¡FELIIIIIÍZ NAVIDAD!

¡¡¡Y próspero Año Nuevo :) !!!!

Tell Me

Woohooo! Facebook has got its own version of a Chismografo (please ask my family or Q if you don't know what that is).
My facebook friends' answers to follow :)
In the mean time, do tell me!

Tell me...
1. Who are you?
2. Are we friends?
3. When and how did we meet?
4. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
5. Describe me in one word.
6. What was your first impression?
7. Do you still think that way about me now?
8. What reminds you of me?
9. If you could give me anything what would it be?
10. How well do you know me?
11. When's the last time you saw me?
12. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
13. Are you going to post this in your notes and see what I say about you?





Later Edit :P



lol... me me me... !!

I need to find one of those with questions about the one who answers them :P I have them in Spanish (already put Q through one or two) but I'll see if I can find one in English...

sorry... this is the 12 year old kicking in... it's the whole "Im going home" happiness. to illustrate, let me show you my facebook profile "picture" :

---

J:

1. Who are you? I am your brother

2. Are we friends? We are family

3. When and how did we meet? We met at SMU when you were being "rushed".

4. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it. I will call you "La Religiosaestudiosa", pretty self-explanatory don't you think?

5. Describe me in one word. Well-rounded

6. What was your first impression? Too quiet and shy

7. Do you still think that way about me now? Nope

8. What reminds you of me? Harvard or anything religious

9. If you could give me anything what would it be? My unconditional friendship, which you already have.

10. How well do you know me? We are getting to know each other a lot more know.

11. When's the last time you saw me? Was it back in May?? I think it was.

12. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't? Yes, but we already spoke about it. How I thought that you didn't like me at all.

13. Are you going to post this in your notes and see what I say about you? Well, just reply to it

---

F:

1. I'm your favorite line brother from Los Implacables!

2. Your like the sister I never wanted ;) Kidding, more like the annoying relative I never wanted! LOL

3. We met at AARO in 2002, we ate lunch together and our mothers chattered like crazy.

4. What word would describe someone who loses everything, studies like none other, spiritual, and lucky?

5. Lost

6. OMG, another religious girl who will talk about nothing but religion!

7. Oh no not at all!

8. Me doing something bad because I just imagine you lecturing me.

9. Well if you ever need it, my left kidney, I like my right one too much.

10. I know you like the back of my hand

11. Last time you were in Dallas

12. I'm sure there are somethings I left out, do you really want to hear them?

13. Are you going to post this in your notes and see what I say about you? NO! LOL I dunno maybe later

---

E:

1. I am Beth of coarse! What kind of question is that..hehehe! I am your boyfriends sister.
2. I would say yes
3. Well, we first talked on the phone last winter... then I finally got to meet you the weekend of my wedding!
4. Cutie! Cause duh, you are one!
5. Cutie!
6. Very sweet, kind, trendy and stylish.. girl knows how to dress!
7. Yes! Well, I've seen pics of you in sweats a lot lately, but you are still a styl'n girl!
8. Squirrels
9. Big, comfy, snow boots
10. Not too well I would say because we haven't gotten to spend much time together.
11. Day after my wedding
12. I think you are good for my brother
13. Sure why not?

---

M:

1. Who are you? Tu hermano!
2. Are we friends? We better be, lol.
3. When and how did we meet? Gosh girl that was like 3 or 4 years ago you expect me to remember I just remember you inviting me to alot of stuff, lol.
4. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it. Espiritual...nuff said!
5. Describe me in one word. faithful, loving and crazy!
6. What was your first impression? She seems sweet.
7. Do you still think that way about me now? Hmmmm....maybe, I know you too well now, lol j/k!
8. What reminds you of me? My letters.
9. If you could give me anything what would it be? To be in two places at once!
10. How well do you know me? I know some embarrassing stuff about you. that answer the question?
11. When's the last time you saw me? Your graduation.
12. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't? Ummm...nope
13. Are you going to post this in your notes and see what I say about you? Maybe. >:D

---

EE:

1. A Alpha Psi Lambda brother and a good friend.
2. Answered in question 1, :).
3. Through Janie, aka Alpha Psi Lambda, at a Pledge Dance, Fall. 03.
4. Smiles, cause you always seem happy.
5. dexterous
6. She's smart and pretty, and seems to be happy all the time
7. Yes I still think of you the same, the only diff. is that you more mature and I know more about you since we talk once in a while.
8. When i play soccer, I'm reminded of you. When I watch the Dallas Cowboys, I think Dallas, which reminds me of you. And when I talk with someone from A-Psi.
9. A sketch pen drawing ( i rarely give these away). of what I do not know.
10. Fairly, well. We kind of see eye to eye on quite a few things so that helps.
11. Dela's Formal in Dallas
12. No, I've always felt comfortable talking to you about anything.
13. There's no need for you to respond back, I kind of know what you'd say :).

But I Love My Little Nephew Even More

And I have news! He walked! Misael very proudly told me last night. Davidito walked to him. So yes, Misael is now officially the Chosen One. hehe... lucky him..

I *heart* lists

Reasons Why I May be Losing My Mind

* I often feel the need of a translator to put my very random thoughts into understandable, logical sentences.

* I heard myself scream with a bit more enthusiasm and happiness than I was actually feeling today when I was working on my paper and bumped my knee against the edge of the kitchen table.

* I am still writing this essay, and yet I wrote that last sentence in the past tense.

* I have dreamed (how many times now? three? four?) of miniature animals (elephants, giraffes, horses, whales, and animals of the sort) running around in my room or on my bed. In my dream I am always concerned that something or someone (me?) will step on them, or that they'll fall off, and so I am usually a bit anxious and very busy, trying to gather them together…

* I just put elephants, giraffes, horses, and whales, in the same “sort,” and I haven’t been able to decide if my dream is cute or disturbing.

* Maybe it’s both. I just can’t buy my friend’s interpretation of “I think it’s your motherly instincts coming up.”

* I like cold, sweet coffee.

* I don’t know if it’s the essay or the coffee that’s making me this nervous. But it doesn’t matter because I found a new quote: “[Most ministers work] with the tacit understanding that the truth between people is cumulative” Richard Lischer, in Open Secrets.

* Did I mention I am SO on that plane already?

* No matter what my worldly renowned HTP professor may say, I still hold that Religious Studies and Anthropological Studies are the very same thing.

* No, I am not hard-headed.

* I’m about to post this, despite the fact that both my parents and Q’s parents read this. Hehe. Don’t lock me up. I just have …a slightly extensive imagination, that’s all :P And only during periods of extreme …hmm… somehow irrelevant scholarly productivity.

¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS SARAI!

HaPpY V3rdE to YuuUuuuu!!
Que Dios te dé muchos muchos años más...
Y coMo diCe tu caRnal, Te K3ro!!

que no se te olvide

*passport, visa laser
*el regalo de Sarai
*ir al coop
*get cash from atm
* change sheets
*grammar, anthology, last gods, intertextuality, freedman, apocryphon of John, binder, pagan X, IMS research list, HTP rsrch lst, O&H rl, S.Parker
*usb memory
*little bank book
*nvtn
*apt keys
*cell phone charger
*leave food note to roommates.
*rent check for jan.

*BOOK RACE*

Going nuts getting books.
Most, if not ALL the readings for my classes are on reserve (3hr loans) in the library, but being as I'll be going home for longer than it is smart (tres hurras for my insanity!!! lol. all my heroic venures are taken on in the name of going home), I have a lot of pre-essay-writing writing to do. LoL.
And a hunt for (normal loan) books. The annual book race has begun. There's a good number of libraries on campus, but it's not really helping all that much. Everybody else is also getting books!! All books are checked out! And there are waiting lists! And some books are only available in my own department library. But I shall beat them crazy book scavengers to it! ...or order some books online :P
I know… I know..

So... the essays...
I had an ego-squashing meeting with one of my professors yesterday about a couple of my essays and I will have another one in about 30 mins. Oh Lord...
I keep telling myself to relax.
*breathe.... breathe....* you don’t really need your ego. LoL. Maybe you have some to spare. Hehe. Oh gosh… Dad might be right. I hate it when he’s right. To my defense, though, I’m ok with letting go of it; having someone else take a little bit of it, however, does make me highly uncomfortable. I have become a bit attached to my ego, you know? We’ve been together for quite a while now.
LoL. And still it’s so easy to… squash. I like that word. Squash.

Oh!! Fer did call last night… around 1am or something. I must have just fallen asleep but I thought he was calling right before I needed to wake up. I talked to him for an hour or so… or at least I think I did. I was honestly half asleep! But it was SO nice to hear him… and it was good to see he’s been working hard. He’s no longer defenseless; I could sense it even through the blurriness of it all. He is such an amazing friend. He was trying to make ME feel better. I have some hope.

