time. I belong to a time where candies cost a penny, a sturdy pair of shoes cost $1, men took off their hats as women walked by, and friends and acquaintances "came to call" in the afternoons. Then again, I also belong to a time where the internet connects diverse networks, you can have sushi for lunch and In-n-Out for dinner, refrigeration and washers and dryers abound, and women are pilots, doctors, and police officers. I can never truly call myself a liberal or a conservative, but I do so wish that some of the social graces of yore were more alive now.

Smoooooth

S3600075
Originally uploaded by weetahbug.

I made two delicious smoothies this morning, one for me and one for my boyfriend:

1 Dark chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast packet
1 ripe banana
6 ice cubes
1 cup Silk vanilla soy milk
1 T peanut butter
...Delicioso

1 Strawberry Sensation Carnation Instant Breakfast packet
1 ripe banana
6 ice cubes
1 cup Silk vanilla soy milk
...Sabrosito

What a great way to start the day! I highly recommend Carnation Instant Breakfast, because they're chock full of vitamins and minerals, especially calcium, and then of course soy milk and its protein and goodness. And then the flavors are delicious. Next time I'm going to try the sugar-free.

Run Away

I admit I have my prejudices. There are certain people I avoid when I'm out. When I'm walking, I avoid people that walk slowly, like the elderly, the obese, women teetering in uncomfortable heels, and roaming tourist families.
I also tend to avoid people that have bad B.O., men and women with long, straggly hair, men that have glazed piggy eyes and their mouths hanging open for no reason, men with clothes so baggy they're falling off of them, red-in-the face buff jocks that have had a few, etc.

Then there are those really aggressive, looking to stir up a mini-controversy people (many times accompanied by like-minded friends) that look challengly in the eyes of everyone around them, shoulders forward, mouth ready to spout off about how you're intentionally trying to avoid them, how you're racist, scared, and any number of unpleasant things about you and the millions of others like you. How do you handle those people? I suppose by acting the same way. Maybe you could try keeping the same posture, beating them to the punch and saying "hello" "how are you?" "how's your mother?" "have a great day."

I don't feel like I have to apologize to people on the street that get a "feeling" that I'm nervous around them. I have had inappropriate experiences with people on the street, and it's pretty hard to keep up with the news and at the same time feel comfortable around random people on the street. Just about everyone makes me nervous. But really, if some harm is going to come to me I only have a certain degree of control. So I try to maintain that control by looking at everyone around me and paying attention to their signals, not walking alone in random places at night, not dawdling with my keys next to my car, etc. I also walk pretty fast, not only for the aerobic value but to give off my own signal: I can run pretty damn fast and put up a fight, so don't mess with me.

Heard On The Street, B-Mo County

While walking to the nearby strip mall, I look over my shoulder to smile at a man on the opposite side of the street. He's sitting at the bus stop eating a sandwich and a coke.
As soon as we make eye contact: "You trying to avoid me?" asks the man.
"The crosswalk's right there." As I point to the two crosswalks adjacent to the corner where he's sitting.
"I'm sorry" his hands up in defense.
"A little paranoid?" I ask the middle-aged black man.
"Yes, I am."
Entendido.

Biggest Compliment Ever

This morning my boyfriend told me that I had the feet of a child: "Your feet look like you play outside barefoot." Here's a few reasons he gave for the youthful appeal of my polished hooves:
1) They are smooth on top, but slightly wrinkled on the bottom
2) They are tanned
3) They have a perpetual coating of chipped bright pink nail polish
4) They do not have protruding blue veins
5) They are hairless
6) They are shaped like empanadas
Oh and he didn't mention this, but my feet never, ever stink. That's because I, like other girls, am made of sugar and spice and other such pleasantries.

Time Management

12am-2am: Reading a book about a half-hippie, half-Asian orphan who commits arson and larceny to try to get ahead in life.
2am-7.05am: Sleeping
7.05am-8.05am: Alternately hitting snooze, resetting alarm, and falling asleep
8.05am-9.05am: Getting ready for work
9.05-9.40am: Re-parking car so I don't get a ticket, catching metro, walking to work
9.40am-6.45pm: Winning bread
6.45pm-7.45pm: Catching metro home, grocery shopping, walking home with heavy groceries
7.45pm-11.45pm: Making meals for the next 3 days, doing dishes, making cupcakes with roommate, taking pictures of furniture and items we will sell/give away
11.45pm-12.00am: Brushing teeth, washing face, laying out stuff for next day, blogging about my day.
Just a typical, lame day in my life.

Fly Away Home

I flew back from California the other day. I took 2 flights. I used the restroom once on each plane. Both times, the door was unlocked. Both times, I walked in on a lady with her panties around her ankles half-moaning at me to keep out. I'm scarred for life.

Co-Inky-Dink

The place where I'm working now is mentioned as a "resource" in the workbook I have been talking about. And so last year I glanced the name over, and then I ended up working for them, having no idea what that organization was in the first place. Too bad the information about the organization is outdated.

Looking Back

I found a workbook that I did last year about career goals. I'm comparing what I wrote then to what I have done in the past year.

Job-search objective, May 2005.

-Internship in DC
-Network
-Learn
-Get published
-Get out there
-Part-time jobs (tutoring)
-Know the city
-See everything

I still have to work on the "see everything" part. I still really only know NW. I feel like I did a pretty good job everywhere else though. I have gotten a lot of my work "published" and I got a great part-time job. I can't believe where I'm headed next. I really need to start planning my life again from scratch.

