Wow, spring break is looking VERY good right about now. (and i mean NOW). Alas, more week remains. i didn't know people could feel stretched so thin... yet somehow still be quite satisfied and blessed beyond imagination.
Today i went to class, did some PR work for the upcoming Deutscher Tanztee w/the German Club (April 27th, 6:30 pm, talk to me if you're interested), and watched the German film, "Das Leben der Anderen" or "The Lives of Others" if you speak American. Also i sent post to Mr. Kyle Warner, my parents, and some people across the globe. That was fun. How the day slips by, though! Grrrrr....
i'm sleepy.
27 March 2007
20 March 2007
End the entry famine!
Wow, what a dearth of entries by yours truly as of late! In order to break the dry spell, here are a few interesting things that i learned thanks to Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia. As an extremely fun game, let me know if you yourself had heard of these before or not!
clabber - a curdled (also soured or thickened) milk product, i.e. yogurt. According to freedictionary.com: Chiefly Southern, Midland, & Western U.S.
Dear Abby - an advice column begun in 1956 by Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips and currently written by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips. Both have used the pen name Abigail Van Buren in responding to queries in their column.
Autoharp - real name, "chorded zither." Likely German in origin. See Wikipedia.
redbud tree - one US variety of the genus Cercis which is apparently a subfamily of the pea family, hence the awesome pods and brilliant pea-flowerlike, er, flowers (did i say pink? yes, pink.)
An assitant pig-keeper - apparently a reference to a Lloyd Alexander book series in which one character, Taran, works as assistant pig-keeper in Caer Dallben among other locations. It seems there are many books in which this character appears (Prydain Chronicles?) and Prydain seems to be a domain similar to Narina, which Paterson also references when talking about Terabithia.
foundling - apparently Moses was one. In the book, if i recall correctly, Jess threatens to tell his baby sister that she was a foundling. How mean.
Also i made note of a few songs which Paterson either mentions or writes excerpts from. i hope to download or otherwise obtain them. They are:
Sing! Sing a Song
clabber - a curdled (also soured or thickened) milk product, i.e. yogurt. According to freedictionary.com: Chiefly Southern, Midland, & Western U.S.
Dear Abby - an advice column begun in 1956 by Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips and currently written by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips. Both have used the pen name Abigail Van Buren in responding to queries in their column.
Autoharp - real name, "chorded zither." Likely German in origin. See Wikipedia.
redbud tree - one US variety of the genus Cercis which is apparently a subfamily of the pea family, hence the awesome pods and brilliant pea-flowerlike, er, flowers (did i say pink? yes, pink.)
An assitant pig-keeper - apparently a reference to a Lloyd Alexander book series in which one character, Taran, works as assistant pig-keeper in Caer Dallben among other locations. It seems there are many books in which this character appears (Prydain Chronicles?) and Prydain seems to be a domain similar to Narina, which Paterson also references when talking about Terabithia.
foundling - apparently Moses was one. In the book, if i recall correctly, Jess threatens to tell his baby sister that she was a foundling. How mean.
Also i made note of a few songs which Paterson either mentions or writes excerpts from. i hope to download or otherwise obtain them. They are:
Sing! Sing a Song
Oh Lord, what a morning
Ah, lovely meadows
Free to be you & me
My Beautiful Ballon
Blowing in the Wind
22 January 2007
Slow January
Well, here we are, new year rung in and all'at. It seems it's been a while (again) since i've posted anything, but here's my best attempt to sum things up. My last post was really more of an early December thing, even bordering on Thanksgiving, so December ought to be covered too, i suppose:
Finished final exams *whew*! One of the hardest semesters yet, but not because of course load in terms of credits. Perhaps it was the most difficult in terms of time required because i took 3 literature classes, two Spanish and one German which amounts for a lot of reading and not so much practical skill building :( methinks i blogged on my frustration with this sometime last semester at least once. Anyway, i'm a slow reader as it is, so reading in a foreign language doesn't exactly make me any faster. Also, though i'm "pumping up my vocabulary" as my roommate so aptly put it, i'm not exactly learning the practical, day to day stuff i'd need to communicate well in a foreign country of the Spanish or German language persuasion. This is most frustrating, considering this is one of my main goals in language acquisition. Fortunately i'll at least have a Deutschkonversationsklasse this coming (my final) term. However, i will still have to take a German literature class, and i think i'm going to be auditing the second half of one literature class i took last semester (Culture and Literature of Latin America I), because i liked it, and also it might be one of my only chances to keep my Spanish in at least semi-working condition. So here we go. Part II. At least if i audit it i won't have to take any exams or write papers. But we'll see what happens. Also i'm taking French 101, so that c'est fantastique or something like that. Plus a human diversity class, which i still need for my GE.