Me desperté esta mañana estomago abajo, con la cara de lado en la almohada. Lo primero que vi fue el cojín verde y el velo blanco de mi cama. Y lo primero que pensé fue “Gracias, Dios.” A pesar de que lo expulsaron de la escuela por tres semestres (puede regresar a terminar después de ese tiempo,) él está bien. Está bien. Tal vez estaba mejor que yo. Creo que estaba intentando hacer bromas y hacerme sentir mejor. Incluso hablamos de cuando éramos freshmen. A veces no puedo creer lo que la gente es capaz de hacer. Se me revuelve el estómago. Ha sido un semestre difícil. Y sin embargo siento la protección de Dios. Siento que pudo haber sido mucho peor. Que a pesar de todas las pequeñitas preocupaciones, tengo mucho que agradecer. Todo lo que realmente importa, todo lo tengo. Y tengo mi hogar por el que agradecer también. Ya estoy lista para regresar a casa!!

America has a new President!

The continent is glad and joyful. Well, most of it is.

Felipe Calderon is the new "Ciudadano Presidente" of Mexico.

Prayers for a newly appointed leader.

I missed the movie.

I was supposed to watch a movie tonight on disney channel... about this little girl that wanted to dance and win some contest... yeah... I know... I'm a little kid... jiji...
Ready for the sad part? I forgot. I was too busy missing Q (sweetie, you definitely owe me a chick flick...muajajajaja) and since watching movies on Sunday night isn't a part of my normal schedule, I completely forgot about it. LoL. I forgot to watch my movie :o)!! Ah well... at least I get to watch Heroes tomorrow night.

It seems everybody is going nuts with final projects and papers and presentations and tests and all sorts of crazy end-of-the semester stress. My semester isn't quite yet ending... so I guess I get to stress a bit later.. hehe.. dunno if that's gonna turn out to be such great news, but at least I'm not freaking out right now... hehe...
But good luck to all of you smart, hard working people, and may your every drop of effort be blessed.
I'm gonna keep studying for Greek... hehe... wanna make sure I end up stressing as little as possible...
yup. back to Greek. Good luck you guys!!!

¡Felíz Día del Pavo!

¿Ké ondas gente? Aki todo bien... acabo de dejar al chico en el aeropuerto... sniff.. sniff.. ya se me acabaron las vacas. triste, triste historia, pero pues ...nimodos. bueno, pues aki va una pequeña... diminuta... muy corta reseña de mis patoaventuras. en inglés para los ke no hablan suficiente español para leer esto, como Janie y la familia de mi niño. akí les va!

We had a rainy Thanksgiving Day. And the boy’s airplane seemed to have been a bit on the sluggish side: it put the boy and all other passengers through what I’d call slow torture (some 30 min of turbulence) and submitted me to its outright tardiness (hmm… 1hr, 15 min., and 34.3 sec. late, according to my phone). The flight info tv screens failed to display a change in flight numbers and/or time of arrival… and I was freaking out by the time he got here. After the “You look great, I’m so happy you’re here / I’m so happy to be here” hugs and kisses, I was still nervous enough to drum his shoulder playfully and ask why on earth was he so late, (you know, with that little nagging childish voice women get sometimes? hehe..) as if he were to blame. He says he’d told me about the time change. And he did… like 3 different times… with 3 different flights. By the time he got into a plane I had apparently gotten confused as to which flight was coming when…and with what special passenger on board. LoL… but ah well… I forgot about it in a second. I was just so glad he was here. He’d walked out to the reception area on his own (sluggish passengers too?). Clean shaved and wearing grey and black, his hands tucked in his pockets. Smiling despite the little flight adventure…
He’s such a positive person. At least today’s flight seems to have started off a bit better. Although the little self-service machine did not provide us with the assurance of a boarding pass (I think we were too early, so it only produced a strange little “you’re-checked in-so-you-can-go-beyond-security-check-but-you-don’t-have-a-seat-number-yet-so-you-probably-need-to-talk-to-a-gate-clerk” paper thingy), he did get into his original flight and will hopefully get home without further ado.
But back to the rainy Thanksgiving Day. It rained nonstop. I am not kidding. All day, since God only knows what time in the morning, and at least until the minute I fell asleep that night. We had done a nice little bit of reading/studying on Wednesday, so we refused to be productive on freaking Thanksgiving Day, even if it was rainy outside and there wasn’t much to do indoors. We had breakfast, and then we watched TV and called our families… We had lots of fun trying to make lasagna (which turned out pretty good, by the way!)… and we ended up having a Thanksgiving Lunch. I think that was because we were supposed to go to the movies, seeing as we had passed on it the night before. The rain did make us a bit hum… sick-o-phobic :P… and we ended up staying indoors for a good while, watching more tv, drinking tea, coffee, hot chocolate and eating fresas con crema… and since my roommates were out on their own Thanksgiving dinners, we were home alone! We had the fridge all for ourselves, the tv all for ourselves, and most importantly, the heater’s control all for ourselves. We totally turned that thing up. LoL. I think my roommates are a bit too money conscious when it comes to the heater. Or maybe they really just don’t ever get cold!? But Q and I were sick of carrying a little cobijita around. Jiji…
And then we really got crazy. LoL. Right after we’d turned up the heater and had just had a cup of tea and.. hehe.. turned off the tv. It is dangerous to turn that thing off. We went out. In the rain. In the cold, pouring rain. We layered up and put on boots and water-proof jackets and we each took an umbrella… and we went out for a walk and of course got completely soaked! Not surprisingly, everything else but the Chinese restaurant was closed. So we had a nice and warm Chinese Thanksgiving Dinner. And we were not (at all!) the only people there! …and we did not get sick either :) We had a blast. And then it was back to the scorching heat of my mischievous little wall thermometer. lol. 70◦. But after walking back in the rain I seriously felt like I should have read a 3-digit number.
And then of course I got used to it and got cold again.

Lots of fun. We did have a lot of fun… we went to the movies, we ate out, we walked around, we cooked and ate and rejoiced in our hw, and we even got my remote control to work again (well, he did… hehe.. el interés tiene piés, diría mi Papá. Jijiji…). We caught up, and talked, and read and watched tv and all that fun stuff.

We didn’t eat turkey though, like both our families did. The Briones clan made Thanksgiving dinner for our friends from Kansas, and from what Q and I heard, they were having a lot of fun making that turkey! LoL… Sarai and Abi were singing for me.. Davidito was happy to join them… jijiji… and so we had the most terribly-sounding little trio on the phone for like 15 min. Well, it was four of us with me, and we even convinced Q to sing a Thanksgiving song to us. Q has a pretty decent voice… but we were… riotous. and completely, unashamedly out of tune. Jiji.. despite all the lazy fun and crazy adventures we had, I think we both missed our families a lot. I keep imagining what it’d be like to put all of you guys together in one room… muajajaja … it’d be so much fun.

Ok… I need some food.
I hope all of you had a wonderful, happy Thanksgiving day… jiji… :) !

it is back!

wooHoooOooo!!

Aww...

made chocolate chip cookies last night for my Ministry class... they were salty! I should have bought "normal" cookies to take, but I had such a busy day... and I didn't even think of it, to be honest... it was.. weird.. to say the least... salty cookies! they were edible though... either that or my friends are all really, really nice. the cookies were all gone by the end of class :)
I also lost one of my favorite books... which my parents had taken the pain to send me from home... I forgot it in one of the classrooms and it was gone when I came back to get it. sniff... sniff... and I'm supposed to present on it!!
on top of everything, I'm staying in Andover till 9.30 tonight... grr... work.
I'm not in my best mood right now. I wanna go home and watch tv or sleep or take a nice long shower or eat "comfort food" ...lol....not my cookies... hehe... ah well, I guess I can do that tonight after work :P
such a weird day.

Never been happier about a B

so... I take it back. I AM telling you my grades, but only because I did well :P

A- in Orthodoxy and Heresy.... and although I was honestly not expecting a B, I have to say God is GOOOOOOD! ...and my professor too... What can I say? They both like me.
LoL. Which isn't saying much, since they both like everybody :P

Well, yeah... never been happier about a B.

later edit:
I can't believe this.. LOL! I was so happy I didnt say what I got a B in. it was GREEK! LoL... that sentence should have been something like "although I was honestly not expecting to get a B on my Greek midterm, I have to say God is GOOOOOOD!"
I've been having a lot of trouble with this class... to the point that I was even considering to listen to my Dad's admitedly practical advice and take Spanish instead. Greek is kicking my butt. So... yeah... I am very, very happy with my B :D ...jiji....

and... hmm... I was expecting higher than a B in Orthodoxy and Heresy... I actually have a feeling I might have had the highest grade in my class :D! but... WOooOOOOohOOOOOOooo for Bs in Greek!!! LoL...