Progress Has Been Made

My "personal considerations" from an exercise I completed in May 2005:
I can relocate
Salary - at least $20,000/yr.
I would like to be near my boyfriend and a friend of mine
I want a place of my own and nice things
The ability to travel; visit family and friends.

I like how I didn't set my sights too crazy; I guess I was being realistic. But I have fulfilled all of these considerations. I moved to DC with a college friend, I ended up making some sort of salary, my apartments have been more than liveable, and I have managed to travel around the US to visit some of my family and friends.

I think it's a really good exercise to take stock of what you have experienced and then try to organize that information into goals and accomplishments, challenges and successes. Especially if you're a dork like me.

Crab Phobia

Crab Fun – VI
Originally uploaded by carf.

What a brave young man. These crustaceans frighten me. The first time I noticed this was when I was on an island in the Bahamas walking to a secluded beach when a bunch of crabs suddenly surrounded me, spitting and spluttering, with their claws raised above their heads, limping and scuttling like shellaced zombies.
Zombies--I mean crabs--are nature's most efficient waste disposals. They do a great job of cleaning up carcasses--even human ones. So when they surrounded me one day I felt like they could hardly wait for me to die before they picked my carcass clean. *Shudder*

California Eatin'

In-n-Out, double-single, animal style
Raspberries (so very sweet)
Cherries (so much cheaper than in DC)
Carnitas (with all the trimmings from an authentic Mexican shop)
Basque food (featuring pickled cow tongue that was pretty good)
Blueberry pancakes

I feel like I've been in California for a long time, like I never left. But I keep thinking about my friends, boyfriend, and stuff in DC.
Everyone I know here is either flying to or recently coming back from Asia--mostly China, Japan, Philippines. If I wasn't going to grad school this year I would definitely be on my way to the Far East, but as it is now I guess I'll just have to settle (ha) for Europe. I don't even know exactly where I want to be anymore, geographically. I suppose it doesn't matter, really, as long as my mind and soul are in the right place. Here's to figuring that out.

Moby's Music Bores Me

mobius
Originally uploaded by gaminrey.

I have been thinking about Möbius strips since yesterday. I have no idea how it entered my head, but I didn't remember what it was until I eugoogled it just now. And I found this cool picture from a playground, that is pretty much representative of a Möbius strip:

A surface with only one side and only one boundary component. It has the mathematical property of being non-orientable. It was co-discovered independently by the German mathematicians August Ferdinand Möbius and Johann Benedict Listing in 1858.

Bodies Are Amazing, Part I

"The brain also seemed an unlikely home port for the animating spirit, for animals had been observed to get on quite well for a surprising length of time without the benefit of a brain. Whytt wrote of the experiment of a man named Redi, who found that 'a land tortoise, whose brain he extracted by a hole made in its skull, in the beginning of November, lived on to the middle of May following.'"
~Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Mary Roach

Move Your Arse!

I am the happiest girl in the world because HELL'S KITCHEN IS BACK ON TV!! Thank you, Fox, for bringing Gordon Ramsey into our homes and kitchens once again.

Happiness

Footsies
Originally uploaded by spyzter.

Tanned feet make me happy. There's just something about a brown foot that makes me feel like all is well with the world. (These aren't mine, but I'll show you mine later).

Memory

My little brother used to put his ear to my knee as he moved my patella back and forth and listened to the weird creeky grasshopper sound and giggled like a school girl. I don't know why he thought it was so funny.

Parting = Sorrow

I had to say goodbye to my favorite shorts for the past 6 years. I got them at a Nike outlet store. They were my workout/pajama/swimming/all-purpose shorts. They used to be lavender, but gradually turned grey. And they're full of runs and holes. And when I say "full" I mean full. So it's time to say chao.

Holiday Monday

My boyfriend and I went to Annapolis, MD on Memorial Day because a nearby beach was filled to capacity so they wouldn't let us in. But Annapolis is a quaint little town, and we had a good time. The place was chock full of tourists, some kind of rude, but there were flowers, flags, and cute little things everywhere.

The Eyes Have It

Red Eye Fly
Originally uploaded by Micro Macro.

All I wanted were some contacts--and I got them in the mail yesterday! I no longer have to look like a dork everyday, now I can choose which days I would like to look like a dork and which days I would like to look nice.
Last night I had a dream that my face felt kind of funny, and I went to the mirror to see what was going on. As I was looking at my eyes in the mirror, I watched a fly burrow beneath a layer of my left eyeball and finally settle right below my eyelid. I could see the shape of the fly in my eye. As if that wasn't awful enough, in my right eye my pupil started to cave in, leaving an ashey crust were my pupil used to be. This must be related to my excitement for getting my contacts delivered.
I also dreamt that I was some kind of magical assassin. I won't go into too many of the gory details, but I came from a royal magic family and we were competing against another family so I went around assassinating our competitors using various methods, such as the blunt end of pencils and pens with some kind of poisonous paint on them.
Aint dreams grand?

Reasons To Rejoice

abby about to hit the water
Originally uploaded by j_jyarbrough.

Check out that plunge. I also hold my nose. This is what I would like to do every time I walk out into the DC heat.

I am happy for falls, pools, lakes, streams, sprinklers, ice, oceans, and all other forms of water.

I am happy for animals like dogs and birds, seahorses and turtles.

I am happy for fruits and vegetables, those yummy morsels that spring miraculously from the earth each season.

I am happy for honest and joyful children, that absorb everything like a sponge and are capable of amazing feats.