Just prior to my rousing bout of exams, i went on a day trip to Rojo Gomez, Mexico with Rock Harbor. Then i worked the next week and enjoyed the Christmas festivities with Kirsten and her family (both sides). On Tuesday night my mom arrived, which was great because we got to hang out for a full day in Orange before having to leave for Rancho Bernardo and my housemate's home base in San Diego County. We were staying with him because we needed to meet at the San Diego Airport with the rest of the group who was going down to...Rojo Gomez of all places to build houses, give out shoes, food, clothes, household products and other goods to the folks down in Mejico. What a trip! It really stretched us all and was by far the best Mexico service trip i've been on yet. If you'd like to know more, ask me! Club Dust was the organization (.org) and highly recommended. Anyone want to go on their summer trip with me? They'll be posting the itinerary for the summer trip May 15th. Upon reentry into the US on December 31st, i got some sort of stomach bug/food poisoning from A's Burgers which led to me puking up until a few hours before the switch into 2007. At least i managed to stop long enough to enjoy viewing the film Footloose with my mom and Kirsten who had decided to go to Ricardo's while i was sleeping/barfing.
2007 has been good to me so far. Mostly i've been working and doing things around the house and going on dates with Kirsten and hanging out with my housemates. On Martin Luther King Jr. day i also got to hang out with the children of a certain professor whom i work for, which was quite fun. **I have a dream!** Kirsten even joined us three plus the dog and housemaid for a stroll around the neighborhood. :) In addition i was able to wrangle up a second job, though i haven't been able to work as many hours as a i would have liked--or rather, i haven't been able to earn as many extra clams as i would have liked. The not working a second job part is just fine by me! Free afternoons, Scrabble, Jeopardy. You know.
Kirsten and i were able to go up to San Jose for a quite short weekend trip to celebrate my Grandmother's birthday, and it was well worth it. As usual, i really needed to get up there. It had been 6 months since i'd seen my little brother, so it was good to see him even though it was only for a very short time. The good news is i'm flying out to visit him in Arizona for a long weekend in February. So anyway, Grandma, mom and dad, Travis, and Kirsten and i ventured up into The City to take a gander at the Titanic exhibit at the Metrion. It was pretty cool. Later we watched the Kate Winslet/Leo DiCaprio version of the movie (i found out there are at least 3 older ones). Mr. Kyle Warner later called me to inform me that he was strolling by the Metrion complete with Titanic ads in his new home city (!) which was rather special. Which reminds me...
With a heavy heart many of us Orangites had to say "so long, farewell, aufwiedersehen, goodbye" to our good island friend, Herr Kyle C. Warner. A party was held at Kirsten's residence and not surprisingly many were in attendance. A massive Apples to Apples session was held as well as a "let's all tell funny/cool/serious stories about Kyle and remind him how much he is loved" session. 'Twas a fun time had by most, i believe. (Do we really ever know if ALL had a good time at any given gathering?) We shall miss you greatly, sir. Enjoy San Francisco for us SoCal schmucks who can't at the moment.
Some other adventures include biking like a manic to and from my super part time second job and getting a free couch off the street with the help of a very friendly mejicano name Rafael (i even bought him lunch at Tacos Pepe and the owner recognized me and brought out some sweet T-shirts i'd ordered from him). Also Aro, Glines twins, Kirsten and i had a rad night of hanging out. Kirsten and i just started our premarital class at Rock Harbor and my discipleship group finally hammered down a good meeting time (praise the LORD), so yay!
Well, i'm getting pretty tired and i think that about covers it anyway.
"NOW IS THE TIME FOR COW!!!"
PS, i just gave my blog a major makeover, so let me know what you think! (Readability, ease of viewing, etc.)
Finished final exams *whew*! One of the hardest semesters yet, but not because of course load in terms of credits. Perhaps it was the most difficult in terms of time required because i took 3 literature classes, two Spanish and one German which amounts for a lot of reading and not so much practical skill building :( methinks i blogged on my frustration with this sometime last semester at least once. Anyway, i'm a slow reader as it is, so reading in a foreign language doesn't exactly make me any faster. Also, though i'm "pumping up my vocabulary" as my roommate so aptly put it, i'm not exactly learning the practical, day to day stuff i'd need to communicate well in a foreign country of the Spanish or German language persuasion. This is most frustrating, considering this is one of my main goals in language acquisition. Fortunately i'll at least have a Deutschkonversationsklasse this coming (my final) term. However, i will still have to take a German literature class, and i think i'm going to be auditing the second half of one literature class i took last semester (Culture and Literature of Latin America I), because i liked it, and also it might be one of my only chances to keep my Spanish in at least semi-working condition. So here we go. Part II. At least if i audit it i won't have to take any exams or write papers. But we'll see what happens. Also i'm taking French 101, so that c'est fantastique or something like that. Plus a human diversity class, which i still need for my GE.