A good weekend :)

It was a nice... relaxing... and also productive weekend. Didn't sleep in at all, but I got caught up with my reading!! and then I slept in yesterterday, so I can't complain :)
Church was amazing! went to a service in Spanish :) The church is called Leon de Juda, and it's a Latin-American Pentecostal church. I went in a bit afraid of a spectacle, but I was pleasantly surprised to have really entered a temple. Worship was traditional in the Hispanic sense (contemporary, yet old songs and “coritos”). They had songs I used to sing when I was a kid… Levántate, Al Borde de Tu Gran Trono, Me Gozare, etc. Ah… the reminiscences …
There was a group of White people… young kids from a campus ministry that was going to Guatemala this week or next, and that was visiting to sell coffee to raise support. It was really cute… they kept looking at us during worship… hm… let me tell you, our worship style is not the par-tee Black American churches have, but we move to the music, and we clap, and we raise our hands, and we sing wholeheartedly. The youth group kept looking at us, wanting to do the same, but very few of them were brave enough to join us. It was cute, I thought… and I think if they keep coming they’d eventually enjoy the service as much as we do. The sermon was very good too… one of the most structured sermons I’ve heard in a while… woohoo! Someone went to seminary!! LoL… It was completely based in the Scripture… it was practical, it had a purpose, it was amazing. I’m not going to type my notes in here only bc I have to start getting ready for school in like 5 min.
So… I may have found my church. The drawback to having found a church that holds service exactly like we do in Mexico is that they are looOOoong. I never knew of a 1hr long service until I moved to Dallas. Lol… and now I’m so used to them that having gotten home at 4pm when the service started at 12 felt a bit odd. But I think the time investment is worth it. I felt like I had really, truly worshipped for the first time in a very long time. I really needed to. It was amazing :) !!
So… school is going great…. I expect to start getting my grades back sometime after Thanksgiving… but I wont tell you what they are cuz I don’t know how well I did… LoL… I’m hoping it’ll be good, with the exception of Greek, which is starting to make sense, but is still a pain in the butt. Lol…
Last night I went “out” with my friends.. went to someone’s house to watch like 3 episodes of “Arrested Development” and eat pizza. The show is sooo bad…it’s sooo sad it’s funny. Jejeje…
Ok.. gots to get ready for the day…

My FBI friend...

Is going on a "thanksgiving skiing trip". LoL. I've been invited:

We are currently planning a SKI trip for Thanksgiving weekend. We will be making reservations very soon, so let me know if you are interested in the trip.We will drive to a ski resort probably somewhere in Colorado. We are currently exploring where to go and plans for lodging (if we get a big enough group, we could possibly rent a condo).
Here is the schedule:Wednesday, Nov 22: depart in the morning for the road-tripThursday, Nov 23: SkiFriday, Nov 24: SkiSaturday, Nov 25: SkiSunday, Nov 26: SkiSunday afternoon: begin driving home immediately after full day of skiingreturn to Dallas by Monday, Nov 27 morning in time for work
Plan for the total cost to likely be around $400 - $500 (your share of gasoline, $20-$50 lift ticket skiing per day, $15-$30 per day for ski rental, about $20 per night (x4) for lodging, food, lessons if you want (either paid from resort or free lessons from J and/or J (see attached pictures for our credentials), other activities).
Of course since this is an APT106 adventure, the activities will not be limited to solely skiing! Examples of other activities that we might partake in include hiking through woods at night, tubing / ice skiing off the back of a vehicle, horseback riding, snowmobiling, outdoor ice skating, swimming in hot springs or under the frozen lake to find fish for Thanksgiving dinner and pirate treasures, potato cannon, using J's new predator call to attract bear and wolves to make friends that will hunt for our dinner and for free lodging in a bear cave.

Uh...
Yeah... I can't believe we had this guy squashed on the floor of my family's living room... the crazy boy. Dad was seriously considering calling a doctor.

I am not going. for obvious reasons: I have much more exciting Thanksgiving plans :D
(which by the way would be even more exciting if Mom changed her mind... and skipped work.. but I'm just saying...)

Q is comin'! I have a feeling I'm gonna have more fun than my crazy FBI friend :)

back to the classics :P

I made a mistake today, and instead of reading today’s post, I ended up reading my post for Oct 30 of last year. Don’t look it up… it’s one of those really, really long posts. LoL. I realized, however, that it’s been a while since I talk about everyday life. Reading a year old post was so fun… “remembering” how things really were (to me, at least) at the time… reading about the small little details I inevitably forget… so fun. So here is the re-cap for my first semester at Harvard. You don’t have to read it, by the way…lol… it’ll most definitely go on forever... ya know, for personal future reference :)

Class has been amazing. I have class every day, and I’m in lecture every MWF by 9am and am done around 5pm. Tuesdays are just as bad, but Thursdays I have just one class. Mondays and Fridays I usually work with the Media Services as a Student Technician, which means I do computers, cables, mics, cams, sound and video recordings…that sort of stuff. Either that or I’m providing media assistance… which is fun because the “client” is usually a professor… and I l-o-v-e knowing more about something (anything, even if it’s just computer stuff) than them :P *muajajaja*
Most lectures are held in the Sperry room, a large 400 people auditorium that gives us more than enough space to comfortably grab our preferred seat (or two) and listen to class. The movie-theater-like chairs are not as pretty as those in SMU’s lecture halls, but they’re arranged around the lectern area, much like the seats of a Greek theater, and they have folding tables, which I love.
The facilities are old… stone (building façade and floors) and wood (classroom floors, walls, and furnishings) …for the most part… and I find them beautiful, in a strange, grim-ish way… We do have one of the best libraries in the world, the Andover Theological Library… though I have so much obligatory reading that I feel I’ve missed out .. I will, however, start a MUST-READ book list… I’ve decided I just HAVE to make the time. LoL. I won’t ever have the time, I won’t ever have the money. I should just spend it. LoL. What little time I do have I will freely spend on what’s important.
But back to my immediate past. Present. Past-present? LoL. Continuous Past? Perfect Tense! Or is it the imperfect?? Oh gosh… Sorry…. Can I blame this one on Skedros?
Each of my professors is a character worth writing a book or two about. There’s the odd, mean but sweet pair that teaches my Histories Theologies and Practices course… they constantly look at each other for intellectual approval, and yet they rejoice in making jokes out of each other’s phrasing tendencies. They both have eye problems, a small distraction that I’ve solved through my own optical deficiency: I simply don’t wear my glasses for class. They seldom write on the board, so it’s proven to be quite a simple and effective solution, however funny it must be…. :)
My Greek professor is adorable. He is by far one of the most humane people I have ever met. He is very simply a good man. And an organized, structured professor too… I have a feeling some people might get nervous when he admits to have made a mistake… but I love that he does… he cares very little about impressing others… I luv it.
And then there’s my IMS professor, who is also my academic counselor. During my first (and admittedly, my only one so far) meeting with her, she said I should consider doing a PhD. That I’m definitely PhD material. Very flattering, of course, but we really didn’t talk that much, and I’m still wondering where on earth she drew that conclusion from??
And then there’s the Campus Minister… whose husband reminds me of Q. Since I met him a week or two ago, she and I smile and repeat that Economists are hot –every time we’re given a chance. She leads my IMS section course, and she brings a bell to class every day. Her class is the last one of the day for most of us, so her routine of making it resonate once to signal a minute of silence and prayer and then reading a poem at the end of those 60 seconds of silence is beyond helpful …the bell is very obviously Tibetan, which reinforces my suspicion that she drew her idea from the Eastern practice of meditation… and (should I be saying “but” ?) it does work: by the end of that last small echo, we have pulled ourselves back together, and we’re truly, fully present, ready for another hour and a half of literary intensity. I do believe we ought to learn from other traditions…
There is SO much I could say about that class… but I will save that for later.
I think I’ve already made my comment on the broadness of my courses so far. I expect that to be temporal, though. Only two of the classes we’re all expected to take are introductory in nature… and however broad they may be, I’ve only read half the material before… and most of it I read-skimmed my sophomore year… which means I’m still doing as much reading as anyone else. Too much.
I’ve found it difficult to adjust to the social environment… but I suppose I always do, at first. I’m afraid I have the tendency of being too friendly too soon… I may be scaring potential friends away! LoL. But seriously, I was in deep reflection yesterday … and I think that the more serious a person I seem, the more they (people in general) are interested in starting conversations with me –which is a bit hard because the more comfortable I get, the more I express “emotions” if you can call them that. Although I don’t necessarily want to make long, lasting friendships, I do not like the awkward feeling that I may have overreacted to someone’s friendly gesture. So, back to social tactic #1 : be reserved. Do your own thing and let them be. Usually they’ll warm up, and then I can warm up too… it just takes them a little longer :P
I am, however, a part of a “clique.” An “open clique,” as one of them said, but a clique nevertheless. LoL!! Back to high school!! We go out on Tuesday nights, after the 5 o’clock class. We go to someone’s place and watch tv and eat pizza, we play board games, we go to cafes, that sort of stuff. I like them all a lot… nothing great and amazing going on… but I do enjoy their company, and I appreciate their friendliness… mainly because it means I can be friendly too :) ! I’ve already started inviting people to join us, and I found it difficult to study at the library the other day… lol… with all the people stopping by to say hi… lol… the clique is soooo friendly, and everybody else is so ..iffy… it’s a bit confusing. I’m back to that freshman social status…LoL… again. I’ve come to the conclusion that although I am naturally friendly, I am not naturally social. I can only be comfortably social among friends. Does that make any sense? LoL…
Today I did half my laundy. I did it myself. Yup.. handwashed. Half my laundry. It is 2 dollars a load!! And another 2 dollars to dry. And I do some serious color sifting. I’ve decided that spending 16- 20 dollars a week on laundry is unacceptable. So I’m washing it myself, little by little. LoL. Let’s see if I can keep it up… I don’t think I will… but at least I won’t feel like I didn’t try. Jeje…
One of my roommates got engaged last weekend. So we have a small dinner party tonight… fun times… fun times.