I am happy for the wisdom of Maya Angelou, the inspiration for this post, who prays for each and everyone one of us every day. She told me so last week at the DC charter school named for her. When you imagine such an amazing and elegant woman thinking of you every day, you have a reason to rejoice.

Bunnies

rabbit portrait
Originally uploaded by littlestudio.

Bunnies are cute but they don't make very good pets. Speaking of bunnies, I really need to donate some blood. I haven't gone since last August.

My summer plans:

June: Work, and then California for a week to see my grandma that lives in the Philippines, and more work in DC.

July: Finish work in DC, then home to California for 2 weeks (last time I'll be home for a year).

August: Living in Balto and commuting to DC to take a class. In late August, I head to Italia.

I will be in Italy from August 2006 - June 2007, so you better buy your tickets for Europe now.

Family Tree

My cousin is working on our family tree, and I'm pretty excited to see what she comes up with. So far we have only traced my mom's side of the family to 1900. Just knowing their names is so cool to me. Our family name is "Dans." I think it's an awesome name. Thanks, cuz.

Heard On The Street - NW DC

"Man, my balls are sweatin'. And I put powder on 'em too."
~A young, overheated man, while I was walking to the metro near my house

You Are The Apple Of My Eye

This has been an eventful week for me. I've only been home long enough to get some sleep, and not nearly enough sleep, which means I haven't had time to cook. But I just made a bunch of spaghetti for dinner so I'm carb happy now.

I received a huge complement this past week. A Trinity 06-er asked for a copy of my senior thesis because she plans on doing work in Tijuana about artistic and cultural movements, which is part of my thesis. I couldn't email it all to her because the file is huge--5.5 MB. But I'm so happy I have been contacted about my work. I'm very proud of that baby. I worked on it all senior year, and used the same topic for my Spanish thesis as well as my International Studies thesis so I had to write a version in Spanish and a version in English (they're pretty different) and one is 75 pages and the other 50. I even filmed and photographed the Tijuana-San Diego border area because I was going to make a documentary, but it ended up being too much work for me to handle at that point.

I'm so proud that my work was remembered by a professor and recommended to a student, and I'm so happy it will be used! Maybe this is a glimpse of my future--research, writing, and being used as a resource.

Today I...

Carried 2 boxes of donuts for 4 miles
Consumed 200 calories in donuts
Served a Nigerian princess
Saw two birds hashing it out in a gutter
Got asked "What the f--- I was doing 'here' - yeah, you heard me"
Looked through the sewer grates to see stagnant water, leaves, and litter
Got yelled at for no reason at all
Was asked for money more times than I can count
Ate 6 servings of fruits and vegetables
Bought my ticket to Italy
Consumed 600 calories in donuts
Spent 77 minutes on the phone with my boyfriend complaining about people
Became more optimistic and a little excited for my future

Ode To An Ex

D is for dancing like a clown on crack
A is for awesome beans and rice
V is for valor in the face of injustice
I is for his interest in our mundane lives
D is for the roommate we've lost and the friend we've gained

Sweet Juicy Spicy Tart

I cook for 3 people every day. It is my hobby and my escape.

Top flavors of the moment:
1. Vine-ripened tomatoes
2. Lime juice
3. Chili-garlic "rooster" sauce
4. Sweet vidalia onions
5. Corn on the cob

We have many, many bottles of sauces and condiments that I would like to use up before we move out of this apartment at the end of June. It will be fun finding uses for capers and relish, mole and caribbean heat, blue cheese dressing and spicy brown mustard.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I just watched someone spend $15 on lettuce and tomatoes. That's all she got, enough lettuce for 3 days of salads and a container of grape tomatoes. Does anyone else see anything wrong with that? The grocery stores in DC charge SO MUCH for food. I bought 2 zucchini, 4 tomatoes, 2 apples, and .8 pounds of spinach and was charged $11. I guess that's a little better, but I still feel like farmers should be paid like surgeons and fresh produce should be cheap enough for every person to get the daily suggested servings of fruits and vegetables.
Oh, and I found a way to beat the system RE: spinach. At my local grocery, the baby spinach in a pack is $7.98/lb. The salad bar is $4.99/lb. So what you do is stuff as much spinach as you can manage in the salad bar container. That's what I did, it came out to .8 lb of spinach, and I ended up paying a lot less for my baby spinach.

GYSD Guinea 2005

GYSD Guinea 2005
Originally uploaded by Youth Service America.

At work I'm in charge of uploading pictures and adding captions to them. I work to promote National & Global Youth Service Day. This is the best work-related photo I have seen so far. It was taken in Guinea, West Africa. I am obsessed with this picture.

She Did A Bad, Bad Thing

strawberry mojito
Originally uploaded by Lariffic.

I actually did a nice thing just now. My roomie Big D is moving out tomorrow, going back home to Tejas, so he invited some friends over for a hot tub party. They drank wine and had some rum but no mixers, so they couldn't drink anymore, and I felt bad for them so I refreshed some of our leftover 5 de mayo frozen punch and served it to them in the hot tub. They were grateful. My other roomie and I were in there with them for a while --our roofdeck hot tub rocks -- but we're going to bed because we have JOBS and we have to WAKE UP AT 7am. I rinsed off, I'm smelling like my new body wash, and I'm feeling good. Good night!

