Sized-fun thoughts from a fun-sized person.

Thanks for the memories

2005-05-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

Well friends, it is with great sadness that I announce the end of this website. Indeed, good times were had by all and the memories will be what we take with us; just as the sun rises and falls over the earth, so too do weblogs over the internet. However, if you look to the new day, you will see a promising light, a light to guide you and sustain you in all your journeys. Fear not, for this day brings that very light. This beacon will blaze brightly, illuminating the dark for all those in need of strength and joy.

www.cristinacastro.com

I leave you with the words of Jim Morrison:
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

Womanhood

2005-04-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

My aunt sent me a book for my birthday entitled "Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Other Women," by BH Gallagher. I found this while flipping through the book:

(0)(0) Perfect breasts

(+)(+) Fake silicone breasts

(*)(*) High nipple breasts

(@)(@) Big nipple breasts

oo A cups

{0}{0} D cups

(oYo) Wonder Bra breasts

(^)(^) Cold breasts

(Q)(O) Pierced breasts

(p)(p) Hanging tassel breasts

\o/\o/ Grandma's breasts

(-)(-) Flat against the shower door breasts

|o||o| Android breasts

($)($) Pamela Anderson's breasts

If I find anything else of interest in the book, I'll make sure to post it. Obviously nothing big is going on in my life at the current moment.

HEB closes all stores for Easter; Albertson's sees greatest increase in Hispanics

2005-03-27T19:35:00.000-08:00

So I'm trying to find a grocery store open on Easter so I can (last minute) get a pie. HEB is closed (!) - who knew? Out of all grocery stores, I figured they would be last to close on ANY holiday. So I head to Albertson's, walk in, find my cherry pie, round the corner to the checkout lanes, and stop. The lines are sooooo long. I find one in the self-check out, look around, and realize I'm in a sea of latinos.

Ahh Hispanics. Shouting across lanes in spanish, telling their kids to go wait in that lane, see which one is faster, buying Easter baskets and everything else at the last minute (much like myself), all the while having 8 kids trailing them, of which 3 are theirs and the rest are an assortment of nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. I remember those days. Being flaca and running to keep up with the gorditas who ate all the easter candy. Haha.

Holy Frijole

2005-03-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

Okay. I'm a quitter. Sorry, I lost the desire to finish my series. Hold on, Frosted Mini Wheats time. Ever have those days where you run out of your usual bowls and you have to break out the really big ones? Today is one of those days. First of all, to the 2 people who check this on some sort of regular basis, I apologize for the two month leave of absence. School is a bia bia. But I'm surviving.

Who's going to Destin, Florida for Spring Break? Me baby! Along with Tasha, Jeff, George, and my trusty roommate Liz. 5 people in one hotel room...but we're on the beach! So it's going to be awesome.

I gave up AIM for Lent and have been instant messenger free for 28 days, 17 hours, and 46 minutes. A couple of times it's been rough, but I have managed to do well without it. I actually do other stuff, like study. Unfortunately I think my blog has taken a hit (no pun intended) because no one checks, since the link was always on my profile. Couple more weeks, I can do it.

In other news, I found out I will be in Austin for my 4th year of pharmacy school, so here' s to the next couple of years in this "austin"tacious city (haha, that pun was intended.)

Here' s to turning over a new leaf.
Poop.

Sidenote

2005-01-05T21:25:00.000-08:00

The 4 part series will continue; do not worry little hobbits. I'm just taking a break from my research. (For anybody who was holding their breath.)

"Who knocks at my door so late in the night?"

2004-12-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

Part two of a four part series

Las Posadas is a nine-day ritual celebrated in Mexico commemorating Mary and Joseph's search for a place to stay before the birth of their little cute baby, Jesus. It begins on December 16 and ends on Christmas eve with Midnight Mass. Posadas in Spanish means "inn" or "lodging." Each night people gather at someone's house and proceed to the front door. The procession is lead by a small child dressed as an angel followed by two other kids with Mary and Joseph figurines. Then they are followed by other children dressed in silver and gold, and then the adults and musicians. When they get to the front door, the group splits into two, one representing the innkeeper and the other representing Mary and Joseph. They beg to be let in until the innkeeper allows them in and then they have a grand ole' fiesta. Or at least thats what it sounds like. So then there is lots of candy, food, drinks, music, and a pinata, which used to be only made in the shape of a star, to represent the one that guided the Three Kings. Now it comes in all different shapes - I should know - I had a strawberry shortcake one for my 2nd birthday.

"Habari gani?"

2004-12-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

This is part one of a four part series over various holidays in the December-January period. Christmas is excluded for obvious reasons. If you don't know it celebrates the birth of Jesus, I don't know what to tell you.

Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, as some may believe, but actually a cultural holiday, celebrating family, community, and culture. It is a way for African Americans and Pan Africans to strengthen their bond to African culture. It was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 amid the black rights movement. Kwanzaa comes from the swahili word "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits" -so the celebration itself originates from the first harvest in African culture. It lasts from December 26 to January 1.
There are seven principles of Kwanzaa, one for each day: Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. A table is set with various symbols for tradition, ancestors, roots, etc. Kwanzaa colors are black (represents the people), red (represents the people's struggles), and green (future hope.) There are seven candles, one black, three red, and three green. On the first day the black candle is lit and then each day another candle is lit. After each candle is lit, each person describes the principle of the day. Gifts are also given, though many times reserved for children. Interesting? I know.

I could while away the hours

2004-12-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

I am dedicating the next few entries to rainbows, flowers, and sunny days.

Cool person of the week: Mother Theresa. Why, you ask? She's one of those people that you don't really know a WHOLE lot about, just a few important details. But you start reading and learning about her story, and it sucks you in. Really. I'm gonna buy a book on her. She was one hip chick.

In other news I wish sometimes I was a newpaper columnist. Then I could just make a living out of my blog entries. Though newspaper subscriptions would probably show a significant decrease. "Ugh, who wrote this crap? Who does she think she is, Carrie Bradshaw minus the sex?"

Stay tuned for specials on various religious holidays.

School's Out For Christmas

2004-12-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

Another fall semester done. I apologize for the cliche opening to this entry, but I couldnt think of anything else. Maybe it is due to the recent assault on my noggin' (not to mention my intelligence) by final exams. Ugh, my head hurts. Time to put the wreck called this semester behind me - I have bigger and better plans.

Witness exhibit A: A Macintosh 12" iBook, of which I have recently become enamoured with. I first set my sights on a PowerBook, but that is in my dreams and out of my price range.

iBook

I really want something small to carry around campus, au contraire to my massive tank of a laptop that I am currently typing on. (A 17" Toshiba Satellite) The problem: who am I to just up and buy a computer when I have a perfectly good one right now that is slightly over a year old? I racked my brain for an excuse, a way to get out of this conscience crap so I could have what I want. And finally, the answer came to me: if I can make straight A's next semester, then I will get my i Book. NOW, this is no small task, seeing as that I have slacked off slightly and will have to regain my self-discipline (which ran off and hasn't been back since the beginning of sophomore year.) So that is my plan of attack. God speed and good luck.

Microsoft Word

2004-12-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

Ahh, Microsoft Word - sometimes you love it, sometimes you want to beat it up and take its lunch money.

If you look up "jargon" in Microsoft Word's thesaurus, here are the synonyms:

gobbledygook
waffle
hogwash
claptrap
hooey
bunkum (my personal favorite)
hokum
humbug
twaddle
balderdash

In spell check, Microsoft Word wants you to replace "retreatants" with "retreat ants."

How does splitting up the word all of a sudden make it okay? Yeah, I totally meant retreat ants, because I care about little insects who are trying to get away from the daily grind of finding food and building anthills. I mean I don't go out of my way or anything to destroy anthills or be mean to ants (I'll show that ant who's boss!), but please, if you're going to recognize "bunkum", at least recognize "retreatants."

Life is a Highway

2004-11-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

People who weave in and out of traffic look retarded. And most likely when you (you being the person in front of me) leave the fast lane and weave all around, just to end up back in the fast lane, I'll still be RIGHT BEHIND YOU, even though I never left the fast lane.

On a better note, people who are in the fast lane as you approach them and move over to the right lane courteously look non-retarded.

Enough ranting for the day.

:o) (Smiley face to show everybody I'm not really pissed off.)

Chew on this for a bit

2004-11-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

1) Guy on the bus offers me an altoid. I'm thinking: don't take candy from strangers. (imagine it as a 1st grade chorus of voices.) I politely smiled and shook my head. Now how did that 1st grade rule pop into my head? Seriously - it's what I immediately thought.

2) What is with the random potatoes strewn about the front of our apartment complex? Now one time might be interesting, possibly interesting enough to merit me raising my eyebrows, but it's a continous thing. No matter what, when I walk from the bus to my apartment, there will be a potato on the side of the bushes greeting me as I enter the complex.

Chew on that.

2004-11-14T18:09:00.000-08:00

Jimmy

Boo you

2004-11-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Verb of the year: Scamper.

Poopoo list: Young Conservatives of Texas ripping up Kerry-Edwards signs and throwing them in a trash can on the West Mall, 2 days after the election was OVER.

Okay, so I voted for Kerry. I don't really sway in one particular way, but I weighed out everything and in the end, it's what I did. Sue me. Wait, no - you, regardless of who you are, should be proud that I voted, it doesn't matter WHO I voted for, it's what I did. Don't be all, "You voted for Kerry?" You should say, "Congratulations on voting Cristina, for exercising your right!" NOW, I do understand why Bush was reelected. And yeah, he got us into this war, he can get us out. Hopefully. So now Mr. President, you have 4 years - 4 years to show us swing voters why we should have voted for you, 4 years to win us over with your political prowess and finesse, 4 years to show me, the moderate, how it can be done.