Hmm… Pictures of the apartment and the department to come.

My brother :D

.:hEy ArElY!
SabEs Q´ Tê KeLl0w MuSHop!
CuIdaTe
AtTe El HeRmAno + ChuLoW Q´TiEnEs!:.

jiji... that's a message my brother sent me.
I had to show off... and .. hm... keep it for posterity :D

IM GONNA NEED SOME SLEEP AFTER THIS!!

LoL.
:D
It's 3.49am and I am WIDE awake.
I have my Greek midterm tomorrow...umm... in a couple hours. I'm not as ready for it as I wish I was. But I'm as ready as it's gonna get :P Been studying for this one ALL month! and I've been stressing about it this whole weekend.... and now I can't sleep.
jeje...
Send a few prayers this way! I will use them all up :D

Davidito

My nephew, the most beautiful baby on earth

.

Happy Place

Hehe...
I need a happy place.
Any ideas? ;)

Procrastination

Today I've done my laundry, cleaned the kitchen, changed my blog's template... typed up this post... haha.. uh... sigh... all in the name of procrastination: I do not want to write my Orthodoxy and Heresy essay...
But I will. I haven't done the floors yet. I get to do those if I finish the essay tonight. If not I'll force myself to wait until I finish it tomorrow. It'll be my incentive.
My "Carrot on the stick," Q says. That, my friends, is a hilarious image. DON'T picture ..it! agh...

LoL...

In other news, Quijote has bought his excommunication ticket at Tom Thumb. Hehe... I shall let him enjoy his candy now... muajajajaaja..... ok... I really hope you guys are picturing me rubbing my hands, laughing maliciously? no? hmmm....

ok.. well.. back to school.
sniff...

Your Eyes on a Window

When Time stops
And you know not your own name
When Silence is too intoxicating
You dangle your eyes from the window rim

Can’t drop a dime on Truth
The keyboard might Reply
So you just hang your eyes on a window
And watch the rain fall again

While each drop dies on your glass
A firefly might bite the salt
Sneak through the window screen
Daze a buzz into your sight

There’s an old crying cloud outside
But I want your wet feet to swirl
Green with roaming grass
The screen ajar

My eyes sitting on your windowsill.

Martín Lutero

Acabo de llegar de la escuela. Hoy tuve una clase especialmente extraña. Extraña es poco, más bien incómoda. Dos de mis clases son algo grandes, así que lo que hacen es dividir los grupos en varias secciones, las cuales se reúnen una vez a la semana. La mayor parte del tiempo los grupos de sección son muy interesantes porque en lugar de escuchar al prof. hablar por tres horas consecutivas, normalmente tenemos discusiones… la gran mayoría de ellas muy muy interesantes.

En fin, la maestra ke enseña la clase repartió las fechas, con sus respectivas lecturas, entre todos los alumnos en nuestra sección. A mí me tocó hoy, junto a un chico ke va a ser pastor, y junto a esta otra muchacha. Uffa. ¡Qué rollo! La niña piensa ke lo sabe todo (y para mi desgracia sí sabe bastante) y bueno… tiene una mala vibra! Jajajajajaa… ke horrible… mala vibra. Bueno, el asunto es que me pone de malas. Habla con un nerviosismo, y a la vez con una altivez… y suele interrumpir al que esté hablando… para decir algo en contra del comentario que interrumpe. Lo más triste de todo es ke la mayor de las veces, si no tiene razón, al menos sus comentarios son extremamente inteligentes. Grrrrr…. Un rollo. Pocas personas me ponen de mal humor como esta chava. Pues hoy el chavo ke dirigió la discusión con nosotras estaba hablando sobre la importancia que el pecado tiene en la teología de Martín Lutero. Y estaba hablando sobre las teorías de salvación. Pues algo dijo sobre la idea de la individualidad.. y sobre la importancia que tiene la condición interior del corazón para el juicio de las acciones exteriores. ¡Pues que salta la muchacha! Y ke dice que no (después de interrumpir, otra vez), ke no malentienda, ke la salvación de acuerdo a Lucero era solamente dada por Dios, y nada más. Muy enojada ella, muy ofendida por la ignorancia del chavo: Que acorde a Lutero, el hombre no tiene parte alguna en su salvación.

En mi opinión, Martín Lutero enseñó que la salvación tomaba lugar por medio de la fé. Y claro, después de tan exuberante show, todo el mundo asintió. Pues un amigo suyo y ella se ponen a buscar en el texto… y dicen ke no, y comprueban con la lectura que Lutero enseña que la semilla de la fe la pone Dios. Uffa otra vez. Pues yo pienso que la chava está cruzando la línea entre Luteranismo y Calvinismo. Que aunke la semilla la ponga Dios, Lutero hacía una diferenciación entre la semilla de la fe y la fe misma… y que decir en la opinión de Lutero Dios hace todo lo necesario para la salvación es eliminar la línea directa de acceso espiritual entre el individuo y Dios… y reemplazarla con la idea de predeterminación. Pero… todo eso no lo dije. Se me fue la inspiración. Me enojé. Y ahora estoy enojada porque no pude pensar rápido como ella, y defender la esencia del protestantismo…

En fin, mi consuelo (al menos eso me estoy diciendo a mí misma) es que aunke se me hubiera ocurrido, no le hubiera seguido. Demasiado agresiva para mí. Aunke ahora estoy esperando ke alguien regrese al tema en el futuro, para poderle responder :P

MUCHOS IMPUESTOS!!!

I am officially an extravagant tax payer.
I paid $77 in taxes. For 2 weeks and a half of work.
WoW. I'm so... generous :P !!
LoL...

dichotomies...

So Im writing one of my midterm papers for Ministry Studies on the relationship between private and collective religious experience. Im arguing that they are not at odds, as popular theology likes to assert, and I'm illustrating my point through the biographies and writings of Pope Gregory the Great and Emerson. Emerson is going to be especially fun, since most theologians think of him as the individualist that he was, and forget about his numerous attempts at reconciliating with organized ministry.. and the many wonderful quotes I'll be using.. and the fact that he was SO much into "choices" ...ah yes... so much fun.
So yeah... I'm using the false dichotomy philosophical fallacy:

“The supposed dichotomy between individual and collective spirituality fails to uphold both conditions for a valid dichotomy. Through his definition of pastoral ministry, Pope Gregory the Great illustrates how individual and collective spiritual experiences are complementary, not mutually exclusive; Emerson, on the other hand, is the very epitome of new spiritual and theological alternatives to individual and public spiritualities --alternatives that prove their joint exhaustiveness null.”

I'm having a lot of fun with it. maybe too much fun. I'm taking an idea I saw at a book in the Harvard store... this guy wrote an essay and gave it a "newspaper" look. I thought it was so much fun! so I'm trying it out... which is SO dangerous... given the fact that although this is not supposed to be a theological essay, it IS an essay :P So I'm thinking I will attach a "nomal" version to the essay... since my crazy version will look like (let's see if this works.... please ignore the text, as it makes no sense ..jiji...) this:



So the weekend has been good. Got a lof of material covered... went through 50 pages of Greek
syntax, vocabulary, and paradigms... I even went out last night and had a blast...
As I just told Q, it makes me happy.

Rehab

So grad school. I may have approached it from the wrong angle. Thought it'd be specialized... focused... detailed... not general... introductory... vague... and so aware of its relative simplicity and its overview-ish tendencies that it feels a need to burden students with reading lists so widespread and so long that they are beyond feasibility… *sigHh*

I protest. Reading 400 pages a day is physically impossible. I can’t keep up!

It’s 11 at night. And I have Greek hw to do… and I have another hw I should do (don’t have to.. but I should..) and I have reading to do…pages and pages and pages of 3^rd Century theological debate, and each text's history and commentaries... and midterms coming up… and 2 essays due in about 17 days..

I’m so tired.

I bumped into this girl in the library this morning. We ended up talking about how she’s had to choose which readings to do. While she was explaining her method, another friend of ours joined us… and then another… and then another. All of us, without exception, are freaking out. Then this girl makes the comment: that a 3^rd year grad student told her that she shouldn’t try to read it all. No one ever reads everything. Two guys in the group concur. They’ve been told the same thing.

Ok. So… what exactly is the point of doing this? This is exactly how I came up with that weird sentence at the beginning of my post. Compensation. They are compensating for the lack of specialization. But of course, it can’t be like this all three years!! I’m taking introductory courses, but I HOPE the general nature of these classes will not stretch out into infinite existence….

Ok.. I’m exaggerating. In the near future, when classes are bit more focused… hehe…next year.. uh, yeah... reading assignments will then be meticulously studied… and the students will be merry once again. our personal sense of intellectual fulfillment will return...

No no… the girl interrupts me (yeah… I told them. I was trying to be ..uh…encouraging?). The reading assignments will continue to grow in length and difficulty, of course. She’s been told so… by the wiser, more knowledgeable 3^rd.. and 4^th.. and 5^th year students. Oh Lord. I will again have to explain to myself that there is a completely rational cause for the disproportionate, unachievable reading expectations. I didnt tell them that.