Sleep

It's time to go to bed. On Friday night, after our Cinco de Mayo fiesta, I slept 10 hours. After our eating fiesta on Saturday night, when I came home bloated and dehydrated, I slept 11 hours and continued to be sleepy all day Sunday. Then on Sunday night, I slept 12 hours and I felt like I had the flu. Will I sleep 13 hours tonight? Will I be able to wake up at 7 for work? I'll keep you posted.
I've also been having some freaky dreams. I'm going to try to remember them to blog about later. I wish we could record and watch our dreams like movies.

Cinco De Masho

tummy soft kissable huggable squeezable warm
what are you writing, silly
cantamos al amor
cantamos a la paz
buenas noches
you're publishing that
why not
why yes
why not
because it doesn't make any sense

Quite Exciting This Computer Magic

Originally uploaded by tamjpn.

Everything is gonna be alright,
Everything is gonna be alright,
Everything is gonna be alright,
Be strong,
Believe.

This is my new mantra, and also the chorus of a Yellowcard song. I'm having money-and-school anxiety so this is what I try to repeat to myself. Yesterday was a Sunday, and Sundays are wonderful. When I was a little girl I used to think that Sundays were so named because they were always, always sunny. But I think that turned out to be a combination of coincidence and the fact that I used to live in sunny Southern California. Yesterday turned out to be a perfect sunny Spring day. We had a friend over for fish tacos and Tecate and we ate so much that we decided to try to take a nap on the roof but ended up in the hot tub instead. I was soooo ready to go to bed at that point but stayed up watching "This is Spinal Tap." It's really funny. So funny, in fact, that I'm watching it for the second time right now.

Blue Period

takes the cupcake
Originally uploaded by ms.Tea.

I'm feeling hungry but I doubt that I actually am and it's time to go to sleep because I need to wake up at 6:45am. I guess I can be a little flexible with that time, but I just can't resist being the first one to get to work in the morning and the first to leave. But since I don't have to leave early to teach my class tomorrow, I guess if I'm feeling really sleepy tomorrow morning I'll allow myself an extra hour of sleep.
I made jambalaya today for the first time and I must say I like it. Spicy. I'm so glad my new roomies have a million and one spices with which to play!

Comments On My Blog

Okay, I'm probably going to have to get tough and follow up with you guys that are reading my blog, but I have recently changed it so that anyone can post on my blog without signing up for an account with blogger.
So there's really no excuse.
I better hear from you soon, or else! And you can't "cheat" by just reading my blog and not contributing one single word. Seriously.

I know Moldovan

A few weeks ago at work we got a little scrapbook from one of our Moldovan grant winners. In Moldova, the youth put on various educational puppet shows about health and taking care of the environment. What really interested me about the scrapbook, translated into English, was the fact that I could read and understand many of the Moldovan words. I found out that Moldovan is essentially the same as Romanian, and since I have studied 3 Romance languages it's perfectly natural and acceptable that I can understand Moldovan in this way. Craziness! I've said it before and I'll say it again--I love languages and someone needs to pay me to study and have fun with them.

Temblique

Sunday morning I wake up from my 10.5 hour catch-up-from-a-week-of-early-rising with a strange yet familiar word in my head: "temblique." I pictured the word spelled just like that, spelled the Spanish way. The first person I told about this was my bf, a native Spanish speaker, and he told me that I was just making up words.

However, from what I can tell after a bit of googling, Temblique is a Filipino surname, temblique means something like tremble in Spanish, and Temblique is a small town in the province of Cagayan, the Philippines. There must be some reason for me thinking of this particular word. For all I know, I have distant ancestors from Temblique (I'm half Filipina). So I keep thinking that I need to go to Temblique because I'm pretty sure they need me there. It seems like a pretty insignificant town judging by the lack of google hits. But if I'm not meant to go to Temblique, why did I wake up one morning thinking about that darn word?

Ms. President

white house sheree2
Originally uploaded by Maggie Kiki Roo.

I think I look good with the White House behind me like this. I should wear suits every day.

This was my second visit to the White House--the first being earlier this week for the Easter Egg Roll. I went to greet President Hu Jintao of China for his arrival ceremony. There was a lot of pomp and circumstance for this event, and yes, I did hear the Chinese lady screaming for a good 2 minutes. You could still hear her as she was being dragged away.

A Burrito Aburrido

Sorry for having such a dry blog, dear readers. If you're looking for sex and intrigue, you're in the wrong place. I'm sure you realize this.

I think I should turn my blog into a steamy sex novel. I'm just thinking about this now because I read through my blog and BOY am I lame! It's no wonder the average viewing time for my blog is 1.23 minutes! No, I'm really considering having some kind of gimmick for my blog. Like the woman that did Julia Child's French recipes in a year. I just wonder if I'm that dedicated.

I used to love to write. Especially poems and song lyrics (or lyrics written to the tune of songs that periodically got stuck in my head). I would write these embarassingly honest, confession-style pieces on my teen angst and unrecquited love and my teachers would make me or a friend read them out loud to the class (because, they said, it was good writing) and at the time I would be embarassed to show so much of myself to my classmates but it was only later that I would get super duper ashamed of myself for being so self-absorbed and mopey. It's seems as though I don't produce writing unless I am feeling particularly sorry about myself. That's no way to be a writer.

I need happy stuff to write about. I think I would do a good job writing about children, because they are insanely hilarious and true and brilliant. Don't worry, I don't want to have kids of my own yet, although I do find myself getting jealous of the big belly. Especially the big belly on young, thin women. But I'm still at the stage in my life where I need to devote a lot of time to the ME. That's why I'm going to grad school, that's why I'm going away. That's why I'm going to build up my brain with things I find interesting. Because I have only recently been self-aware in this way (stop pitying myself, take pleasure in the small things, stop being so awkward and weird you're confusing people, etc). Stop being the mysterious, start being the me. Start asking questions when I don't understand and trying to make myself understood (like actually explaining myself rather than offering one-word answers).