Where was I going with this? Oh yeah: even if I had voted for Bush, I still would have been upset by the YCT.

Jeers to sore winners.

Unsure

2004-10-31T17:38:00.000-08:00

The Catholic vote is anti-death penalty.
The Catholic vote is anti-abortion.

What to do...

Slacker

2004-10-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what it is, but I've been feeling super slacker-ish as of late. It's not that my classes aren't interesting, because they're super interesting (diseases and the drugs that help) it just seems like i've lost the willpower to get up and get to class. I think a big reason is that my classes are taped. So if I miss one, I just get online (at home) later and watch them. And I DO do that - I don't just say, oh well, screw lecture. So technically I still see the class. I guess we'll see how all this effects me when I take my next test. hel;am tlekashe.

WTF of the day

2004-10-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Because of the surprising popularity of Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong wristbands, I found out lots of other organizations are jumping on the bandwagon and making wristbands for their own particular causes. A few that are of interest:

- Pink, for breast cancer
- Rainbow, for HIV/AIDS
- Red, for opposing tobacco use
(And my personal favorite):
- Green, for opposing high medical malpractice premiums for doctors.

WTF? Who thought of that one?

The cool thing though is that 20 million of the LiveStrong wristbands have been sold at $1 a piece. For the mathematically inept, that's $20 million raised for cancer research.

Citing my sources (yeah I'm plagarize-free like that): "These causes are all in the wrist" from the Austin-American Statesman, October 25, 2004.

LiveStrong

Just a thought

2004-10-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

Why do some people seem to be perpetually sick? And they always have to share their plight with the world. Now, I can understand if you have some chronic disease, please, complain all you want - I think you're allowed. That, by the way, wasn't meant to sound insensitive or unkind. (Disclaimer by the author of this blog. I really am a nice person.) Just a thought.

In other news, I had a Dr. Pepper today and it was everything I thought it could be.

I don't think I'll ever talk about what I promised I would talk about (see several entries below.) I am just too lazy and the moment has passed.

I am trying to put a counter on my blog so I can see how often people see my site. Though that number could be depressing...example: 00000-4. How did it become negative? I don't know.

I heart best friends because you can be so honest with them and they won't judge you for it.

Person of the day who has fallen off the face of this earth: Christopher Lee. Where has he gone? I don't know. If you read this Chris, please email me or let me know you're alive. Even if it's by telegram or something.

And last but not least, I took a beer bottle to the recycling center, but they wouldn't take it.
They said: "This is the pint of no return."

Out.

Marion the marketing major

2004-10-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

A little AIM conversation I had concerning my free iPod deal:

MarionUT411: how long does it take to get your movies from when you order them?
funsized525: i ordered mine on friday, got them today
MarionUT411: that's only 2 business days
MarionUT411: that's pretty good
MarionUT411: from a business stand point, this is sketchy
MarionUT411: i would not have implemented this
MarionUT411: b/c most people rent movies on impulse decision
funsized525: exactly - i thought about that
MarionUT411: so this is a bad understanding of who your customers are and what motivates them
MarionUT411: and the risk factor is high w/ movies out and people not returning them
MarionUT411: i dunno.. this is crazy
funsized525: hey, marketing major
funsized525: calm down
MarionUT411: im going crazy w/ this!!!!!!!!
funsized525: i didnt want a business analysis on my little project here
MarionUT411: you have to apply the 3Cs and then the 4Ps to do a profitability analysis
MarionUT411: ROFL
MarionUT411: ok i know im a ridiculous business major

Not quite sure what to say? I know, me neither.

Free iPod

2004-10-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

So I decided to try out a free 2 week trial of Blockbuster's Online Rental thing - you know, $19.99 a month for unlimited rentals. They send you the dvd's by mail, you watch them for as long as you want and then return them. So we'll see if it's worth it or not. The cool thing is I can cancel the subscription when the trial ends and not be charged. I read the fine print. Anywho, as I was mousing around (?) the page a window popped up.

Yeah.

Free iPod, it says. Now usually I automatically close any pop ups I have, especially ones with free offers. I mean come on, everybody knows those don't really work. Well for some reason or another, I clicked on it, just this time, I said. Lo and behold, it's an offer to get a free iPod....BUT, here's the catch. You have to get 5 people to sign up for Blockbuster's Online Rental subscription as well....hmm, I said what the heck, it won't hurt. So now I'm on the hunt.

The whole point is, to the 3 people who read my blog, let me know if you're interested in a free trial of renting movies online. I want to see once and for all if free things like this really do work. Hey, if it helps, if you're charged somehow for the rentals, I'll pay for it. Deal? Deal.