So… The plan. Im waking up as early as I possibly can. I am reading all day, except when I am in class, and I will restrict my social activities to board games with the HDS peeps on Tuesday nights…

Yes. We played board games today. After such a conversation, my brain sort of gave up. I decided that after staying at home all of last week, and after reading ALL day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I need to stare at something else other than the monitor of this thing.

And finally, siiiiiiiiii, I will pick and choose too. I will admit I am not capable of reading so much. I hate admitting to it, but I’m going to have to be realistic. I'm not finishing my readings as it is. So I’m going to read what I believe to be the core readings of each class (meaning I will choose what NOT to read... as opposed to ending the day with the realization that I didn't ever get to the important text) and I’m going to try to enjoy this. I'm not going to spend the time going over that last Tertullian "book." I'm going to sleep. Heck. Im going to get more organized, and I'm going to enjoy school.

That’s my main concern: Will “enjoying” grad school get me in trouble? It certainly has so far. Taking my time has most definitely thrown me back. I need to find a way to both enjoy this and keep up with the work.

I've been high on school this week. lost in the impracticalities of extended studies. I am officially in rehabilitation mode.

FOTOS :D!!

Ok... so this is all messed up... LoL...
I loaded them up in the wrong order... and now I dont know where exactly THIS text is going to go.... but anyways.... That's us..... in the park, in North Station, in my apartment (see the broken cake? I'm such a great cook!
see the PJs? Yeah... enjoy it... that's the LAST time you see me without my makeup... LoL...) And that's us at a church, and then us in front of the funky bridge we liked. Q says it loooks like a wish bone... hehehehhe....
So yeah... we had fun... lots and lots and lots of fun. I made a few serious attempts to convince him that he should miss his plane and stay a week longer... or a month... or a year.. you get my drift...

So now life is back to studying from 6am till 12am... and waiting around for my family and for Q to get online.... jijiiji....

Hola Mami

Pues hoy ha sido un dia bastante normal.... pero ayer me llego la caja ke mando papa!!! con los dulces y mi blusa con el agila y el "Hecho en Mexico" y con mis pinturas y la cosa esa del mole (yuuujuuuu!!) y ....
CON EL ESCUDO!!!! Que bonito ke se ve!!!! muchos tenkius.....!!!
Hmmmm.... creo ke la unica keja ke tengo es ke cortaron la tela super cerca del dibujo, y pues ahora como le hago para impedir ke se desboronen los hilos??? nimodo ke coser sobre el escudo! pero no importa ni un pokito.... me dio mucho gusto ke me llegara :) jejeje... esa no me la esperaba....
tambien me dio gusto ke me mandaran el mini-stretcher.... ke bueno porke aunke me mandaron mis pinturas, pues no tenia en donde pintar! jiji.... oyes... dile a Misa ke no sea rata, ke me regrese mis pinceles! muajajaja.... bueno, no se... tal vez el no los tenga... jiji....
Este... pues Q (Quijote... mi nin~o chulo bonito... aunke la Q me recuerda todo menos Quijote... jiji.... le tengo ke buscar un sobrenombre mas cortito ke Minino... bueno ... Quijote) se fue ayer en la man~ana.... y pues ahora se siente medio raro ke no este... en cuestion de una semana (o menos!) me acostumbre a ke estuviera aki otra vez y pues... bueno... esta medio triste el asunto.... Si Dios quiere viene en Thanksgiving.... aunke ojala no fuera el unico.... Ama' !!
Hoy tuve un Quiz de Griego... y me fue bien, con exepcion del vocabulario... jeje... pero pues estuve estudiando anoche hasta las 2 de la manana.... no por estudiosa... mas bien por lo contrario: sali de clase a las 5 y regrese al apartamento y me puse a "estudiar" despues de la cena... y pues nada. no me podia concentrar! asi ke me fui y me sente en la cocina a tomarme el te (muy a tiempo tambien, justo a las 7) y me puse a leer un libro... y luego regrese y checke mi email.... y luego trate de estudiar... y no podia!! bueno... asi me fui como hasta las 9... y luego Q me llamo... y bueno... ya despues de eso me senti mejor. el caso es ke no empeze a estudiar hasta ke me entraron los nervios del quiz... a eso de las 10.30!!! Espantoso. Ya se. Es un horror. No se porke pero me senti rara todo el santo dia.
en fin, pues hoy fue horrible despertarme a las 6 (bueno... 6.20) para ponerme a estudiar otra vez... y zaz! ke no andaba tan mal! *yujuu* de algo me sirvio repetir las listas esas ke me dieron... jeje... Y bueno... tuve clase a las 9, y luego a las 11, y luego a las 12 me vine a comerme mi pizza (calentada en el microondas de la escuela, sobre una hoja de cuaderno porke meti la pizza en una bolsita de esas de zip y se me olvido traerme un plato de papel o aunke sea una servilleta! jajajaja... ) y a escribirte :D (eso es una carita sonriendo... los dos puntos son los ojos y la D es la boca... ves? y esto :) es una sonrisa con la boquita cerrada.... y :P es alguien sacando la lenguita asi como ke jugando, como cuando dices algo cura..jijjiji.... los ves??)
Ahorita en unos minutines empieza mi clase de la 1, y asi se me va a ir en clases hasta las 5 (por lo ke decidi ke hoy no iba a pedir trabajo en la escuela. ya ves ke puedo escoger cuando trabajar) y luego me voy a mi cuartito a leer todo lo ke no lei este fin de semana. muajajaja.... ahora en la noche te llamo para contarte porke esta cosa la esta leyendo Q *insertar risita perversa tipo A --A de Abigail*.
Muajaja....

bueno... ya me tengo ke ir a mi clase. I luv youuuuuuuuu!!!

So yeah....

Q is gone...
But it was a wonderful, wonderful couple days...
hope he sends the pics soon :)
jiji...

Mami Chula

Mami... te hice una cuenta. Tu nombre es Mamychula y tu clave es la misma ke la del email de papa.
Luv you! a ver si asi te apuntas... jijijiji.... muaajajajajja... ya no tienes escusas.....

oh... y cuando pongas un comentario, puedes hacer click en tu nombre para ver tu pagina. yo escribi "direcciones" sobre como usar esto.

Oh...

and Greek is kicking my butt. did I mention it already? thought I'd say it... since it's been occupying my mind like 80% of the time...

Heroes... and real heroes... and prayers...

Has anybody seen the show?
saw a 2 min trailer while waiting for Q to get online.... and I loved it! LoL... I don't actually have the time to watch an episode right now... jiji... but I shall make the time to see it (on nbc.com) sometime next week.... they show the last episode online! how cool is that?
Q, amor, I have got to change that abbreviation... Q has another meaning for me... and it's weird having all this complicated academic info lurking out from the back of my mind every time I see that letter... hmm... M is taken... hmmm... how about R? sort of taken too, huh? I'll think about it...

So... speaking of heroes --well... real heroes this time-- I'd like to make an announcement: My parents are amazing. They are the wisest, most loving, most fully accomplished people I have ever met. No particular reason, really, for that last random thought. Today I've been thinking of how amazed I am at the huge blessing they represent... It's just so awesome to know that the two people I've always looked up to, always wanted to be like, are my parents. A warm, fuzzy feeling I wanted to share :)

And well, in good old Orthodox tradition: Prayers for my baby nephew, who had a bit of a problem last night. He's ok now... out of the hospital and everything... but it was "quite a scare," as Mom said.. and of course for my sister, who must still be a bit upset..
And for Mom... who's working hard not to let ALL the stuff that's going on at home and work keep her from finishing her teacher certification. She's been getting all A+, my friends... this whole time. that's like a 5.0 on a 4.0 scale. I'm not kidding. She is so amazing. Mom, if you are reading this... TE AMO!!

I *heart* the Internet

Been talking to Misael on the instant messenger thingy lately. Definitely brightens my day. I love the internet!! I just wish Mom would get online sometimes too ... jiji.... but yeah, hopefully she'll come visit for Thanksgiving... miss her lots... Dad says she's been working too much. Mom... stop! lol... right... like she'd listen to me... hehe...
So I've decided I'm gonna bring my kids to see me. I think if I'm gonna have to pay interest on this money, I might as well spend it right. I want them to visit... spend some time where I'm staying at... have some fun... see the city... yup. Gotta bring them here at some point :D Jiji... so... I'm thinking maybe in the summer, before I go home for the break? jeje.. got some planning to do :P




Hm... well... on the silly side of life, I got this little poem from one of my professors... she put it in a little handout she gave out the first day of class. FUH-NNey! LoL... I thought it was beautiful, though... hehe...


The Writing on the Refrigerator

I am leaving you.
I am leaving you for someone
who will not let the milk go bad.

Someone who won't be seduced
By supper-quick-cake-mix
Or potatoes in a box.

Someone who will kiss me after onion soup.

I want someone
who finds smoked mozzarella sweet.

Someone who will squeeze roasted garlic
out of purple skins
that slide between our fingers,
and after that,
will lick my hands clean
because washing would be sacrilegious

I am leaving you for all of this.
I have taken all the spices, the cookbooks,
the lacquered chopsticks and non-stick skillet.

My keys are on the table.
Dinner is in the oven.

~Alexis Gargaliano.


Aww... hehe..