Just prior to my rousing bout of exams, i went on a day trip to Rojo Gomez, Mexico with Rock Harbor. Then i worked the next week and enjoyed the Christmas festivities with Kirsten and her family (both sides). On Tuesday night my mom arrived, which was great because we got to hang out for a full day in Orange before having to leave for Rancho Bernardo and my housemate's home base in San Diego County. We were staying with him because we needed to meet at the San Diego Airport with the rest of the group who was going down to...Rojo Gomez of all places to build houses, give out shoes, food, clothes, household products and other goods to the folks down in Mejico. What a trip! It really stretched us all and was by far the best Mexico service trip i've been on yet. If you'd like to know more, ask me! Club Dust was the organization (.org) and highly recommended. Anyone want to go on their summer trip with me? They'll be posting the itinerary for the summer trip May 15th. Upon reentry into the US on December 31st, i got some sort of stomach bug/food poisoning from A's Burgers which led to me puking up until a few hours before the switch into 2007. At least i managed to stop long enough to enjoy viewing the film Footloose with my mom and Kirsten who had decided to go to Ricardo's while i was sleeping/barfing.
2007 has been good to me so far. Mostly i've been working and doing things around the house and going on dates with Kirsten and hanging out with my housemates. On Martin Luther King Jr. day i also got to hang out with the children of a certain professor whom i work for, which was quite fun. **I have a dream!** Kirsten even joined us three plus the dog and housemaid for a stroll around the neighborhood. :) In addition i was able to wrangle up a second job, though i haven't been able to work as many hours as a i would have liked--or rather, i haven't been able to earn as many extra clams as i would have liked. The not working a second job part is just fine by me! Free afternoons, Scrabble, Jeopardy. You know.
Kirsten and i were able to go up to San Jose for a quite short weekend trip to celebrate my Grandmother's birthday, and it was well worth it. As usual, i really needed to get up there. It had been 6 months since i'd seen my little brother, so it was good to see him even though it was only for a very short time. The good news is i'm flying out to visit him in Arizona for a long weekend in February. So anyway, Grandma, mom and dad, Travis, and Kirsten and i ventured up into The City to take a gander at the Titanic exhibit at the Metrion. It was pretty cool. Later we watched the Kate Winslet/Leo DiCaprio version of the movie (i found out there are at least 3 older ones). Mr. Kyle Warner later called me to inform me that he was strolling by the Metrion complete with Titanic ads in his new home city (!) which was rather special. Which reminds me...
With a heavy heart many of us Orangites had to say "so long, farewell, aufwiedersehen, goodbye" to our good island friend, Herr Kyle C. Warner. A party was held at Kirsten's residence and not surprisingly many were in attendance. A massive Apples to Apples session was held as well as a "let's all tell funny/cool/serious stories about Kyle and remind him how much he is loved" session. 'Twas a fun time had by most, i believe. (Do we really ever know if ALL had a good time at any given gathering?) We shall miss you greatly, sir. Enjoy San Francisco for us SoCal schmucks who can't at the moment.
Some other adventures include biking like a manic to and from my super part time second job and getting a free couch off the street with the help of a very friendly mejicano name Rafael (i even bought him lunch at Tacos Pepe and the owner recognized me and brought out some sweet T-shirts i'd ordered from him). Also Aro, Glines twins, Kirsten and i had a rad night of hanging out. Kirsten and i just started our premarital class at Rock Harbor and my discipleship group finally hammered down a good meeting time (praise the LORD), so yay!
Well, i'm getting pretty tired and i think that about covers it anyway.
"NOW IS THE TIME FOR COW!!!"
PS, i just gave my blog a major makeover, so let me know what you think! (Readability, ease of viewing, etc.)
01 December 2006
Shows, filming, and December
Next Thursday, December 7th, i'm playing a show at the Ugly Mug Caffe in Old Towne Orange. At 8pm sharp i will embark on my roughly 25 minute set. This mostly excites me because i haven't played a show in a long time, let alone a real one (as in, not a house party or small gathering), but it partially makes me sad also because i have no band to share it with. Just me. As you probably know, my bass equipment was stolen over the summer which sort of put a damper on my musical endeavors, particularly discouraging me from joining or jamming with any band of the "rock it loud" variety.
Tonight and tomorrow i will be acting in two short films. This is what happens when you live in close proximity with film students and former films students i suppose. Up 'til now i have been in some other short films which i haven't even seen, one of which i didn't make the final cut in. Owell. Also, Aro featured me in his short film "Slow" as i handled a friendly green praying mantis we found in his backyard on labor day i think.
Now we have come to December, a land of red and green tinsel and lots of wasted electricity. Packaging, shopping, and long lines. Traffic, traffic, traffic. Adventkalender, Nikolausfest, Weihnachtszeit. Silent Night, Holy Night. School is drawing to a close, but there's still much to be done (unfortunately). The break is greatly anticipated though, and highly needed. Particularly, i am stoked to make it down to Mexico a few times and in the meantime try to get some money-making gigs to save some extra clams. Oh, did i mention that i hate money? Well i do. Recently, my fifth housemate is back from New Zealand and four of us (#5 had to work) shared a delicious meal together which i hope we make a habit of once a month or so. Lastly, i know i said December, but there was something excellent that happened to me in November. Observe photographic evidence:
Tonight and tomorrow i will be acting in two short films. This is what happens when you live in close proximity with film students and former films students i suppose. Up 'til now i have been in some other short films which i haven't even seen, one of which i didn't make the final cut in. Owell. Also, Aro featured me in his short film "Slow" as i handled a friendly green praying mantis we found in his backyard on labor day i think.