I would love to be confrontational, but I don't know if that will ever happen. I really want to yell at people sometimes. I want to tell people to buzz off when they're disrespectful. And ask my loved ones why they do stupid sh*t. Start defending myself. Start kicking some self-righteous ass, start showing people that girls rock and you need to stop screwing them over every which way. I do feel sorry for the boys though, too. I realize there's a lot of unrealistic expectations for boys as well. I always end up talking about some of the world's problems by the end of my larger blogs. I guess it's because I'm lacking in the personal problem department.

So, again I apologize for the absence of such personal information in my blog. I'm mostly just trying to work it out. The good news is that all folks can comment, pending my approval of course (Ray I have never refused one of your comments, I only got rid of one from a stranger who didn't read my blog but was trying to advertise a pyramid scheme to my friends).

White House Lawns

I got to participate in the 125 year-old White House tradition of the Easter Egg Roll. Just after the Civil War, Washingtonian children played on the steep, grassy terraces that surrounded the Capitol building. Once the children determined that the perfect use for their Easter eggs involved rolling them down the hills and splatting egg bits everywhere, some congressmen retaliated by passing an Act of Congress that said no part of the Capitol grounds could be used as a playground. So a nice fella named Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife Lucy decided to open up their home, the White House, to these joyful games. And the tradition continues as children push their eggs with plastic spoons to race to the finish. (Adapted from the White House Easter Egg Roll Program, 2006).

It was postively brilliant except for the freezing rainy conditions. I took my picture with PBS cartoon character Caillou, saw Laura and George W. up close, took a picture of Jack Hannah, pet a dingo and an alligator, and escorted a few middle schoolers (who were too cool for school) around. And I was part of the 1st group too, so we got first dibs on pretty much everything. The rain definitely put a damper on a few things, but that didn't stop me from being in total awe of my surroundings and of the cool tradition in which I was partaking. I'm a total sucker for Americana. And Latin Americana too. But that's a story for another day.

Block Rockin' Peeps

Peepfight
Originally uploaded by Rock and Racehorses.

I just got back from church (I hadn't been since Christmas) and it was a very nice service. A co-worker invited me to her Unitarian Universalist church, and it was the most different church experience I've ever had. They have the most diverse congregation I have ever seen (besides what I saw in Brazil, where everyone was very visually diverse). The music was also pretty awesome, as they created arrangements feautring South African freedom songs, traditional Christian hymns, R&B, drumming, and even scatting. I have never experienced such a pluralistic form of worship, and it was pretty inspiring to see all different kinds of people together in a church.

Now my roommates and I are finishing up our preparations for Easter supper. We're going to a co-worker's houses to have supper. We started cooking last night at 9pm, preparing such delights as scalloped potatoes, asparagus, chick cupcakes, and key lime pie. I'll have to take pictures to show how everything turned out. I have been neglecting my camera lately because it's extremely slow.

Since I've moved and the weather has turned so mild and lovely I've gotten to see a whole different side of DC. Flowers are in full bloom, the trees have regained their leaves, and I'm back in my flip-flops. Yesterday my bf and I took a nap in a nearby park. There's just something about Spring. And the same goes for Easter. I've recently decided that Easter is my favorite holiday. But I keep thinking of my nieces and how I'm missing them going on egg hunts and wearing their cute dresses and hats and donning their baskets. Easter is the most visually appealing of holidays to me, so I've been searching for a picture that represents Easter to me. It has proven very challenging, especially because I haven't taken any pictures of my own in a while.

If I Were President...

I randomly got an email from a coworker about a private, free, intimate Wyclef Jean concert in DC. I spoke to Wyclef, signed a t-shirt for him, danced on stage with all the other girls, took tons of pictures, and got yelled at for trying to take a centerpiece. So much fun! And very unexpected. I guess it made it up for the 3 very expensive parking tickets I acquired in the past 2 days. It's funny how life humbles and surprises you sometimes.

I Hope You Don't Mind

In the past few days I have been in an accident with a motorcyclist, moved in with two cool people in a 1 bedroom apartment, witnessed a soccer match fight in which someone had a bottle broken over his head, run into an old office mate and her 4 month old blue-eyed baby, and stuffed myself with Korean BBQ and a taro boba. All and all, it was a good weekend. Regarding the accident, everyone is ok, and I'm missing a mirror from the passenger side.

I keep thinking about being in Italy. My Italian is even coming back to me. I studied it for 3 semesters. My last class was in 2002. That was when I took Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese at the same time. I wish I got paid to study languages all day. I also wish I knew a non-Romance language besides English. I think when I go back to school I'll probably study French, but I would love to learn Arabic, Korean, or Thai.

I'm mostly just writing because I haven't written in a while. And there's a raging storm going on right now. I'm on the 9th floor, so it's really loud up here.

Brothers Are The Best

Brotherhood
Originally uploaded by Mernas.

I should know, I have three. Sister-brother relationships are special. Even though I send my brothers emails all the time when I'm across the country, they never, ever write back. And most of the time, I have to call them. Of course, they never want to "just talk." But I call them when I have technical questions. Like what to do when my car won't start, what are some cool bands to listen to, and is it safe to use a microwave that is inside a wooden shelving unit (?) The other day, my little brother called, and he wanted to talk to my boyfriend about his wireless connection. But I made him chat with me first. I never fight with my brothers (at least not since I turned 15), they help me with everything I need, and they give me lots of love in their brother ways.

