Stinky Bus

Ah...the joys of public transportation. One of my bus choices to get home, and the most frequent, is one of the more popular routes in the city. It is also, in my experience, one of the stinkiest.

Today, I had to sit in the center of the two bus units. As the bus got more crowded, more and more people were standing, until one was directly in front of me, crotch at eye level. Fantastic. He was also a smoker, which made him all the more pleasant. And, what makes it even better, is that when there is a crotch in your face, there is no where else to turn.

Lessons Learned

Today I learned an important lesson. I have been living in my new place for about a week. There is still stuff sitting around, waiting for me to put it away. Mainly, it sits because I can't figure out where I should put it.

However, today I learned that it only takes a few minutes to put things away. I have been staring at the stuff on my bathroom counter, procrastinating. Just now, I put it in my organizing bins, and put it away. Now, my bathroom is all spanking neat. Yay!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Winter has definitely started rearing its chilly head. This morning it was raining, and the rain was cold enough that it was close to frozen. I realize I am a weather baby, but truly, it is chilly.

And the weather here is so weird. When I left my house at around 9 this morning, it was freezing and rainy outside, so I had a wool jacket and scarf on. About 20 minutes later, after my stop at the post office, I was walking to work and so hot. The sun had broken through, and it was beating down and drying things up.

And now, on my way back home, it is cold again. Enough so to have my heater on!

Turkey Lurkey

This week was that of my favorite holiday - Thanksgiving. I like Thanksgiving because it just is. There is no religious element, no presents, not too much family politicking. And lots of good food.

My mom usually hosts Thanksgiving; she has for about a decade or so. We have the same thing each year, the standard Thanksgiving culinary delights. I tried in the past to introduce new dishes, but was not too successful. In fact, the only thing that has changed of late is the cranberry sauce; where we used to use the canned kind with ridges, we now use more freshly made yumminess from Trader Joe's.

I really do try to stop and think of what I am grateful for in the last year. So much has gone on... the main thing I am grateful for is that my Papa went the way he did, and on his terms. I can't imagine what it would have been like, for him or my family, had he continued to get sicker. I am thankful for my family, my parents, my brother. I feel extremely lucky in that sense. Things aren't perfect, but they are what they are.

I have spent the last few days in a full turkey coma, completely stuffed. I can't wait to hop to the gym tomorrow!

On My Way to Work

I walk almost every day to work. Some days, I stop and pay attention to the things around me, and take note of what I see.

For example, the middle aged man on a jog. This would seem normal, around here lots of people jog in the morning, but there was something different about him. This man, out for his morning exercise, was jogging with a little white donut bag. Awesome.


There was also the woman kind of weaving her way back and forth on the sidewalk. Her hair had a ponytail bend in it, like it hadn't been washed. Her lack of ability to walk made me wonder...is she still drunk?

My favorite of late have been the sidewalk washers. Each morning, a few business owners have madly been hosing down their sidewalks. I get that there is a good chance it smells like urine, or whatever else people chose to leave in front, but the way that these guys go at it is truly amazing. And kind of a waste of water. Once a week, fellas, once a week.

Disconnected

For some reason, there was a little miscommunication with my cable getting hooked up, so I was stuck without it this weekend. This, a tragedy in its own right, was compounded by the fact that for some reason, no broadcast station comes in. I tried to watch regular TV, but nothing seemed to work.

So, there I was, disconnected from the world it seems. I have the Internet, but my Sunday routine of watching the news was totally disrupted by this lack of TV. I read the newspaper online, but it wasn't the same. As I unpacked, I needed something to watch.

What I watched is the subject of a whole other blog entry, but suffice to say I am both thrilled and embarrassed at the same time. But it felt weird, to be here, at home, and not be able to know what is really going on in the outside world without getting on the computer. I can't say that I disliked it, the way the news has been lately it is little more than depressing. But I missed my morning ritual, and I missed my friendly newscasters.

All Moved In

Well, this weekend I moved! I am now sitting in my very own condo, amidst a bunch of half empty boxes.

It smells of fresh paint, has big bright windows that let in a lot of light but not too much sound, and is mine all mine.

There is a lot I need to do...starting with my closet. I have a nice big closet, which is in desperate need of a custom job. The space is completely underutilized, which I am going to remedy as soon as possible! Once that gets done, I can start getting other furniture, and get rid of the little I have now (so long, old dresser that I can't stand!). I am also not sold on the way the bathroom is set up, so am trying to make a few decisions there.

For a long time, I haven't wanted to buy anything for my apartment, as it wasn't really mine and I didn't want to invest the money. But now, I can have things my way, because this place is mine!

Connect the Dots, LaLaLaLa

Recently I watched an episode of Pee-Wee's Playhouse.

I had forgotten just how brilliant this show was. It had a lot of bright colors and loud noises, so it is easy to see how kids got into it. But I think that stopped people from seeing the greatness going on in the show. There was a maturity to it that was masked by the screaming word of the day antics.

Pee-Wee's friends helped keep him in check. They showed kids what behavior was accepted and when they (via Pee-Wee) may be misbehaving. In the episode I watched, Pee-Wee made a salad from a salad bar, in an effort to get his viewers to eat a little more healthily. Imagine that!

Despite Pee-Wee's out-of-character antics, which were not so kid-friendly, this show has seen a revival. I, for one, am very happy about that!

A Step in the Right Direction

Almost a week has passed since the midterm elections, and I am still giddy! I can't believe the Democrats were able to take the Congress, a sorely needed step in the right direction.