Now we have come to December, a land of red and green tinsel and lots of wasted electricity. Packaging, shopping, and long lines. Traffic, traffic, traffic. Adventkalender, Nikolausfest, Weihnachtszeit. Silent Night, Holy Night. School is drawing to a close, but there's still much to be done (unfortunately). The break is greatly anticipated though, and highly needed. Particularly, i am stoked to make it down to Mexico a few times and in the meantime try to get some money-making gigs to save some extra clams. Oh, did i mention that i hate money? Well i do. Recently, my fifth housemate is back from New Zealand and four of us (#5 had to work) shared a delicious meal together which i hope we make a habit of once a month or so. Lastly, i know i said December, but there was something excellent that happened to me in November. Observe photographic evidence:
10 October 2006
Daily updates are for wimps
People who constantly update their blogs are wimps.
What, nothing to do all day long but sit at a computer type type type type type typing away? Well, that's probably not the case. Maybe some blogs change the world. Maybe some people change their underwear. To me, a blog oft updated is a life oft neglected. If one sits in front of a blaring LCD screen with the drapes closed and no idea of what's going on in the outside world through actual sensory experience not first transmitted into a million billion particles across cyberspace in such a manner where time exists all at once, though we experience it linearly, and the extrapolation of fragments of infinity leads one's mind to implodexplode, THEN one may, quite possibly, not actually be "plucking the raisins" out of life, as the literal translation of the German expression goes. Besides, if one actually writes something on a daily basis, what sort of friend does that make...er...one? FREAKIN'-DESPOTIC-BLOG-POST-WRITING-MANIAC FREAK! Stop ruining my life with all this damn crap i have to read along with the international news and checking the e-mail and reading the local news and catching up on the latest technology and goings-on and the national news and the books and books and books and books and. Oh yeah. The Bible. How about reading for pleasure? When was the last time i did that? (Not long ago as it turns out. But a hellava lot longer than that before that!) Nonetheless, i do enjoy very much reading about the exploits, escapades, and crusades (whoops) of my friends in the electrosphere, especially when i am not able to experience said shenanigans first-hand. And also, nonetheless, daily updates are for wimps.
PS: i hate money.
What, nothing to do all day long but sit at a computer type type type type type typing away? Well, that's probably not the case. Maybe some blogs change the world. Maybe some people change their underwear. To me, a blog oft updated is a life oft neglected. If one sits in front of a blaring LCD screen with the drapes closed and no idea of what's going on in the outside world through actual sensory experience not first transmitted into a million billion particles across cyberspace in such a manner where time exists all at once, though we experience it linearly, and the extrapolation of fragments of infinity leads one's mind to implodexplode, THEN one may, quite possibly, not actually be "plucking the raisins" out of life, as the literal translation of the German expression goes. Besides, if one actually writes something on a daily basis, what sort of friend does that make...er...one? FREAKIN'-DESPOTIC-BLOG-POST-WRITING-MANIAC FREAK! Stop ruining my life with all this damn crap i have to read along with the international news and checking the e-mail and reading the local news and catching up on the latest technology and goings-on and the national news and the books and books and books and books and. Oh yeah. The Bible. How about reading for pleasure? When was the last time i did that? (Not long ago as it turns out. But a hellava lot longer than that before that!) Nonetheless, i do enjoy very much reading about the exploits, escapades, and crusades (whoops) of my friends in the electrosphere, especially when i am not able to experience said shenanigans first-hand. And also, nonetheless, daily updates are for wimps.
PS: i hate money.
05 October 2006
BLANNNSAANAAGGANBLANANAAA!!!
At first this struck me as kind of silly, because i enjoy hearing the toots from afar. However, i have often thought of how horrible it must be to live so close to the tracks! i looked around the website a bit, and it's very professionally done and they have some good points, many of which would really work, and they're mostly sensible about their claims and make some decent proposals. (Read the statement on the main page after the intro page, though--it's a crack up!) Enjoy Orangies.
Oh yes, and in true Aro style, i shall retire, for it is past my bedtime.
Post edit: click on the title of the post to view the link--this is the first time i've used the title-link feature. i'm not sure i like it.
Oh yes, and in true Aro style, i shall retire, for it is past my bedtime.
Post edit: click on the title of the post to view the link--this is the first time i've used the title-link feature. i'm not sure i like it.
02 October 2006
Strange spellings, distraction, and half cleaners
Yesterday i wrote the word "done" on the whiteboard at Kirsten's appartment. For whatever reason, it looked really weird to me. Maybe i've just been working with foreign languages too much. Now it's starting to look more normal. The pronunciation of it and other words in English has become stranger and stranger to me though over the course of my foreign language meanderings.
i have some homework to do, but i'm really avoiding it. i'm hoping that with giving in and writing some of my thoughts i can break free.
