Pictures Around the Block

Today I took advantage of the sunny (but very cold) day and took a few pictures around the neighborhood.

A valiant plant not letting anything, even Shelf Fungus, get in its way.

A water droplet clinging onto our Japanese Maple.

Halloween Is Coming Early

Yesterday I was browsing through a craft store and gravitated toward the books.  Because books rock.  But one book that I found does not rock.  It's terrifying.  It's traumatizing.  It's mind raping.  It's Halloween on a book cover.

Moments later, Rosie could no longer suppress her hunger, and ate the children.

Really, who thought the cover, or anything about this book would be a good idea?  If a house had one of these laying around I would experience the same fear as if the house had guns laying on the table being cleaned and a blood stains on the table cloth.  With a serrated knife stuck into the table.

Rosie O'Donnell, you scare me.

The Christmas Aftermath

Christmas came and went, leaving behind debris of half eaten food and brightly colored wrapping paper.  Myself and my girlfriend took part in two Christmas celebrations.  I drove out to her house and spent the morning with her family going though my stocking, scratching lottery tickets (I won nine dollars) and cleaning up their house.  After, Amanda and I drove back into town to open presents with my family.

And now, for the stuff I got!

A Geoffrey Beene Sateen dress shirt, vibrant red and wonderfully smooth.  I love it.
A Van Heusen chocolate brown dress shirt with thin black pinstripes.  Ditto the above love.
Two pairs of super hero socks by Sock it to Me.

Four Days Till Christmas

Amanda is sleeping on the couch, curled up in a green blanket while I sip on some Yogi Fasting Tea.  The Christmas tree is close enough that I can reach out and touch its soft green needles and warm, pretty white lights.  Life is good. Despite the usual ups and downs of emotions and life, I know that life is good.

In five days my sister Emily along with her husband will be down here visiting, and we will be opening up whatever presents appear under the tree.

Mi Casa!

I'm home. :)

Friends Make the World Go Round

I had forgotten, or just not fully realized, how important good friends are.  Friends are one of the key elements that makes life fun.  Humor, personality, excitement, motivation, all of these are elements that friends add.

I'm in what many people would call an exotic nation with a budget enough to have a few small adventures, but I'm bored out of my mind and I can't wait to get back home.  Because all of my friends, the people I want to have adventures with, are home.  Sure I've made "friends" here, but no one that I want to, and no one that wants to, go on adventures.

Ah well.  I must make the most of my time down here, whatever that form is.  Even if it's laying around reading.  I've done more reading down here than I have in the past year.  It's been wonderful.  I just can't let Sarah and Rafa with their personalities and their thoughts on what I "should" be doing with my time bug me.

Ta-ta! I am off to do some reading! But this is not for pleasure, it's for my class. Blargh? Probably.  This textbook has four different authors, each one with a different voice.  One chapter will be some what fun to read, the next will be dry and boring.  It's a roller coaster, and not the fun type.

On Life, Books and Stone Farms

Finally the sun is starting to come out!  Perhaps now I will be able to dry my clothes.  They have been busy living in their own dampness for two days, so now they are on a quick wash cycle to get rid of that mildew that must have been partying, and then I can put them on the line.  As long as it does not rain...

Plenty of things have happened since the last time I posted.  Including a hiking trip that took me up to 16,000 feet, and a 12 mile downhill bike ride.  More recently though, Monday was a strange day.  I pretty much had an emotional break down, it was great!  I laid around eating chocolate, watching Dr. Who and alternating between sobbing and sleeping in bed.  Why?  BECAUSE YOU HATE ME, THAT'S WHY!  *cough*  No, that's really not why.  I'm not 100% sure, various different reasons.  But not to worry, that day is passed.

My First Post From Ecuador

So, I'm in Ecuador.  Shocking!  It's...pretty.  But it is 100% a different culture.  It's tough going into a new culture, and I knew that, but I had forgotten how tough.  The last two times I've suffered from culture shock my performance in school plummeted.  I almost failed the 5th grade the first time.  Luckily I know how to deal with culture shock a *little* bit better than when I was ten and twelve.  But only a little bit.

I'm taking Spanish classes, which are fun.  My instructor loves tequila, is Catholic, is very opinionated about drugs (against) and speaks decent enough English that we can understand each other.  But taking Spanish for 20 hours a week, with no class to hide in is very mentally and emotionally taxing.  Last week there was a day that by the end of the first hour I wanted to go into the bathroom and just cry.  But I didn't!  I've taken two weeks so far, and I can read bits and pieces of signs and childrens books and understand one or two spoken sentences that are spoken outside of the classroom.  But I can't yet speak much beyond asking how a person is.  Which is difficult and frustrating.  I can do so much while I'm down here, but in order to do the things I would like to do my Spanish needs to be at a much, much, much higher level.  Hopefully another three weeks will help to correct that.