Flores :)

I wasn't going to brag, but he's talked about it...jiji... so .....
Aren't they gorgeous? :D ! He sent one after the another.. after another.. a wonderful week full of surprises, like that wonderful week last September. I do love surprises... a "stroke of genius," he said it was.. hehe... it sure swept me off my feet.

and... hm.. I ate the fruit, sweetie... jiji... aaand the cheese... gone already. I took pics before eating it, only not with the webcam, so I have to wait till I finish the film and get it developed. jeje....

So yes, friends... This is the wonderful, sweet, thoughtful man I've fallen for :)

It's September Again

Es Septiembre Otra Vez


“Escribiré,” dije en septiembre,
“Una disculpa, por cada locura
Que te he hecho pasar”

Lo sé…
Que es septiembre otra vez,
Y no, no me disculpé
Por el delirio, el caos, el desvarío,
..........Yo lo sé…

Sé que mi advertencia,
Se ha ido a la incoherencia,
Que pierdo el equilibrio
..........Y sin redención.
Que pongo a prueba la inocencia,
La mía, la tuya, y la prudencia
Sin disculpas, sin cordura,
..........Y luego cambio de opinión.

Pero, mi amor, entiende:
No puede disculparse,
Un corazón, y públicamente,
..........O no, mi amor,
No puede disculparse,
Ni por error, un corazón
Que no lo siente,
..........Y no lo siento, amor.

Y es septiembre otra vez…
Amor, y otra vez doy pasos
-de salsa o no- y sus
..........Recuerdos, ya son añejos
Son tuyos, son nuestros;
Y tuyo cada beso, aún si me alejo,
Y hasta la galleta en el suelo…
..........…y no lo siento, amor.

No puedo disculparme
Si finalmente me besaste,
Si no sólo el cielo, sino hasta la curiosidad
..........Si mi mente,
Cambió de color drásticamente.
Si amor, de noche platicamos
Si caminamos, si hasta bailamos,
..........Si nos quemamos… no lo siento, amor.

Si es septiembre otra vez,
Y mi árbol por conocido
Logra explicar con su vejez
..........sus ramas alrevez
O su belleza alocada,
Como la mía ( ¿tal vez?)
Y a la vez serena, amor,
..........como tu fuerza, ¿recuerdas? Pues, no lo siento, amor.

Amor, no lo siento,
Si me has ganado el aliento,
El duelo, el queso! Amor, el vuelo, el o…
..........Y déjame te explico
Que un corazón,
No puede disculparse, amor,
Si no lo siente…
..........Y no lo siento, amor.

No puede disculparse
Mi corazón, si finalmente,
Si llegaste y el tempo, el son,
..........Por fin cambió
Si no me importan las veredas en la madrugada,
Si me da igual el bar, balcón, el restauran…
Si es de menos donde nos vemos,
..........Mientras te tenga,
..........Amor, lo siento
..........Pero no me puedo disculpar.

necesito odiar a alguien!!

Harvard has just reduced my student loan to 1/3 of the original amount. lol. I saw no small captions saying "subject to change without previous notice"on the master promisory note.
But yeah. It's International student policy. Only 2,500 a semester. I pay close to $700 on rent. Demonios! Aun con el trabajo... de donde se supone que saque para comida... transporte... libros... POR QUE no me dijeron antes? Me hubiese quedado en casa!!!
I'd like to hate on the US' illogical ideas against international students. I know a lot of my friends are from the US. but I'm getting sick of immigration issues. this is too much.
I am so mad. I wish I were home..

oh. wow. I'm so out of the loop..

So I got an email from a frat brother...
oh gosh... made me feel so out of the loop...

it's the "itinerary" for the Rush party..


"7 PM Dinner
9 PM Martini Ranch
11 PM Babalu's
2 AM Cuquita's
4 AM Afterset
7 AM Back to Cuquita's for breakfast!!

That's how we roll........"

I'd just like to say that I feel old. LoL.
3 days short of a year ago, I was writing blogs at 3.30 in the morning. Yes. very important blogs too.

Now most of my blogs are typed between 6 and 10pm.
LoL. Im older than my fraternity married with children friends.

ok. back to the books :P

Pretty much settled...

SoOooo... winter hasnt started yet (though it will...very very soon), and I feel like Im pretty much settled. my room is starting to feel like home, I've chosen my classes, I've been getting to know the roomies, I've gotten IBM to fix my keyboard (or at least to say they will), and I've gotten all of my paperwork in for the bank. I even got a job... jiji... a very well paid job too: $14 and hour, for setting up computer equipement (which takes, what? 15 min when its real complicated?) and I get to choose which specific jobs I want to do out of a schedule...
aaah... it's a nice feeling...
Ah! LoL..!! it just started raining. jaja... had to happen :p!
hm... well... aside from some bad news Ive gotten from one of my friends (now I know what B meant in that blog, that friends' trouble usually affect us too) and the fact that Grandma still won't pick up the phone, everything else has gone pretty well. school gets more interesting by the minute... a lot of reading... but ah well... Im not minding it quite yet... and Im learning Greek! cool cool stuff...
I also got a really nice call from Roomba Mom giving me good news. I really appreciate it it! I used to brag about Quijote... now I don't know if I brag more about him our about you guys. jiji..
Hm.. well... its been a crazy week... its been a crazy month...
I have fallen asleep in class already... I've drank someone else's coffee... I've gotten lost in a 30ft long building...
I've also tried to get to Office Depot on my own. I went online and got directions. Bus, subway, then bus again, then walk... according to the directions. but I decide to skip the first bus and take the subway. Oh surprise... I get lost. :P I always do... grr... So a security guard gave me directions... ah...Lord... well... he tried writing on the same paper where I had my directions but his pen wouldnt work on that paper... so he used another paper. I went ahead and took the subway again (he let me in so I didnt have to pay...jiji) and after an hour I was at the last station. woohoo... but not for long. that's when I realized he had kept the directions I had wrote. so with no address, and not remembering what bus to take there, I rode the subway back and after another hour and a half, I was home. Very productive day :P!!

I was very productive the other night though... got a tentative plan for my MDiv all figured out *Imagine the Lord laughing full heartedly at me*
I think I'm doing my 2nd year paper on Paul's socio-political biases and its effect on the hmm... building?.. of Orthodoxy... Still pretty general... but I have abit to think about it. soOoOooo... Im doing Greek and Early Christianity courses... and starting the reading right away...
As for the thesis... well.. Im even more iffy about that one :P Thinking about doing something on the Apocryphal Jesus... "The Silenced Jesus" I want to call it ...lol... I have a title and Idont know what the paper is going to be...jiji... but yeah... something on how (and WHY) the Church has silenced the Historical Jesus by editing so many of His sayings. Maybe too negative as it is now.. but I just want to go into how the Church built its conception of Jesus... I think we still pick and choose... and I think its a fascinating little tendency... and I think it was a lot to do with the claims we like to make about us being the One and Only Church....
ok...
jeje...
Minino is off the phone...
:P

Im exhausted.

Dead tired.
Orientation from 8am-6pm or 7…or 8.
Every day.
For a week.

It’s a bit overwhelming.

I may be somewhat of a social person, but Ive come to the conclusion that I can only be politely social for so long --especially when I’m brain dead :P
In any case, I do suppose it’s better to have too much information than to have too little…
Jeje…

And the people around school are nice; I like my roommates; and even more relieving (I think…maybe this isn’t such great news, but still…great to know), there are about a hundred classes that fit my idea of the perfect course. Amazing, fascinating subjects. In-depth study. Professors who wrote half the books on my shelf. Great stuff.

So today I have to finish cleaning my room. And I have some emails to send, and definitely lots of academic planning to do.

So yeah… exhausted… but I’ve still got a lot of work to do before I can start enjoying the new surroundings… jeje…

.:: Last Day Home ::.

Im leaving to Boston tomorrow....
it's a weird feeling.
last night I dreamt I was going to undergrad in harvard and everyone was litterally from outerspace. weird thing it wasnt ME the one looking funny... but I sure was the one feeling funny.
strange dream...

Uncle Daniel is throwing a dinner party for me tonight... should be fun. I loved that he invited everyone "So we can pray for her together before she leaves"
I am going to miss them a lot.

leaving lots of stuff at home... hehe... making sure they dont turn my room into an office or something!! lol... naw... I just happen to have a weight limit... Moving all of your stuff in an airplane is definitely not the best idea. But Im not driving there. LoL. ooooh gosh... no. not driving there.

Dad is coming with me. Im so relieved. At least Ill be dropping someone else at the airport at some point. I seem to be the only one in this family that always has to leave. I havent left yet and I already feel the urge to come back home.

So... Mom and I are leaving to the grocery store to buy stuff for my favorite dish. Pollo (chicken) a la Poblana (with chile Poblano sauce). Great stuff. I can make it for you guys some day.

Last day home. Cant believe its happening...

I am amazed

at the fact that I have my student visa.

:D

Rated I

--- for International students without a REAL full scholarsip only :P

Well... international or not, you do not want to read this. Just skip over to the last part :) !!

In the middle of June, I received a letter from Harvard telling me I had not returned a certain form yet, and that they needed it in order to issue an I-20 (the I-20 is the document that proves you have been accepted to a US private school and have proven your financial ability to cover the living and tuition expenses. All prospective international students need it, along with their passport, to get a student visa from the US Immigration office).