Now I'm done looking like a pathetic shmo. At least I don't send chain emails because I could get bad luck if I don't.

Blog days are slow

2004-09-29T00:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, my blog is in dire need of update, but I haven't had any time. Soon will come a great entry in which I will tell of my adventures on the eBus, my new cell phone, Travis at the Alamo Drafthouse, my classes (ha), my flat tire (boo Walmart tire service), and other shiznit. And that's for starters.

Dans d'autres nouvelles, or something like that, something that bothers me on people's blogs is when they reference something in their life, but they don't tell us WHAT IT IS. C'mon people if you're gonna make your journal public, make it public! I want to know everything. But not in a creepy-I-want-to-know-every-single-detail-about-you way. Uhh, this just got awkward. Gotta go.

Gmail

2004-09-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, I want Gmail. I want to be like the cool kids and have a Gmail account.

Google is starting their very own email service, but it is still in the testing phase, so people like Brandon Kraft somehow get picked to have an account and try it out. So until it becomes open to the general public, its a hot commodity. I'll get you Krafty. And your little dog too.

Gmail

I'm back, and better than ever!!

2004-09-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

I once wrote that title in a drunk email to somebody...man, talk about awkward. But thats a different story.

Anyways.

Whew, I just flew into town, and man are my arms tired!
Sigh. I need to get back into blog-mode. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, its been a long time coming, but I am finally updating my blog. From my notes, my last entry was on the 11th of August, while I was still in the A-R-L. I am now in Austin and much enjoying the beginning of my school year. Hectic, yes. But fun. This is just a touch-base entry, so I'll leave you with a quote from my mom in reference to a recent family gathering:

"Yeah they were arguing the whole weekend, but no one shot each other or anything, so it was okay."

Uhh...

Hooters

2004-08-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

So Marion, Alicia, and I went to Hooters on Monday night to celebrate the end of summer, and Marion's departure from summers in Ft. Worth as we know it. We get there, decide on Bud light and wings, give our order to the waitress, to which she says (grabbing sides of the table), "Hold it - before we get carried away, just to let you know we lost our liquor license."

Uhh, excusez-moi?

"We only have two beers, Coors and MGD, and you can have two free glasses."

Alriiiight, now we're talking. WAIT. As much as I like the fact of two free beers, especially MGD, let's analyze this situation. A little background for all the unknowing: The Hooters by my house was built amid lots of controversy. PTA moms, in my opinion, with too much time on their hands, objected with a loud cry against the popular franchise's opening in our neighborhood. Okay, so we all know you have teenage sons with raging hormones who given the opportunity would choose Hooters instead of say, Chili's, to check out the waitresses and maybe score some underage drinking. First of all, Hooters waitresses are well covered, I can vouch for that, and your son can probably see more from the teenage girls that walk around in the mall. Secondly, if your son wants to drink beer, he's going to drink beer, somehow, somewhere. Building a Hooters isn't going to increase his chances. When the Hooters finally came up, the state denied their request for a liquor license. Pffh, whatever. Despite the protests, however, they finally got it. Only for it to be taken away this summer. Look people, spend your time wisely; teach your teenagers right and wrong, hang out with them instead of at "Say no to Hooters" meetings, and talk to your kids - you can't hide the world and reality from them.

NOW, for my refutation. What if somebody was caught drinking underage at Hooter's? Slightly different story. I do believe a restaurant should take the consequences of its actions. Serve to minors, get caught, pay up. Hooters isn't the only restaurant though that would do that. Last summer, we frequented a well known Mexican restaurant and were served underage every week. Waitresses at this Mexican place, by the way, wear khaki shorts or pants and green polo shirts. Just a thought.

Okay, now off my soapbox.

Shout out to our waitress who also said, "I am SO glad to have a table of girls...this testosterone is driving me crazy." She also gave us a 3rd round of beers, and for Marion a 4th, because of her crappy day. So we left her a fat tip.

I bid you adieu - "I rarely get up and rant about something usually because I'm too lazy" Cristina.

Uhh...

2004-08-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

Me: You frustrate the shit out of me!
Maure: You frustrate the shit out of ME!
Me: Glad we got that established.
Maure: Good.

Road Trippin'

2004-08-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

So Kraft and I went on a road trip last night - starting at 10:30 pm. Where did we go, you ask? To Laredo. For what? To get Maure. Why? Because we're crazy.

Sure, we didn't get back until 6 am, because to Laredo is 3.5 hours and back is (surprisingly) 3.5 hours. But I did get the opportunity to chat with Brandon, someone whom I've never actually sat down with and held a conversation, other than the usual, "Hey Kraft." "Hey Cristina." "Whatcha doin?" "You know, just chillin at the UCC."