Yesterday i woke up to strange voices in my house. This was particularly weird because all my housemates had been gone for the weekend. Apparently we got a new cleaning service and the new cleaners were getting a walkthrough. This was fine by me since the old cleaners hadn't shown up in about a month and things were starting to get a bit out of hand. i cleaned up the floor in my room and left the door open so they could vacuum , but the cleaning job (which was pretty good otherwise) stopped at the top of the stairs.
Grrrr.
i suppose i may have to clean the room myself, of all things.
Perhaps this is a continuation of my last post, but i'm getting pretty fed up with all this damn work i have to do. Can't i just run out in open fields and sing "tra la la la la" and open my wings and all that?
Be the fire in my heart. Be the wind in these sails.
20 September 2006
Drowning in Academia
As my life moves from left to right on the timeline (and thankfully my time at college, too!) i'm constantly being reminded that i need to make time to just be. Be awake. Be alert. Be there for my friends, be there for my girlfriend. I need to stop multitasking and just simply eat a meal--the end! Unfortunately, at this point and juncture it seems that the only way to do as such is to be responsible, work ahead of schedule, MAKE time. What happened to just HAVING time? Can i just shirk all responsabilities now and whenever i feel like it and suffer absolutely no ill consequences? PLEASE?! Can i just be there for my God? Be ready to go and help the poor and needy, the opressed and the widow? Because i'd really like my darkness to shine like the noonday, you know? The glory of the LORD to be my rear guard? Or am i stuck reading about the stupid Spanish conquest of the Americas and their lame poetries and "historical" accounts? i mean, it's interesting and all...
Why do i spend the majority of my time with all these people i don't even care about? i mean, i guess people i don't care about SHOULD be the people that i spend time caring about, but there's just one catch: THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL DEAD!!! And if they're not dead, they're really freakin' old and they live in like Mexico or Chile or something. Oh yeah, and why are black and white films so awesome?! Um...sorry about that side note. If i'm going to spend all this time learning a...silly...language, then why can't i just talk with real people? Build relationships, be effective? i love literature, but not THAT much. Oh well, hopefully it will be useful in the end. All i know is that this stifling Academia has got to be stopped. And i'm going to stop it. MUHUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Ok, so probably not.
14 September 2006
Jazz, Lieber Jazz!
Sehr geehrte Blogleser:
Nach einer kurzen Pause, bin ich endlich wieder da. Danke sehr für Ihre Geduld. Ich weiss nicht genau was ich hier in der Zukunft machen will, aber im Moment bin ich wieder zufrieden, in guter Laune, und angemeldet!
Vielen Dank,
-Sepp-
Nach einer kurzen Pause, bin ich endlich wieder da. Danke sehr für Ihre Geduld. Ich weiss nicht genau was ich hier in der Zukunft machen will, aber im Moment bin ich wieder zufrieden, in guter Laune, und angemeldet!
Vielen Dank,
-Sepp-
10 August 2006
Chiroptology
Sometimes i wish i could just...
hang upside down
sleep during the day
come out at night
eat insects
.
.
.
Ghost bats are gentle, warm-blooded mammals.
hang upside down
sleep during the day
come out at night
eat insects
.
.
.
Ghost bats are gentle, warm-blooded mammals.
18 July 2006
Cycling Rocks
The Rule
World Cup Biking
Orange Cup Biking
Bike to save the universe, bike to save yourself from becoming a blob, bicycle because it's good for you!
"Bicycle! Bicycle! I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike! I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my, bicycle! Bicycle!" -Q-
World Cup Biking
Orange Cup Biking
Bike to save the universe, bike to save yourself from becoming a blob, bicycle because it's good for you!