Ah well. I have two months to do it. It took a week to get my I-20 for undergrad.

The form had supposedly been sent through the mail (I should have gotten it in May!) but it never got here, so I had to ask for it again. It got here at the very end of June. I was filling it out when I realized that Alas! there is another problem. A year’s worth of living expenses has to be in my bank account ahead of time. Since I had a full scholarship for college, I didn’t even know it. Well, it turned out I have to prove I have 18 grand before they give me my I-20. Uh, I don’t have that. So I start calling banks, sending emails… blah blah blah… and finally find a few banks I like. I apply for a couple student loans. It´s taken me two weeks and suddenly it’s the middle of July.

That was my first mistake. I should have made my choice sooner. I shouldn’t have waited around to see if my church would continue to give me a scholarship… or if I could get a scholarship somewhere else…

But I did make my choice. I applied. A week or so later the banks tell me I need a co-signer. Another one. It has to be an American citizen. Oh gosh. I should have known that. Dad calls his Mom. Grandma gladly accepts to co-sign it. We were going to see her in San Antonio the week after, so instead of mailing the paperwork to her, I wait till I get there to have her sign. Second big mistake. I should have just faxed it to her. But we get to San Antonio she signs the stuff, and my cousin faxes the form to Harvard (now that I have SOME bank info) and the applications (the second set already!!) to the banks…. And he takes his time too… and he keeps a copy of my information… and of grandma´s. Not cool. Even if he’s my cousin. Aaaaaand it’s already the end of July.

The first week of August is gone… I haven’t heard anything from the banks. I call them. The first three or four calls are completely useless. No one knows anything yet, or my status is still pending… nothing. So I send emails. I send a letter on the mail! I call two or three times more. Finally someone tells me they are waiting for me to send my passport , my visa, and my I-20 so that they can continue with the process. WHAT??? You said I did not have to have a visa if I’m getting the loan so I can get the visa! Oh well. I fax a copy of my passport from Mexico. I get on a plane, and I get to see Quijote and complain to someone. Poor thing heard half of this already… I’m already thinking I might not get the loan.

Maybe I´ll just get a job and follow Quijote around. Or I’ll just run off to Madrid or something. Ah well. Didn’t want to go to Harvard anyways. Rather keep my butt warm.

So on my birthday I call the banks and one of them says they didn’t get the fax. We fax a second copy . By this time I have a conditional letter of approval from one of them. I had to call and have them email it to me. The website wouldn’t work. But Yay. Not doing so bad. They are giving me a horrible interest rate margin, but it’s still a loan. I call Harvard. They say a conditional letter of approval is not enough. Oh gosh. At the end of the week, though, I call the other bank again and they say I’ve been approved, and Harvard has my information. They cannot give me any info. Not even the rate. Grrreat….

I come back home the second week of August. I call Harvard. They don’t have my information. Strange. I call the bank. No info either. What the heck?? One of them tells my I don’t even have an application in there. SHOULD HAVE TWO!!!!! Finally the bank tells me I’m actually not approved. I am pre-approved. Conditionally approved. They too need my I-20.

So I need the loan to get the I-20, and I need my I-20 to get the loan. I call Harvard again (a few times, and I email them as well… I bug them for a week or so) and they tell me they can’t help. The person who is in charge will be out of the office until August 22. I have my Immigration interview on the 29^th.

I am in big, big trouble.

Maybe I shouldn’t have gone out for my birthday, or gone to San Antonio… or maybe I should have stolen back my papers from my cousin’s office, or should have found a co-signer that lived in El Paso… Maybe I should have called more, emailed more or something… maybe I should have not slept or eaten that whole month until I got things done. Ok. Maybe not that. But, uh… how many mistakes is that? …. I lost track already.

So the person at Harvard´s Registrar’s office gets there on the 22^nd, and reads the 30-something emails she got from me. Sends me an email saying I should send the Conditional Approval letter from the bank. I call the bank of my choice (the one that had said they had no info) and get them to send it to my uncle’s fax. Then she says I need a bank statement so she can count my savings. I go to El Paso, get the bank statement, and I send the fax.

She sends me an email saying she will talk to their liaison in the International office, and the next day she tells me they have accepted my papers. It’s a miracle. They will send my I-20 the next day. I have a few days left before my interview. There is hope!!

So on Thursday I get an email from the person in the International Office giving me a tracking number. He has FedEx-ed it and it should get there on Friday. It’s not there on Friday, so I try to track it… the number doesn’t work!! No reply to my emails. The Harvard man is out for the weekend.

My address in El Paso is not my address really. It’s the address of Mexam, a company that receives mail and then crosses it over to Juarez for us. It’s a great option for businessmen (and PASTORS) who have no time to cross the border every time they need to pick up a package. So, needless to say, I spent the entire weekend waiting for the office of Mexam to open so I could find out about my I-20.

This morning Dad and I went to El Paso, straight to the office of Mexam. But while we looked for it, Mom called Dad-- told him she was close to the Mexam offices in Juarez and asked if she should go in and ask about it. Dad immediately said yes.

The I-20 was there. Wooohoo!!

So Dad and I crossed the border and met up with Mom for breakfast. I am the happiest girl on earth.

I went back home afterwards, made the visa payment online; then I found my passport, went to Banamex, and made the payment in the bank. I am done.

I have my immigration interview tomorrow at 8am.

And then I will be done. It will be up to the US embassy after that. After tomorrow around 2 o’clock or so, I’ll just have some waiting to do. Takes them 3 or 4 days to decide.

But heck. I feel so much better now. I can get my airplane ticket now. And pay my long distance calls. LoL.

w00t w00t

So yesterday they told me that they'd accept my papers... w00t w00t! The I-20 has been or will be sent, and now I'm just waiting around, hoping to God I'll get the document in the mail before the 29th. So yeah... say a prayer for me if you pray (good grief, even if you don't!) cuz I really need this to work out so I can get my student visa and get to Harvard on time....

uff...


well... other from that... no news really...

oh.. Janie... uh... is it my server that isnt working or is it the webpage to your blog? It won't let me go in...

Abi's birthday is today!!!

..........aaaaaaaaaand she has already celebrated... but now it is time to make a cake... yup... good idea... lets make a cake... :-D

The lost will be found...

So Mom came back home bearing great news! You should have seen her face...

Three Mexican fishermen survived 9 months in the open sea... they were found close to Australia... just a few days ago... but they ALL survived! Can you imagine what a rough journey that was? they travelled across the Pacific Ocean, from Nayarit Mexico all the way to Taiwan in a small fishing boat... with no rations. they drank rain water and ate duck and fish. and they survived. for freakin 9 months!!
But they did have a Bible and their faith... and even their sense of humor :) ...which I have not been able to translate.. sorry... no word for "arrimarse" that would get the joke across...

Such great news... I love to hear about stories like this... I think we often forget that miracles still happen. Just imagine what amazing news this was for their families. They had probably already accepted their deaths... and then they had their brother, their husband, their dad.. come back to life! How happy I would be to see hope coming back ... God returning to me someone I love. hehe... how happy I'd be for God to return ME back to those I love..


So... for those who can read a part of the article:

Los pescadores fueron rescatados el 9 de agosto por un barco pesquero de Taiwán, declaró Eugene Muller, director de la compañía propietaria del pesquero taiwanés, con sede en la capital de las Islas Marshall, Majuro.

“Estaban flacos y hambrientos pero sanos”, explicó Muller al señalar que los mexicanos lograron sobrevivir en su embarcación capturando peces voladores y bebiendo agua de lluvia.

Muller identificó a los pescadores rescatados como Salvador Ordóñez Vásquez, Jesús Eduardo Vidaña López y Lucio Randon Bacerra.

“Comíamos gaviotas crudas, comíamos patos crudos, comíamos pescado. Comíamos todo crudo (...) pescado que se arrimaba, pescado que agarrábamos para comer”, relató Vidaña desde el barco pesquero que les rescató para explicar cómo lograron sobrevivir todo ese tiempo.

Por momentos tenían comida para dos o tres días seguidos y en otros no probaban bocado durante varias jornadas consecutivas.

“Nunca perdimos la esperanza porque arriba hay un Dios todopoderoso y tengo mucha fe en él y yo sabía que Él nos iba a ayudar”, dijo Vidaña.

from El Diario website http://www.diario.com.mx/servicios/hemeroteca/nota.asp?notaid=670a34830dae08fe78ee236fec8ad940

.....back from Dallas....

So I am back home... yuju.... it does feel good to be back... despite all the strange little feelings I get from having spent to much time with the boy and then being back on my own most of the time. This long distance thing is very scary for me, and having been able to see him almost once a month did help me ease into it. I realize it wont be as easy for us to travel when school starts. but it is SO amazingly great to just see him. Makes me happy :) jeje...

But... Im home... and its nice to sleep in my own bed. Hehe. I always miss it when I stay over at someone elses' place. Aleks was an amazing host though... as always. I loved being her roommate again, despite having to wake up at 8am again.jiji. she made a little cake... from scratch...!! on my birthday... and we all had cake and talked for a good while and I sort of forgot about the movie we were supposed to see that night... hehehe... but we saw it the next day... jiji... and it wasnt as great as I thought itd be... but it was good... it was good...