The bus Maure was traveling back from Mexico in broke down as soon as they crossed the border. So Kraft and I threw all logical thought into the wind and ran outta town like a whore in church. Or is it sweating like a whore in church? Well it can't be that, because Brandon and I weren't sweating - his car was actually set at a comfortable temperature. Anyways, Maure's safe and back, I fell asleep in the car, they got Whataburger, we saw really random road signs, and a dog search a car for drugs. Life is good.

I'll have what she's having

2004-08-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

"Do you prefer 'fashion victim' or 'ensembly challenged?'" ~ Cher, in Clueless, one of the greatest movies of the 90s.

"I went fast...I cut in front of people...did things I shouldn't have done." ~ Mom, on being late to get food over to church for a children's hospital dinner.

"Lend me me sugar." ~ my shirt that originally said, "Lend me some sugar." (say it with an irish accent now.)

"Pharmacists do it standing up." ~ as seen on UT pharmacy shirt, Top 10 Reasons to spend the night with a pharmacist. (cough, cough.)

"That's what I say when I take my pants off." ~ Jeff, after spotting a sign in the brewery that said HOSE ON FLOOR. Ha. Hahahaha.

"NO!!! N-O!!!" ~ Collin, on refusing to eat a bean burrito for lunch. As if the whole household forgot how to spell one of the most common words in the english language.

Extra cheese please

2004-07-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to make my mind up as to whether Xanga is cool or cheesy.

Cool:
-lots of different ways to personalize.

Cheesy:
-lots of different ways to personalize until there is so much on the screen you don't know where to look.

Cool:
-comments.

Cheesy:
-eProps.

Cool:
-let people know what you're currently listening to or reading.

Cheesy:
-let people know you're reading self help books (I fortunately haven't actually encountered this yet, but just some advise to xangians) or listening to Josh Groban. ;o)

Cool:
-Lots of smiley faces (as opposed to my primitive smiley face from above.)

Cheesy:
-Lots of smiley faces that you can't figure out exactly what kind of face it is.

Okay well that's a total of 4 cool things, 4 cheesy things. I'll have to do more research.
As an afterthought, even though I can't decide, it doesn't stop me from checking everybody's xanga once a week. When it comes down to it, it's basically a journal - a window into someone's mind, one could say. Now that's extra cheese.

Open up a can of whoop ass

2004-07-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

OkaY. Uhh, hit the cap-locks. sorry. Anywhooo, I told my mom today, randomly, "Don't hate the playa, hate the game!"

She just stared at me with this confused, annoyed look on her face and said, "What game?"

In other news, Collin (one of my twin brothers) slapped Lesley in the ass. I shouldn't say randomly, but still, what 8 year old boy does that to his 21 year old sister's friend after meeting her 2 minutes ago? Here's the story. Lesley came up to the metroplex, specifically Arlington (the A-R-L for all my homies out there) to go to the John Mayer/Maroon 5 concert. Which was awesome, by the way. Maroon 5 rocked out on stage, and surprisingly, John Mayer can play the guitar like nobody's business. Anyways, so Lesley comes in, but then the phone rings so I go answer it. I come back to see Lesley running out of my brothers' room like a little leprechaun with a big Pikachu stuffed animal and my brother chasing after her. Then she gives the stuffed animal back to him and starts talking to me, when - whack! My brother sneaks up from behind and gives her a good one on the bo'hind. Lesley's eyes widen in surprise and there is awkward silence before (luckily) we start laughing. Followed by a period of deep intense thought as we pick any spot to stare at except each other.

Pikachu

Mass incident

2004-07-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

A text/font bar has been recently added to the area where one can compose a message - so I'm experimenting.. that means "so I'm experimenting" in Webdings.

I was in Mass this past Saturday evening, as I often find myself on weekends, with my family - in particular, my twin brothers. During the Our Father, I put my hands out, like a good Catholic, expecting to feel the small hand of an 8 year old boy. Instead I feel the hand, or should I say paw, of my brother's stuffed animal Rufus thrusted into my hand. So here I am, saying the Our Father, holding hands with a stuffed dog. I really shouldn't even say paw - more like a nub, being the size of about 2-3 inches. I look down at my brother, and he looks up at me with this big innocent grin. I'm thinking to myself, "I don't know where to go with this." Picture this: Family in the very front row of church holding hands - dad, son, stuffed animal (suspended in mid-air), daughter, son, mother. I looked to my mom for some help, but all she did was roll her eyes. Needless to say, I was only slightly embarassed, and when it was done, I wasn't forced to offer Rufus the sign of peace. Thought I gladly would have.

Bahstun

2004-07-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks, I write to you from the great city of Boston, Massachusetts, in the U.S. of A.

Boston is an incredibly interesting city, very much the epitome of a New England city. The weather right now is great, the seafood is great, the beer is even better, and the people are not all that friendly - ha. I'm visiting my totally rad (I just watched "101 Reasons the 90s Ruled") friend Jeff, who originally hailed from New Hampshire, before taking the 1400 mile trek down to U.T. We also visited the Aneheuser-Busch brewery and were given 2(!) complimentary drinks. My choices: Michelob Ultra and Tequiza. Jeff's choices: Michelob Ultra and Amber Bock. So add two states to my list of those visited.