Sheree Looks At 23

Here is the story of my life when you google my name, presented in chronological order.

The very first thing I did when we got internet in my home in 1996:
http://www.albanyconsort.com/pi/

High school:
http://misscarlsbadpast.tripod.com/sheree.htm

College:
http://www.humanrights.cl/alumni.html
http://www.trincoll.edu/AboutTrinity/commencement/honor/

AmeriCorps
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/lret/la/ear/pdfs/Celebrations.pdf
http://www.runraceresults.com/Results/Winners.asp?R_ID=32516
http://runraceresults.com/Results/women.asp?R_ID=32516&start=501&stop=1000

DC life
http://www.mathteachingtoday.com/rich/news1205.htm
http://www.ciponline.org/
http://www.ciponline.org/publications.htm
http://www.ysa.org/nysd/resource/ny06resrc/cg/SpanishCG2006.pdf

Losing my religion...

Hey guess what my toilet broke again. It's clogged. I'm not putting foreign objects in this thing, it's weird and gross and frustrating. It will be fixed tomorrow. I thought that the Jesus nightlight in the bathroom would keep these things from happening but maybe it's causing it because He doesn't like being placed in the bathroom. But we're moving out by the end of the month so we'll lay down this set of problems and pick up a whole new set in our new surroundings!

The other day while I was running to the metro to catch a train to Baltimore I ran into someone I hadn't seen in 6 years. I can't believe I'm old enough to run into someone I haven't seen in 6 years. He's a high school classmate. I knew he was in the District though (because of facebook). Speaking of which, if you have facebook you should look me up and add me as your friend. Some day I will be one of those "friends" that are really good to have. You'll see.

I have been thinking a lot about religion lately due to some work we're doing with interfaith groups. It's all very interesting especially since I haven't been thinking much about my faith for the past few years. I've decided I need to bone up on my knowledge of world religions. I've forgotten a lot about my religion even! A recent Pew poll is very illuminating--in this country, Jews and Catholics are seen more favorably by Americans than Evangelical Christians and Muslims. We have come a long way as a country by being more inclusive to Jews and Catholics (they used to be looked down upon by our mostly White Protestant country) but there's still a long way to go as far as Evangelical Christians and Muslims. Also, not surprisingly, the younger generation (ages 18-29) look upon Muslims more favorably than any other generation and the people that actually say they know Muslims personally view Muslims a lot more favorably than anyone else. And, yes, Americans are still really hostile towards Atheists. I should have asked one of the speakers at the interfaith conference today what they think about those guys.

Back To School

I have been accepted into my dream school. I will spend the first year in Bologna, the second back in the District. I start in October 2006. So now I have the monumental, headache-and-nausea inducing task of figuring out how I'm going to pay for this wonderful experience. And I have to take Econ again as a kind of refresher. I'll probably do it online. I'm excited but there's a lot of work to be done.

Girls Rock

Pink Slips
Originally uploaded by Rocco Kasby.

This picture has melted my heart. Rock on lil ones!

Fuzzy Wuzzy Wuz A Lobster?!?

Do you think this would taste good with some drawn butter?

That's right--it's a white, fuzzy lobster!

Aloha

It rained a lot in Hawaii. That's my excuse for not having a better tan. I didn't get on the internet the whole time I was there either, so I have a lot of catching up to do. It took me half the day to read all my emails. I'll show you my pictures later. Right now they're in California on a memory card. I took about 250. Usually I don't take so many pictures on a trip so I'm pretty proud of myself.

Hawaii is da bomb. And I love their license plates. Check out this one from our first rental car (the tire blew out mysteriously, the same day our friend Scully's tire also blew out--weird):

Hawaii or Bust!!!

Aloha! Hopefully I'll come back a tanner and more relaxed me!

I See You

This was on the bottom of an e-mail signature from someone we work with at Best Buddies.
"I see you"
A customary greeting in central Africa, "I see you" is a brilliant recognition of the individual. At Best Buddies, we see people with intellectual disabilities as equals, as co-workers and as friends. Instead of saying hello, we say, "I see you."

Blog About My Boyfriend

he's great! he spoils me! he drives me places. he buys junk food so i don't have to. he would like to get a cat but he's not allowed to have furry pets of any kind in his apartment. not even for a visit. we watch movies. we do puzzles, but we had to stop doing one after finishing the borders and some things because it was too hard (one of those photomosaic ones). he has survived two months without cable. but once baseball season starts he's going to have to bite the bullet and get cable because he loves baseball. okay we're going to watch a romantic comedy now.

I Think This Proves I'm A Pretty Good Person...

Greed:	Very Low
Gluttony:	Medium
Wrath:	Low
Sloth:	Low
Envy:	Low
Lust:	Low
Pride:	Very Low

...At least that's what I like to think (should my pride be 'very low'? That doesn't sound very American).

It's very true that I'm a glutton. Today I ate my weight in lovely cheeses. But then my lactose intolerance kicked in so I paid dearly for that one. However I DID narrowly avoid buying and consuming a taro boba. You should be proud of me. I'm just like my dog. All we think about is where our next meal is coming from.

I need to think about something more productive and positive. Maybe I should concentrate on how I can be part of the solution to some of the world's problems, like the unequal distribution of the earth's resources, wealth, power, etc. Ay de mi.