I spent a whole day with Janie... we ate wings... and we shopped around... and drove around... and saw her parents... and took Dunking Doughnuts to her boyfriend... and had a lot of fun just talking about things... it was amazing. I love girls days out... fun, fun times. I missed her so much!

Fernando is doing well... he's still in love with his bike... I think its sooooo cute.... hehehe.... and he's working hard... and I think he might be back with Aleks? you never know with them. I have stopped asking...

The A-Psi peeps are all doing well too... not much to say about them really... other than we had a little dinner on friday and we had a good time. I think I was expecting more people to show up... so it did affect me a little bit that only two alumni showed up... and no one from the AA Line. a little sad. but well.. we did change locations last minute... and like 3 times before that... so its not just their fault... hehe... and we still had an amazing time... all of us... eating away and just talking... just being there... good times... good times.

I had a small airport tragedy... hehhe...
My sister forgot I was coming in yesterday. And she got her purse stolen... with her passport in it... so she couldnt have picked me up anyways. I took a cab to the border and my uncle Pancho picked me up from there. LoL... ah... it is always fun to travel.

Still trying to get my I 20 from Harvard. grr... this will never be over....

We're OK :)

Hi everyone....
So Ive been getting emails from people worrying about the rain here at home... and I just wanted to let you all know that we're doing great : ) Most of the rain fell a few days ago, and we are now pretty much dry ...
As with any unexpected rain, some destruction did happen (not my house.. hehe.. this one's pretty well built) but it is very minimal. No major drawbacks for what I've heard. Just.. huh.. lots of water out of place. But as I said, most unwanted water is gone. The good news is we'll have water (for sure, if average water usage doesnt go up) at least until 2012... we have an extra three years worth of water! Isn't that amazing? It is if you live in the desert :P
.......... so... yup... we're doing pretty darn well... woo hoo for rain! : P

Sad news

Skwiki is no longer with us.

We're afraid he's been stolen away... we looked for him, still, for hours..

Abi is not doing very well... I'm very, very mad.

They better take good care of him. I really do hope they will.

Recontando...

Ok... tal vez Dios esta inconsolablemente triste despues de todo. No deja de llover!! Tres dias van ya! La lluvia tal vez no sea tan buena en estas cantidades. Estan evacuando Anapra. !Esto es un pequeño diluvio! Estamos medio inundados... parece que existe la posibilidad de que corten los servicios... han cerrado varias calles... pronto prenderemos las velas con un poco de temblor...
Esto es tan extraño... ¿Que demonios esta pasando?

"El cielo esta cansado ya de ver/ La lluvia caer/ Y cada día que pasa es uno mas/ Parecido a ayer"

Esa fue Shakira... en sus tiempos de poetiza.. Ahora es seguidora de masas.. una evolución extraña. Igual... creo que el cielo esta cansado, pero satisfecho. Ha estado lloviendo... lloviendo... lloviendo... Dicen que la lluvia es llanto divino. El Señor debe estar delirantemente contento o inconsolablemente triste. Han llovido mares. Personalmente creo que son lágrimas de felicidad; no pueden ser gotas de amargura las que traen tanta bendición. ¡Es época de lluvia! En los alrededores de esta enorme ciudad, los campesinos alaban a Dios… rezan en la catedral del centro… prenden velas con manos temblorosas, pero no de temor. Es el gozo de tener un poco de lo que siempre falta.

Ojala no necesitase escasez alguna para agradecer a Dios por todo lo que tengo. He estado tan preocupada por mi joven economía y por la posibilidad que ésta ha causado de no poder ir a la universidad el próximo año, que poco a poco me he olvidado de disfrutar el verano… ¿Qué querría hacer si no tuviese tiempo libre? Querría usarlo para estar aquí. Querría no tener que hacer nada. Querría hacer las cosas poco a poco, sin prisa... sin necesidad de efectividad alguna. Y eso es lo que he hecho. Y tampoco me ha gustado mucho. ¿Por qué será? Creo que quiero estar ocupada cuando estoy aquí y tener más tiempo cuando estoy fuera. Me aburro aquí y me canso allá. Necesito un balance. Quizá debería quedarme en Boston alguna vez durante algún verano y estar por mi cuenta con todo este tiempo. Venir a visitar a mi familia gran parte del tiempo, pero quedarme un poquito sola un mes.. Tal vez sea capaz de disfrutarlo un poco mas… no sé. Hay que intentarlo.

En el primer piso se escuchan las voces del noticiero. Raúl Castro Cruz tiene el poder! Cuba tiene vicepresidente… y éste tiene el poder. ¡Qué cosas! Cuba, otra vez sin elecciones. Hablando de escasez… En todo caso, es hora de apreciar... de agradecer y apreciar.. y sacar ventaja del momento y sus bendiciones. Hm... me pregunto dónde se puede comprar hena..

Es hora de salir. El tiempo está hermoso afuera.

San Antonio Pics :-)

Ok... we got the pictures!! yay... lol... well... some of them, at least... More to come later... when we find that cd... lol...

Click here to see the ones I have so far :-P

Ya necesito que la escuela empieze.

Me estoy volviendo loca!!

No luck with those pictures yet.
School starts on the 14th... International Orientation on the 11th. Im getting there the first week of September. Cant wait to have something productive to do. I really do think home has some type of soporific effect on me. Been feeling yucky lately... I get nothing done here. I just really dont feel like it. And then I complain about being bored. Women. LoL....

Still waiting on the bank to get back to me on the loan thing... how long does it normally take them?

Pretty excited about visiting the boy and my friends in Dallas... I'm also turning 22 soon. I feel I should be 15 or something. A friend of mine has her birthday on August 7, so we'll be celebrating together... the weekend after, but still, together. We're rounding the peeps up.. we're hitting Dallas by surprise... LoL.. Eating and dancing... that's all we do :-P Two of very few things that just never get old..

The more I think about this, the least convinced I feel about this whole adult thing. Lol.. it seems so terribly overrated. I know it's coming... the enemy of age is lurking around the corner... darn this maturity clause... A veces quiciera salirme de todo esto, y olvidarme de que hay una realidad... y correr... y dejar las cosas que "debo" hacer atras... muy muy atras... seria terrible... y sinembargo el sentimiento no me deja. No logro sacarme de la cabeza que quiero ser egoista alguna vez y huir de todo. salir corriendo... viajar fisica y emocionalmente, y dejarlo todo atras. jaja... maybe I shouldnt have gone to Spain... People: do not go to Europe. o si van... despilfarren todo... jaja... desintoxiquense...

gone to find something to do with myself... school really needs to start soon.

This blogging thing...

On September 15th of 2005, I wrote the following post:

Posting something personal for the first time.
I made a new friend a couple weeks ago. He has introduced me to this blogging idea, and I have to admit I find it to be quite a challenging experience. An online journal is just that: a public record of one's personal life. I have had a journal before. I'm just a little concerned about making it public. I am unsure as to how open I can be, since I will be writing with the constant awareness that I might actually have an audience... pretty scary. Yet at the same time I realize that this might help me organize my thoughts and stay true to myself. After all, life itself is public, and perhaps a little insight will explain a lot. I've always believed in transparency, but aren't we all subject to interpretation? Two warnings: First, I write both in English and Spanish. It makes it easier for me, and after all, I think I am writing this for purely selfish reasons : ) ... for me, for my friends, for my family... if you were meant to know it, you'll probably hear it from me before realizing you need a Spanish-English dictionary. And second: please, take it all with a grain of salt. This is, after all, a first-person point of view, and is charged with all the pros and cons of an insider's perspective.So there, that's my introduction. I'm going to try to concentrate on my essay now. I'm still wondering what my main argument for this paper really is... and believe me, that's not a good thing.

I've been thinking about this blogging thing for a while now. When I first started blogging, I had a completely different approach to it than I do now.. I didn't actually have an audience, to start with, and I didn't truly expect to have one (at least not other than my amazing friend Janie, who had been blogging for a while, and my new "friend," to whom I felt I could be completely honest from the very start). The idea of my blog was not to keep my friends updated. I can do that when I see them or talk to them on the phone. This was supposed to be a journal -one with the helpful, sobering restriction of a possible audience- but still a personal journal. I've found myself doing spellchecks lately.. and deleting strange-sounding phrases from my posts, fearing I've said something that might affect someone else. I've also found I don't enjoy blogging quite as much... or learn from it... or truly express things as I did before. I think I've become too aware of the public side of blogging and have forgotten that this is, after all, a journal. So I suppose this post is an experiment (if it doesnt work I'll just go back to normal journals.. God only knows what sort of trouble this thing might get me into)... some sort of a warning, maybe... that I'll try to go back to blogging for myself.. for ..purely ..selfish ..reasons ...again ..even if I'll share it with you. So I thought it might be a good idea to apologize beforehand for all the silly, unexplained, and inexplicable things I might say (or might have said already)... and for the Spanish.. and for all that stuff. If you have somehow been invited to this site, please take everything with a grain of salt ;) This is, after all, a first-person point of view, and is charged with all the pros and cons of an insider's perspective...