Many blogs/bulletin boards/etc. I have read say, "Well, now nothing will get done." While I disagree, I would rather have nothing than what has gotten done over the past 6 years.

Bush & Co. has also been humbled, which I think will bode well overall. He thought he could control everything and all would follow his lead. This result sends a clear message that this is no longer the case. It also means he should be shaking in his boots a bit, as he can be tried for some of his actions (wiretapping, anyone?). It still strikes me as ridiculous that Clinton got charged for lying about having sex (which was less about the lying, which was a legit argument, and way more about the sex, which never should have been brought up in the first place as it doesn't, I don't think, have anything to do with running the country and doesn't affect its people), while nothing has been brought up against some of the atrocities that have happened the last few years.

I'm rambling. Last week gave me more faith in the American people than I've had in quite some time. And while I don't think it was so much a vote FOR Democrats as it was a vote AGAINST Republicans, I'll still take it!

Drink.Drank.Drunk.

Tonight I went out for the first time in a while. Things have been a bit nuts, plus, with the whole purchasing a home thing, I have been trying to save a buck or two.

Tonight was my friend's bday, and I went to two places I haven't yet been in the years I have lived there. I tasted one of the most delicious dishes of mac & cheese ever in my life (holy moses), and had quite a few drinks.

I am not at all thinking that I have been everywhere in this city. But it is fun to find cool places that I would revisit even after I have been here a while. It was a bit of a chilly night, but I think since it wasn't raining, people were out en force. It was fun to people watch and just chill out with some friends.

And now I am home, and I think it is about that time to hit the sack.

Best Show NOT on TV?

ABC Family has recently started airing episodes of Everwood, a former WB show. Watching it from the beginning, I have to say, this was a most excellent show. It is a shame it is no longer on TV, because it was easily one of the best ever on WB (not cheesy good, like Dawson's Creek, but real quality good). (also, shut it, I know I am too old for teenage dramas...I like 'em, ok!)

The acting is stellar, and the storylines are for the most part believable. The teenagers act like teenagers. The parents are not best friends with the kids, nor are they perfect. Nothing is idealized, things hurt, are painful to watch; in short, they are real.

I just picked up this show towards the end of the run, and it was definitely over too soon. I miss watching the lives of the Browns and the Abbotts, and life in the small town of Everwood. I am so glad it is running again!

Packing Stinks...

I think I have written before about my aversion to packing. Although that time I was just talking about packing my suitcase, not my whole apartment.

I am moving in a week (YAY!), which means packing (BOO!). My apartment, which is not too big, is full of boxes. Boxes Boxes everywhere. Some flat, some full, some of them totally unmoveable due to the amount of books in them. There are bags of paper, with which I will wrap my valuables. All of this means there is no where to move around my apartment.

It is gross in here. I wish I could snap my fingers or wiggle my nose, or tap my heels together and this would all be packed. No such luck. So it is pack packin' away for me.

Almost there!!

Today I signed away my first born child. At least, that could have been in there!
I signed all the papers today for my new home! They have you sign all these crazy things, many of which say the same thing over and over again. It all contains a bunch of lawyer speak.

It is so scary to me that in just a few short days I will be a bona fide homeowner!! Whoda thunk it?

Scene in Las Vegas

There is no other place in the world like Vegas (there can't be!). This city unabashedly lives the moniker "Sin City." Just about anything you want, you can get...even something previously unknown to you! Casinos lack windows and clock, and the only indication of the passing of time is the dwindling pile of chips sitting in front of you.

Looking around, truly anything goes. From the middle-aged, fanny-packed couple ooing and awing over a drag show, the senior Liz Taylor look alike walking out of the chapel with a 23-year old man, to a high roller getting comped an upgrade complete with several escorts, nothing is too far fetched. The 7.99$ buffet sits next to the four-star chophouse, which both may sit in a hotel modeled after a middle-eastern palace.

Las Vegas is information overload, and it is a glorious chance to lose yourself, if only for a little bit.

Los Dias Sevillanos

Los Dias Sevillanos

Although it was a few years ago, it seems like just yesterday that I lived in Sevilla, Spain. After graduating from college, I decided I wasn't quite ready to enter the real working world (especially since many of my friends were still in school). Being a Spanish minor, I felt that the only way I was ever going to get the nerve to speak the language was to to go to Spain and learn Spanish.

My first few days in Sevilla were rough. It was very hot, I didn't know anyone, and my living situation isn't what I thought it would be. I had thought I would be in an apartment with at least one other student, but that wasn't the case. I shared the apartment of a Sevillana woman who wasn't around very much, and who locked up the phone in her room so I couldn't use it. I felt a little lost and a little homesick.

Once I started classes, it was great! Sevilla is such a wonderful town. Many of the landmarks are a mix of Spanish and Moorish architecture, which really give the city personality. (there is also a coffin in the Cathedral that supposedly holds the remains of Christopher Columbus) It is truly a Spanish town...siestas shut down the city for a few hours in the afternoon, most people are Spanish-only speakers (which was perfect, as I was trying to learn and falling back on English wasn't an option), the technology at the time was a little behind that of more northern cities Madrid & Barcelona. But people were friendly, there were gypsies singing flamenco at night, and there was a sense of pride, despite the economic downturn the city was experiencing.

And, to top it off, I was learning and speaking Spanish! I was even dreaming in Spanish, which they told us was a great sign that we were learning. We could converse with locals, with each other, with tourists who were having a hard time. It was awesome!

Even all these years later, I still recall my time spent in Sevilla learning Spanish as one of the best in my life. I have back to Spain since studying there, but haven't yet headed back to Spain. Soon, I hope!!