I wish we all had the power and desire to make each other's lives perfect. I still believe in common decency. But in the real world this doesn't happen. In general, people can't be bothered to be nice to each other. Why do we make goo-goo faces at babies and then when the babies grow into young people and adults we make ugly assumptions about them and pretend they're not there until they cut us off on the road or something?

What one group wants doesn't always match with what others want. Sometimes my instinct tells me to go hide in a grass hut or favela/slum somewhere and listen to music and play with kids and pretend that everything and everyone is all fine and dandy. Kids are awesome. This quiz is also pretty fun. Take it and reflect.

How do you measure up? Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

Road Trip Randomness

First of all, what's a Throg? Why is it's neck important enough to be put on a sign?


I am also very disturbed by the people driving this car. All the things glued on it are renditions of hands. The driver was going 50 miles an hour, so we quickly passed him, but I saw a phrase on the car, something along the lines of "Epicenter of the universe..." The driver, who looked like a hippy Santa Claus, was going so slow that after stopping for a sit down lunch at Bob's Big Boy we passed him a second time on the road. So I got this picture, through my bf's very dirty window.

Gatinha

Here's the cat guest we had at the apartment this past week while the owner was in California:

Kymba Kitty has an awesome personality. She got along well with the hamster. We were very sad when she had to go back to her home.

Facing Future

hanalei bay
Originally uploaded by Haiku Garry.

This is where I'm going to be in one week!! Every time I get stressed out I play my Hawaiian music, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, and imagine pineapple breezes, mai tais, gentle waves, fine white sand and rainbows.
We do it island style.

Italian For Beginners

I have this theory about the relationship between English, Spanish, and Italian. Choose a one syllable English word. Chances are that in Spanish, it will have two syllables. But in Italian, it will have three. Mind boggling.

For example/Por ejemplo/Per essempio:
Tree
Arbol (ar/bol)
Arbole (ar/bo/le)

Car
Auto (au/to)
Macchina (ma/cchi/na)

Love
Amor (a/mor)
Amore (a/mo/re)

Okay in the middle of thinking of these words I thought of a bunch of words that don't work. So I guess my theory isn't sound. But it's still fun to think about. I had you going there for a second, didn't I?

Double Double, Toil And...

burger
Originally uploaded by Orrin.

This is what I want to eat right now. Will someone please fly one over for me?
My family has an extensive history with In-n-Out. My 3 siblings and I, along with my 2 sisters-in-law and a cousin, have all worked there at some point. They only exist in CA, NV, and AZ. One of my brothers manages a store back home. We've never gotten tired of the food, even though the menu ONLY consists of burgers, fries, and shakes. No onion rings, no bbq sauce, no chicken sandwiches, no kids meals.
Always fresh, never frozen.
I'm hungry.

Nuevo Haven, CT

McDonalds, Burger Kings, Bob's Big Boys, Starbucks
GW bridge traffic (Throgs Neck smells how it sounds)
frozen faces, smiling faces, sparkly engagement ring
kemps + blockuses + quoridors (suck)
thai and turkish, and then serbo-croatian & nepali, honduran & hungarian
fishbone surgery and peos hediondos
polar bear puppets and penguin paraphernelia
panoramic views of the Haven
no buying wine on Sunday, but drinking beer in "Bar" okay (silly Puritan state)
Yalies are great, their significant others too
old friends and kinda new
hope to see them again real soon!

Taste The Rainbow

I look like a skittle. I'm wearing purple sweats and an orange hoodie. And my brand new snow boots. Don't worry, I haven't left the house in this get-up. I'm snowed in for now (see pic). But I'm so happy about the snow! Since I didn't spend my sunny So Cal childhood playing with snow I have a lot of catching up to do.
Colors are my favorite. I used to only wear black, gray, and blue--but now the brighter the better. I think it all started senior year in college. I wonder if that indicates some kind of fundamental change in my personality or attitude since my teenage years. Hopefully.
Anyway, I'm also ecstatic for this year's "spring break." I'm going to Hawaii. I went last April, but to a different island. There, it was japanese tourists and Coach stores and traffic and dining out. This one is pretty remote. From the pictures I've seen it's just mountains and beach and hiking and tanning. Sounds good to me. Quality time in my "carrot" orange bikini. I plan on regaining the color I've lost during my stint in the East Coast. Truthfully, the color of my skin just hasn't been the same since I first came here for college 6 years ago. But I guess what matters most is the content of my character. Skittles, snow, color, and future travel plans to warmer climes. And apparently now Friendly's triple chocolate ice cream. To which I will now devote my attention.

Rashionale

I have a pea-sized pink transclucent bubble in my mouth, resting there right against my tongue. I hope it goes away by morning. Mouth growths scare me.
It's 78.5 degrees in my apartment in the middle of winter in DC. We don't even turn on our heat. We just happen to live right next to the boiler room. It's so hot that I am developing heat rashes behind my knees as we speak. I'm trying not to scratch them.
And we don't get any natural light in our apartment at all. On the weekend I'll wake up in the dark thinking that it's still 5am or something, when it's actually 1pm. And we're paying for this 2-bed 1-bath dirt floor cave as much as my parents were paying a few years ago for a 5-bed 3-bath house with huge back, front, and side yards.
Just to clarify, I love my apartment because it's in the most awesomest location, ever.

Depressio@hotmail.com

Where are your priorities, people?!?