Tomorrow we head up to Vermont, for some sight-seeing and beer drinking. Wish me luck, hey Texas watch out for the Soxs, and take heed of the Sam Adams beer. My heart does lie however in that great lone star state.

You know the routine: The stars at night, are big and bright..."

Creoso, mellonamin

2004-07-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

Something that I came across in my Us Weekly magazine while waiting around for the next prescription to come along:

"Sure, I have to watch what I eat. We all do. But I don't even know what the South Beach diet is. To me it sounds like margaritas on the beach. That would be a good diet!" ~ Catherine Zeta Jones

Okay, a quote that I wholeheartedly agree with, coming from one of the most beautiful people out there. Let's just say it, Catherine Zeta Jones is hot. And I'm jealous.

On a random sidenote, I have decided to share my top picks of car ride albums thus far (notice: this is subject to change.) These are albums I feel one can pop into the cd player and play from start to finish, no skipping tracks.
-Maroon 5, Songs About Jane
-Jason Mraz, Waiting For My Rocket To Come
-Switchfoot, The Beautiful Letdown
-Norah Jones, Feels Like Home

By the way, the title of this entry translates to "Welcome, my friends." From what language, though, mmmm???

Weird People #2

2004-07-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

People who sing Christmas songs in the shower when it's not Christmas while at the same time managing to get water up their nose.

What mocks me

2004-06-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

SBC Yahoo! DSL just $26.95/mo.
for 12 months.*
Other monthly charges apply.

This is what continues to mock me everytime I dial up on Compuserve. I see it on Compuserve's main menu, Google's search page, and just about everywhere else on this preposterous invention by Russian scientists. Or was it Al Gore? I don't remember.

Apple Saucing

2004-06-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

I can now say I know how to make apple sauce - real apple sauce, from picking the apples to canning it.

Wow Cristina, whats that you say? A suburbanite gal like yourself, actually making apple sauce? Well folks, I daresay it is possible...czech it out

In other news, Meers, Oklahoma (where my grandparents live) has officially been declared a ghost town by ghosttowns.com. I beg to differ; although Meers is undeniably a small population town (300?) and whose downtown consists of 3 stores, the label is a far cry from the truth. Well maybe not far cry, but like a...quasi-far cry. The Meers store still stands and people still come for the popular Meers burger.

So, to the people of ghosttowns.com, I bite my thumb at thee...Meers giveth more than you thinketh.

Writer's Block

2004-06-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

I think I have writer's block. or is it bloc? I don't know. I have officially hit that moment in your blog entry days where you have nothing interesting to say. I'm racking my brain right now. Here's what I came up with.

• The official state dinosaur of Texas is the Pleurocoelus. Now is it me, or did dinosaurs not become extinct about 65 million years ago?

• In a book entitled "What Your 3rd Grader Needs to Know," my mom read to my brothers about Thermopylae. The only person I know who reads about stuff like that is Jimmy Rose.

• The word "Artic" comes from the greek word Arktos, meaning bears. The North Pole has polar bears. No polar bears exist in Antartica, Anti-Arktos.

I figured I'd throw in a picture. Here's my favorite character from Sesame Street.

Elmo chillin'

Watch out Elmo

I'm telling you, I got nothing.

Weddings

2004-06-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

I went to a wedding this weekend, reminding me that I am rapidly approaching that age of twentysomething in which a window of opportunity lies for me to snag me a marrying man and eventually settle down.

Or am I?

Wait, I have to finish school (3 years), brave the fierce jungles of South America as a missionary (1 year?), and embrace the city that never sleeps - New York, New York - as a young, (hopefully) successful pharmacist (1 year?) I think I see the age of 30 slowly appearing on the horizon.

You have to admit, watching a couple tie the knot does have a strange way of turning up the sound on your biological clock ticking, no matter how much you try and muffle it. Seeing Bryan and Maria dancing together in that intimacy only a married couple knows had me and my girls wondering when it was going to be our turn.

Maria and Bryan

The girls

Tarrant County College

2004-06-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

**DISCLAIMER: Full on rant ahead. If you do not wish to read, then avoid this entry. Thank you.**

OK, so it's Monday morning, and I'm in Austin chillin with my very best friend, Maure, when I get a phone call from my mom back home.
"Hey, you just got a notice in the mail, saying your class was dropped. Did you pay the bill?"

Fudge.

For all who are unaware, I am taking Texas government at Tarrant County College (encompassing Fort Worth and adjacent cities, such as Arlington.) Well as you can guess, I forgot to pay my tuition bill and was promptly dropped out of my course. Fair enough. My mom gives me the phone number to call and I do asap. The admissions office informs me I will have to come in, request to be reinstated with the approval of a dean. Insert sigh here. Double boo.