"Bicycle! Bicycle! I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike! I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my, bicycle! Bicycle!" -Q-
30 June 2006
Aventura III...al revés
Getting back to the United States can be rough. Really rough. Actually telling the story in reverse would be very hard (i tried) so i'll just do it in steps: Resting my head on a pillow atop an air mattress in Raleigh, North Carolina last Saturday night at about 3 am EST, i reflected on the last…who knows how many hours. i now find myself in a library in Cape Carteret, North Carolina near Emerald Isle where i've been at the beach house for five days. Kirsten is probably in Ukraine by now (pray for her!) and Ukraine’s Football Club (that’s soccer) also plays today. i arrived in Raleigh on Saturday evening a whole day after I was supposed to. i arrived at New York’s JFK early Friday night in order to catch a flight to Raleigh, but found that my flight was cancelled due to weather. Not only that, but i find that all the flights out of JFK to Raleigh for the next three days are booked solid with filled standby lists. There are some options: La Guardia Airport has some flights which leave tomorrow, but i've only got $40 US. Of course neither American Airlines (the associate airline i'm flying with) nor British Airways (the line I bought the ticket from) will do anything to help me—no transportation, no lodging, nothing. Having just arrived from London and before that Málaga, i'm tired, but i decide, hey, i'll take the 4pm flight out of La Guardia, get a cheap place to stay and see the city in the morning before having to get to the airport! Right… Except that i'm in New York City, one of the most expensive places in the world and i've got my suitcase, my guitar, and my backpack. For now i don’t really dwell on this fact, but instead go to visit Kyle Warner who is also in the airport after his flight. We left Spain at the same time, only he went through Madrid. His flight leaves early in the morning to LA. When all is said and done, he will actually be on Catalina Island before i leave New York (quite a feat, Catalina Express ride included). Unfortunately for him he’s got a busted toe. The cab ride from JFK to La Guardia would have cost me $25 minimum, and up to $35 or higher, so I opt to “do it my way.” i board the Airtrain (JFK’s tram service) which connects me to the Subway system. To exit costs me $5. i also buy two dollars’ worth of credit to get me on the subway in the right direction. Of course, no trains actually go to La Guardia so i'll have to change to a bus. Bus Q33 to be precise. i exit the Subway system at 74th/Roosevelt in Queens and i look for some food. i head across the rain-kissed New York street to a Subway sandwich establishment and get a footlong—half for now, half for later. Boarding the bus, i expect to have to pay another $2, but an attendant informs me that my $2 for the Subway ride actually covers my transfer (sweet!) so i make it to La Guardia having spend about $12 total: $5 for a sandwich and $7 for transportation. Of course it took me longer and was slightly more difficult, but certainly more adventurous. At least now i still have some money to buy food. What’s really great is that since my arrival i've been able to use my cell phone which has free nationwide roaming! i had been contemplating my options to find out if there was anyone i knew in New York with whom i could stay for the evening, but no one came to mind, at least that i could get into contact with immediately. i ended up sleeping for about 3 choppy hours atop my luggage while i waited for the AA ticketing counter to open to try to get on an earlier flight. i got on standby for a flight in the morning, but it got cancelled, too. So i ended up going out on my initial 4pm flight. After i FINALLY got to Raleigh, i met up with my aunt, got picked up by my grandma, went back to the house, took a nap, and then picked up my family en route from San Jose…
Big Toe. Sweet movie from some Chapman film students, and also Kyle’s problem. After staying up all night our last night in Granada and going to the sulfur thermal baths (Los Baños Santa Fe) we arrive back at the house to pack up our stuff and catch the bus to our flight. Kyle grabs his stuff and proceeds to loudly fall down the stairs and smash his toe. He’s limping the whole way and says it might be broken. Later he finds out it’s not, but he sprained it and jammed his toenail in a bit (ouch!).
During our stay in Granada we were with Kyle’s host family, seen below. They were extremely hospitable and generous with their time and space and FOOD! (it was VERY excellent, let me tell you) We got laundry done, went swimming in their pool, slept like kings, drank Gazpacho every day (at least i did!), and got a great sampling of other choice Spanish cuisine, gracias a Mariola. It was great to see Kyle in his habitat, and share some experiences with him that no one else ever will! Some highlights include: visits to La Bodeguilla with friends and family, Susana’s birthday party in the countryside, riding with Rober, Popy, Eva, driving to Pampaneira, Celia’s cumpleaños, La Alhambra, self-cleaning public toilets, a new office party, La Feria (yikes!), and little to no sleep. Kyle got more photos of folks on his digital camera than i got on my disposables (what you see below) so check those out if you get a chance.
To close (or begin) the last part of our story, our trip to Granada was as follows: we left Barcelona (with sad hearts…Pijus and Ivan der Schreckliche were great hosts!) and we took a bus to Valencia. After arriving in Valencia we found a hostal and went to go see a free blues concert by a band from Chicago! We had passed them warming up when we were looking for a place to spend the night and got the scoop. The next day we went to El Mercado Central de Valencia and it was AMAZING! Very cool and lots of fun—we got food for the whole day. We got our stuff and boarded a bus to Murcia for the next leg of the journey. We played on the street for a final time in the central square in front of the Cathedral as we waited for the office of tourism to open so we could find a place to stay. After finding a place, we walked around town a bit and saw some stuff and then went back to the pensión to get some rest and talk about the next leg of the journey. Getting up the next day, we went to the Mercado Central, this time in Murcia, and did the same thing. So fun! i wish we had stuff like that in the US. Then we went to Granada.
May i just take this opportunity to say that i am so blessed to have been able to travel with Kyle Christopher Warner. A man of God and an encouragement in many ways (also a challenge!), Kyle taught me more about what true fellowship is like. We grew as friends and as brothers in Christ and i hope that the Lord has great things in store for us for years to come.
Proverbs 27:17
Welcome to Granada!
left to right: Luisa, Cándido (El Candi), Enríque, Celia, Cristóbal, Maria, Mariola
Refuge from el calor plastante.
View from windows of La Alhambra toward Granada.
Sueños de La Alhambra. El Cielo que brilla.
¡Qué modelos!
Maria y Cristóbal en el autobús
L2R: Cristóbal, Maria, Popy, Pili
¡Hasta luego amigas, compañeras!