Consider the global priorities in spending in 1998
(in $U.S. Billions)
6---Basic education for everyone in the world
8---Cosmetics in the United States
9---Water and sanitation for everyone in the world
11---Ice cream in Europe
12---Reproductive health for all women in the world
12---Perfumes in Europe and the United States
13---Basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world
17---Pet foods in Europe and the United States
35---Business entertainment in Japan
50---Cigarettes in Europe
105---Alcoholic drinks in Europe
400---Narcotics drugs in the world
780---Military spending in the world
http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp

Alloooooooora...

Urban Lomo
Originally uploaded by Gianni D..

Orange is my absolute favorite color (even though I love all colors, except for red, which I generally do not wear).
And this is Italia! Tengo tantas ganas de ir a Italia.

I Heart Walking

27
Originally uploaded by Carlos Noboro.

The wicked witch and a primary colored city slicker cross a busy street.

She's Got Bette Davis Eyes

I was at the free zoo the other day and lo que más me impresionó fue the gorilla exhibit. I guess for me that's always the highlight of zoo-type places. I instantly made friends with the largest male gorilla at the zoo. The trick is, you go in there with your back turned to him, and then you look at him from over your shoulder. It's all about the posture with these animals. So yeah, I did that and he was making eyes at me within seconds, even though there were a bunch of kids right in front of him pounding on the glass. Every once in a while the gorilla would glare at this one boy in particular. Those kids were being obnoxious, and I wish someone had told them not to bother the poor animal (I'm not in the habit of speaking up in such situations). It was weird because this gorilla was actually leaning on the glass, he was so close. I could have stayed there for hours just looking at him from over my shoulder. His eyes were so expressive and intelligent. I think the gorilla is like 30 years old. He's seen a lot of this world. But after about 7 minutes of kids yelling at him and pounding on the glass, he retired to a more "private" section of the Ape House.
I keep thinking about this gorilla gorilla gorilla (actual scientific name).

Pabst Blue Ribbon

I kept myself awake last night thinking about my monetary sich. I figured out that in my current position someone basically hands me $1 every 5 minutes. When I think about it that way, I'm not very satisfied. I think getting $1/minute would be much more satisfactory. That's what I was getting when I taught last semester. It was awesome, and well worth it. Hopefully I can teach the class again next quarter. I'm very poor. Well, at least I have learned how to eat on $4-8 a day and mooch off my boyfriend. He's always good for dinner out or something, which is nice, because one gets sick of what one cooks day after day.

Every day, someone asks me if I've done something to my hair. I'm very happy with my haircut. I got it for free from a hairstylist that's into "strong women" ie. "butch women with thick necks and almost no hair." So she lopped off basically all my hair, and her colorist added a cool tri-colored chunk that reminds me of the mirror I made in woodshop in 7th grade (I made it out of three different kinds of wood and it won a blue ribbon at the county fair). Resulta que, my hair looks different every day, and all I have to do is towel it dry in the morning and voila. And when I clip it back in different and interesting ways it looks different. It even looks different when I wear glasses vs. contacts.

But enough about my hair. I guess my point was, the best things in life ARE free. Like the free lunch a got from a co-worker today. It was delicious and gingery and white-ricey.

Be Warned: Gross Post

Today I missed a train due to diarrhea. It was like in one of those ex-lax commercials. I couldn't leave the bathroom, and I heard the conductor say "all aboard," and by the time I ran out to the gate, the train to DC was just pulling away.
But I felt better, and I bought myself an Augusten Burroughs book to read while I waited for the next train.
Sorry for sharing, but I'm a gross person and you're just going to have to deal. Or not read my blog.

Other gross things that I've experienced:

Vomiting through my nose. It burns so bad. And when you're done throwing up, you have to blow your nose and get out the remaining food particles and bile. Disgusting.

Bird pooping on my head. I was in 3rd grade, and I don't recall really washing it off. I think I just brushed my hand through my hair and called it a day. Little kids are so dirty.

Rabbit poop in my mouth. When I was in high school, back in the days I had to wake up at 6am everyday (how did I pull that off?!?)I decided to have a brownie for breakfast. As I walked past my rabbit's cage with the brownie, I dropped a few pieces. So naturally I picked them up and put them in my mouth. And then I chewed and pondered for a bit--detected something strange (hmm I don't remember putting walnuts in these brownies)--and figured out that I had been trying to crunch on my rabbit's poop. So I spit everything out and proceeded to gargle and brush my teeth til the taste was gone. Blech.

Okay are you totally grossed out and scared of me yet?

Smithsonienne

I finally made it to 2 free museums today and had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. Highlights: Lincoln's hat, glow-in-the-dark minerals, jewels that made me want to burgle (I'm convinced jewels bring out the worst in mankind), Julia Child's irreverence, learning about Sikhs and realizing that I have known many in my life.

I was surprised at all the very young, cranky, and misbehaved children at the museums. Half the time their parents would be dragging them away from the exhibits they hadn't gotten tired of yet. What's the point of bringing them in the first place?! And within 10 seconds I had picked up two little boy's dropped shoes. Usually when I see kids doing fun stuff I wish I had my nieces to play with, but today I was glad to be roaming around at my own pace without worrying about anyone's poopy pants but my own.

The PeaceCorps Skank called me mid-museum. He said he has a blog. Once I get the link I will put it on here so you can check it out.

And on the way back I yelled at people for blocking the metro door. The Metro's awful on the weekends.

Hoodwinked

...I have been into creating a blog. Ok now I need to get to what I was originally supposed to do, which is post on my roommate's blog.