So I immediately take leave of my friend and race back to the metroplex in hopes of settling the matter in one quick sweep. Ha, says Murphy's Law. Scurrying through the campus, I am directed to three different places before I finally find myself in front of a dean. I explain the situation. Finally I get an answer.

"Well, I'm really sorry, but it's too late, the last day for us to get state funding for students in the class has passed. Do you need to take another class" No. "US History in the second session?" No. "Psychology?" No. No. No. Look lady, I'm in the pharmacy school at UT Austin, the only class I need right now is government. Get it through your thick, one star, low caliber institution brain. I walk out almost in tears (which doesn't happen often for those of you who know funsized) and go home.

My problem is this: I didn't pay the bill, fine, drop me. BUT, give me enough notice to get a chance to get back into the class, pay my registration, and be on my merry little way. Don't send me a frickin' notice after it's too late...do you want my money or not? WIT???!? (What In Tarnation)

So I talk to my mom, and she's livid. If you don't know my mom, she can be intimidating sometimes. Like one of the moms you sort of get embarassed to be seen with when she tells someone how it is at a store or something where she felt she has been the victim of some wrong-doing. She calls them in the morning and the lady asks to talk to me.
"What happened? Did you just forget to pay your bill?" Have we not been through this a million bajillion times? Yes, I forgot to pay my bill! Sorry, geez. "Do you not pay the bill at U.T. Austin?" Yeah Ms. Smarty Pants, but they give me notices!!
Well after some more smackity smack smack by my mom, I finally got reinstated. It pays to have a mom who kicks arse.

So thank you Tarrant County College, for wasting two days of my precious summer laziness, cell phone minutes that could have been better spent on checking my voicemail and calling Domino's, and for trying to push little people around when you're just as little as me. and my mom.

p.s. - my mom really is cool though. kinda quirky. she says stuff like, "...Yeah you could tell she was at her...last nerve." What?? Get the two sayings straight, Mom: "She was at the end of her wits" and "Getting on her last nerve." And she likes to hang out with me and my friends. :o)

Weird people #1

2004-06-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

People who try to hide behind potted fruit trees.

Brotherly Love

2004-06-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

Random conversation heard this morning between my 7 year old twin brothers:

Andrew: "I can only tell you my scariest dream ever."
Collin: "Okay."
Andrew: "We were in the park with Mom and we were trying to leave and there was an alligator pit and you jumped in it. And then I jumped in after you."
Collin: "Why did you jump in?"
Andrew: "Because if you die, I wanna die."

PS - My brother Collin saw the picture by Andrew I posted earlier, and he insisted that I put one up from him. So here it is.

Collin

The Holy Trinity

2004-06-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

I figure I can put my "I'm Catholic and proud of it" shiznit here, so bear with me.

Today was the Feast Day of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit). The priest during the homily was talking about this story about a boy trying to take all the water out of the ocean and put it into a little pit. St. Augustine comes up and is like, "Hey stupid kid, you can't do that, it's impossible."
The little boys says, "Well that's what you're trying to do with the Holy Trinity."
And my priest goes (speaking to the congregation), "Just like the little boy couldn't fit the whole ocean into this pit, you cannot [fit the Holy Trinity...or something to that extent] into your little brain."

I'm the only one who laughed.

Fortunately, it was a silent laugh and I was not embarrassed in a public display of ridicule.

Anywho, it's cool to be Catholic, you get three forms of one God. Hakuna Matata.

Global Beauties

2004-06-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

Question #1: What is Miss Universe really judged on?
When asked what one of her biggest failures was and how she had learned from it, Miss Trinidad/Tobago answered:
"When I tripped and fell on my first runway....but I was able to get up and learned to keep going."

When I tripped and fell on my first runway???
Okay, I realize I just paraphrased the majority of that interview, but still, you get the gist of it.

For the knowledge hungry: Miss Australia won, Miss USA was 1st runner up, and Miss Puerto Rico was 2nd runner up.

Question #2: Is watching beauty pageants a national pastime? You know, like baseball and lemonade?
Hey families watch it, people talk about it around the water cooler, and it has been around since 1952.

Question #3: Should there still be a Miss Universe pageant?
Everybody knows what a beautiful women is capable of doing, given she is able to get up from the runway floor and keep on walking.

Texas Tornado

2004-06-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

I just sat in a 4X4 closet with my family as a tornado touched down right by our neighborhood. My cat had the better idea and hid under my bed.

In other news, check out the drawing my brother Andrew did. I'm not bragging or anything, but it's pretty cool. Look, just validate my feelings okay?

Andrew

Apparently I like to wear purple pants. And I have a really short torso. I would actually venture to say no torso exists on my upper body.