L2R: Cristóbal, Luisa, Popy, Maria, Eva, y yo
Big Toe. Sweet movie from some Chapman film students, and also Kyle’s problem. After staying up all night our last night in Granada and going to the sulfur thermal baths (Los Baños Santa Fe) we arrive back at the house to pack up our stuff and catch the bus to our flight. Kyle grabs his stuff and proceeds to loudly fall down the stairs and smash his toe. He’s limping the whole way and says it might be broken. Later he finds out it’s not, but he sprained it and jammed his toenail in a bit (ouch!).
During our stay in Granada we were with Kyle’s host family, seen below. They were extremely hospitable and generous with their time and space and FOOD! (it was VERY excellent, let me tell you) We got laundry done, went swimming in their pool, slept like kings, drank Gazpacho every day (at least i did!), and got a great sampling of other choice Spanish cuisine, gracias a Mariola. It was great to see Kyle in his habitat, and share some experiences with him that no one else ever will! Some highlights include: visits to La Bodeguilla with friends and family, Susana’s birthday party in the countryside, riding with Rober, Popy, Eva, driving to Pampaneira, Celia’s cumpleaños, La Alhambra, self-cleaning public toilets, a new office party, La Feria (yikes!), and little to no sleep. Kyle got more photos of folks on his digital camera than i got on my disposables (what you see below) so check those out if you get a chance.
To close (or begin) the last part of our story, our trip to Granada was as follows: we left Barcelona (with sad hearts…Pijus and Ivan der Schreckliche were great hosts!) and we took a bus to Valencia. After arriving in Valencia we found a hostal and went to go see a free blues concert by a band from Chicago! We had passed them warming up when we were looking for a place to spend the night and got the scoop. The next day we went to El Mercado Central de Valencia and it was AMAZING! Very cool and lots of fun—we got food for the whole day. We got our stuff and boarded a bus to Murcia for the next leg of the journey. We played on the street for a final time in the central square in front of the Cathedral as we waited for the office of tourism to open so we could find a place to stay. After finding a place, we walked around town a bit and saw some stuff and then went back to the pensión to get some rest and talk about the next leg of the journey. Getting up the next day, we went to the Mercado Central, this time in Murcia, and did the same thing. So fun! i wish we had stuff like that in the US. Then we went to Granada.
May i just take this opportunity to say that i am so blessed to have been able to travel with Kyle Christopher Warner. A man of God and an encouragement in many ways (also a challenge!), Kyle taught me more about what true fellowship is like. We grew as friends and as brothers in Christ and i hope that the Lord has great things in store for us for years to come.
Proverbs 27:17
Welcome to Granada!
left to right: Luisa, Cándido (El Candi), Enríque, Celia, Cristóbal, Maria, Mariola
Refuge from el calor plastante.
View from windows of La Alhambra toward Granada.
Sueños de La Alhambra. El Cielo que brilla.
¡Qué modelos!
Maria y Cristóbal en el autobús
L2R: Cristóbal, Maria, Popy, Pili
¡Hasta luego amigas, compañeras!
L2R: Cristóbal, Luisa, Popy, Maria, Eva, y yo
15 June 2006
Aventura II
Leaving Barcelona...
Backpackers House BCN has been very good to us and the international atmosphere is fantastic. We have met people from all over Europe (Poland, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Italia, England, Austria -- at least) and even some folks from our side of the globe, both north and south (The Great White North, Oregon, Minnesota, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Chile). Much like my last time in Barcelona about a year ago (Al of Alberguest, an affiliate of the hostal we´re staying in saved Kirsten and i from wandering Las Ramblas at 3 in the morning!) this place has been a great home base and a lot of fun. i hope we can find other places like it before we get to Granada, but we´ll see. One thing Kyle and i have been finding is that it doesn´t matter where you go in our world because you will always meet people from all over the place, so in a sense one need not travel to experience world cultures. Of course there is something unique about going to a foreign place and seeing things of eras-gone-by and the deeds of men and women of yore, but essentially what we´ve found is that one ought to keep an open mind about people in general or one will learn nothing. You can travel across the globe and still not learn anything about mankind, yourself, the world, or the deepest yearning in the depths of your soul. This is something that we´ll have to keep in mind when we get back stateside and is something that we hope you all are doing no matter where you are: listening to people. Relating to them, hearing there story, being present to their needs and being ready to serve them, whether or not you´ll get anything in return. Even in smaller community there are things you´ve never seen or discovered, often because people and things become masked by routine. Like the sage Pijus once said, "lo peor es la rutina" (routine sucks!), but as we all know, it is necessary in part for people to function together and to get anything done. Like the words of the song "El Ritmo del Mundo" say, "cada día descubro secretos nuevos / y me dan el principio para soñar." Let´s discover the new secrets in our lives, and maybe, if we´re daring, dream a little.
FOTOS!!!
Lute/Laúd
A less well know work of Gaudí
Siempre de moda
Mmmmmmm...
¡Hasta Luego!