This is not a Xanga site

2004-05-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

I must give props to my friend Chris Babb. Probably the funniest weBLOG I've ever seen. And I'm totally with him.

I'll be that curly fry

2004-05-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

Jason Mraz sings a song called "Too Much Food" and the beginning goes like this:

You can say that I'm one curly fry in the box of the regular

Messing with the flavor oh the flavor that you savor

Someday I"ll be like that. I'm just waiting for the right moment.

Around Campus

2004-05-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

Straight from the Texas Travesty:

• Bicycle riders will continue to ride their bicycles despite the increasing amount of anti-bicycle rhetoric in my journal.
• Student Government will pass a tentative pre-pre-resolution to begin possible talks to consider considering.
• The Co-op is comprised of and serves the students, staff and faculty of the University of Texas. According to their 40 Acres Fest headliners, however, we all like Durrty South rap.
• Engineering students will frolic around campus, giggling because they know what “Alec” is. Meanwhile, non-engineering students will giggle because they know what “sex” is.
• Do not bother the exercise zealots at Gregory Gym. They don’t have time to do things like not exercise.
• A dorm room party? Be still, my beating heart! I’d rather spend my Friday night thinking up a punchline.
• People with giant umbrellas need to stop acting like they own the sidewalk.
• People who wear their backpacks over one shoulder will continue to be stuck in the sixth grade.
• Mannequins in the windows of stores on the Drag are surprisingly arousing.
• Dorm residents who need to use up their non-refundable Dine-In Dollars will wish there was something else to buy other than Hot Pockets and tampons in packaging from the early ’90s.

I'm not sure if I could get in trouble for publishing this stuff here, but hey, I cited my source, right? Right.

The Kennedy's

2004-05-30T02:15:00.000-07:00

Maure's sister, Lizzy, graduated last Monday, thus a graduation party was planned in her honor. Yours truly traveled the 180 miles from Austin to partake in the festivities at the Kennedy house.

Lizzy, Maure's sister

This family is crazy.

The Kennedy siblings are some of the funniest people I have ever met - I could sit and watch them together for hours.

Maure, Danny, and Lizzy Kennedy

As a sidenote, I need to graduate sometime soon, just for the financial benefits. Maure's sister banked because of graduating.
Kennedy graduation parties are fun, especially with a lot of Coronas and MGDs.
Maure's mom = crazy. I now know why Maure is Maure.

Tomorrow completes my triangle road trip throughout Texas (Arlington --> Austin --> Houston --> Arlington.)

A word to the wise: Never count your chickens before they hatch.

Signing off-

Είναι όλα τα ελληνικά σε με

2004-05-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

I bought 3 pink shirts last Monday, making a total of 5 pink shirts I own - a small fraction, though nonetheless significant, of my wardrobe. I'm usually a blue kind of gal (I mean, not sad, but the color blue...well you know) but for some reason unknown to me and possibly you the reader, I have had this strange yearning for that mix of red and white. Why? I don't know.

Είναι όλα τα ελληνικά σε με.

It's all greek to me.

Mi carro

2004-05-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Which one is the dirty one and which one is the clean one?

My car

2004-05-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

I washed my car the other day, after not washing it for a whole semester. The picture doesn't do the difference justice, but it's still cool.

The best Sex on TV.

2004-05-26T00:45:00.000-07:00

Tasha and I just watched 4 hours of Sex and the City. I don't think I can quite pinpoint the popular HBO series' appeal. I like quick humor. Bam, bam, bam.

For all you non-believers, a few SATC quotes to whet your appetite-
DISCLAIMER: The following may be offensive to some. Read with caution. Thank you.

Carrie: You've never seen an uncircumsized one?
Charlotte: I'm from Connecticut!

Stanford: I saw the way you were behaving. You're sleeping with the beautiful man!
Carrie: The beautiful man is gay.
Stanford: Damn! An accent always throws me.

Carrie: Your vagina's depressed?
Charlotte: The mood elevator sort of corrects the imbalance.
Miranda: Wait a minute, how do you know your vagina's depressed?
Charlotte: There are symptoms!
Carrie: Like what, it can't meet its deadline?
Miranda: It always wants to go to Krispy Kreme?

Carrie: You broke up with James because he was too small. This guy's too big. Who are you, Goldicocks?

For all those interested, reruns will begin June 15 on TBS. I'm out.

The beginning (the alpha, if you will)

2004-05-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, so peer pressure is a bia. Consumed by my jealous feelings towards other "bloggers" I have started my very own blogspot. Sorry to disappoint all the Xangaians, but I have chosen a different path. Shout out to San Antonian Chris for pointing me in this direction.

Fear not, however, oh ye of little faith, I will attempt to update this on some type of timely basis.

Summertime, and the living's easy.

p.s. - look up "jargon" in Microsoft Word's thesaurus. It'll amuse you for about 5 minutes.