Backpackers House BCN has been very good to us and the international atmosphere is fantastic. We have met people from all over Europe (Poland, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Italia, England, Austria -- at least) and even some folks from our side of the globe, both north and south (The Great White North, Oregon, Minnesota, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Chile). Much like my last time in Barcelona about a year ago (Al of Alberguest, an affiliate of the hostal we´re staying in saved Kirsten and i from wandering Las Ramblas at 3 in the morning!) this place has been a great home base and a lot of fun. i hope we can find other places like it before we get to Granada, but we´ll see. One thing Kyle and i have been finding is that it doesn´t matter where you go in our world because you will always meet people from all over the place, so in a sense one need not travel to experience world cultures. Of course there is something unique about going to a foreign place and seeing things of eras-gone-by and the deeds of men and women of yore, but essentially what we´ve found is that one ought to keep an open mind about people in general or one will learn nothing. You can travel across the globe and still not learn anything about mankind, yourself, the world, or the deepest yearning in the depths of your soul. This is something that we´ll have to keep in mind when we get back stateside and is something that we hope you all are doing no matter where you are: listening to people. Relating to them, hearing there story, being present to their needs and being ready to serve them, whether or not you´ll get anything in return. Even in smaller community there are things you´ve never seen or discovered, often because people and things become masked by routine. Like the sage Pijus once said, "lo peor es la rutina" (routine sucks!), but as we all know, it is necessary in part for people to function together and to get anything done. Like the words of the song "El Ritmo del Mundo" say, "cada día descubro secretos nuevos / y me dan el principio para soñar." Let´s discover the new secrets in our lives, and maybe, if we´re daring, dream a little.
FOTOS!!!
Lute/Laúd
A less well know work of Gaudí
Siempre de moda
Mmmmmmm...
¡Hasta Luego!
13 June 2006
Aventura 1
We arrive in Málaga. Really Kyle is already there and he´s got a hostel all ready for us at €15 a night. Little do i know that i´m going to get eaten alive by a million mosquitos at this place. ...and kill not a few on the walls, splattering their (my?) blood everywhere. Anyway, we walk around, talk a hike up the hill for a breath taking view of the city and we sleep. We eat at a place called Quitapenas and have tapas. The next day we eat at a restaurant for breakfast and meet a waiter from La Mancha. He recommends Mago de Oz and Extremaduro as good Spanish music we should check out. We go to Candilelas, the music store he also recommends, and find out that both seem like crazy metal/hard rock which we opt to check out when we get back to the States, especially since we have no CD player. We then go to the Arab baths and stay for 3 and a half hours with an exfoliating massage with oil and salt (whoa!) enjoying the sala de descanso (rest room) drinking tea and sitting on pillows and recliners. Tranquilo. Then we check out the Alcazaba of Málaga, which has many similarities to La Alhambra de Granada, which we may see later. We do some more stuff and go to sleep. We wake up, go to the pedestrian zone, and play some tunes. We break two strings and earn €3. We then take bus 19 to the highway and start to hitch-hike. Rafael from Paraguay, a truck driver, picks us up. Then Noah, an East German. Then two blokes from the UK. Then 3 Spanish gypsies. After a long day of travelling, we arrive in Ronda. BEAUTIFUL. God´s country. We spend some days in Ronda, hitch-hike to Sevilla, ride the bus back to Ronda with Lilia and do some more stuff in Ronda and send her on her way back to Granada. There was some more stuff, blah blah blah and i left out some details, so deal with it. We are currently in Barcelona. Here´s some documentation:
La Alcazaba de Málaga
El campo alrededor de Ronda
La puente nueva de Ronda
Autostop II
Kyle has slightly more trouble getting rides...
Grant and his kids came too.
Stay tuned: more adventures to come!
La Alcazaba de Málaga
El campo alrededor de Ronda
La puente nueva de Ronda
Autostop II
Kyle has slightly more trouble getting rides...
Grant and his kids came too.
Stay tuned: more adventures to come!
11 June 2006
BCN
Bueno. Hemos Llegado. Tenemos cuentos de aventura hasta el cuello. Que vendrán pronto, ¿vale?
-Cristóbal y Pepe-
-Cristóbal y Pepe-
30 May 2006
23 May 2006
18 May 2006
Hostage Being Held
until someone does something awesome such as fill my house with hand-woven baskets from ceiling to floor, builds a samoan hammock hut in the back yard for ten, or...
comes over and cooks me dinner and hangs out with me.
Those are my terms and they are non-negotiable, otherwise webface here get whacked.
comes over and cooks me dinner and hangs out with me.
Those are my terms and they are non-negotiable, otherwise webface here get whacked.
14 May 2006
Happy Mother's Day
to all the mothers out there! i would in particular like to thank my mom, Cheryl and my grandmothers Grandma Jones and Grandma Choate. Let's all take a moment to let the women in our life know that they are special!
12 May 2006
Two Points
1.Old Man: "Looks like you were up before breakfast this morning..."
Whipper-Snapper: "Well, i wasn't eating in my sleep!"
2. "i can't find your shorts, so i guess you're just going to have to go without them!"
Whipper-Snapper: "Well, i wasn't eating in my sleep!"
2. "i can't find your shorts, so i guess you're just going to have to go without them!"
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