If the shoe fits...

Two words: Robert Pattinson!! I wish I had time to read these...

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:59:15 -0500

Two words: Robert Pattinson!! I wish I had time to read these books. I don’t care what anyone says that movie was great.

Oh, Chicago

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:25:50 -0500

I thought I knew where I was going thanks to my CTA trip planner notes I had in my pocket. I bundled up thinking I was ready to battle against the wind and snow outside. I look down thinking I probably should have thought twice about my high-heeled boots. Too late.

I go through the revolving doors and there it is. The great Chicago weather wraps my body. I should have worn my tights under my pants and why the hell did I forget my gloves?

I finally make it to the red line somehow and I haven’t been happier to see that subway station, away from the wind and snow. I transfer at Jackson and head to the blue line. I’m greeted my the sound of a street musician, he says his name is Solow as he starts rapping to a catchy beat.

I hop on my train and I sit across from a 20 something year old guy who can’t stop digging in his nose and having a snack with it. GROSS..

At last I get to Grand Ave. Oh no I think, it’s the confusing street. Sure enough, every time I come up from the subway there’s never anyone in sight to ask for directions. Why do so many streets have to cross at one point?

I start walking hoping it’s the right way. At last I see an older man coming out of a building for a smoke. I know he can tell I’m lost as I hold my directions in hand. He asks me how he can help me before I can.

Sure enough, I’m walking the wrong way. He begins to walk with me and surprisingly we have a decent stranger conversation. I made it to my meeting just in time and if it wasn’t for that man I probably would have been late.

I’m not a big fan of the weather but it’s people like him that make Chicago so awesome.

My relationship with my dad has always been iffy. As I was...

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:09:38 -0500

My relationship with my dad has always been iffy. As I was browsing through channels today he was passing by when he noticed this movie. He is a huge fan of old western movies even though he doesn’t understand them. He sat on the couch and surprisingly we had a great conversation. The movie reminded him of his life back in the days in Mexico. Thanks to John Wayne I had a bonding time with my dad.

all of that for this thing…

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:02:17 -0500

all of that for this thing…

getting my passport

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:01:40 -0500

So I recently went to the Mexican Consulate in Chicago. The last time I was there was when I had to get my green card, which seems like ages ago thanks to my fabulous picture. My eyebrows looked like Frida Kahlo’s and my horrendous turtle neck takes up more space in the picture than my face. Either way I had been dreading this visit because I knew it would take forever and I would have to wake up early.

Since I was born in Mexico, I can’t simply get my passport emailed to me. I have to go to an office and get it there. First off, I had to go through a waste-of-a-time phone call in order to make an appointment. They had me on hold longer than I would have wanted. The lady was rude and for some reason she kept calling me ‘senora’ which means Mrs., even after I told her I was single.

But that was only the beginning. I had to wake up around 6 a.m. on my appointment day to get there before the crowd. This place is on the west side and I live on the south side. If I would take the bus it would had been like a 2-hour commute! Lucky for me I was able to get a ride.

So I get there thinking I’ll be the first in line. To my surprise, there were like 100 people in front of me! I had taken a couple of reading assignments so it didn’t seem that bad at first. The first check point I went through was to make sure I had all the necessary documents and pointless copies of every one of them.

I was then sent to the basement where I waited for another good hour to get my finger prints taken and my pass to pay for my passport. I thought I had enough money to extend it for another six years but to my luck, I was $5 short. I could only get the three year one.

After I paid it off I had to sit there and wait for another hour and a half so I could pick it up. I left there three hours later with a headache. I hate that place. There has to be an easier way to go through that process without killing three hours of ones life.

I truly hope I’m a citizen by the time I have to renew my passport again.

podcasts

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:24:18 -0500

I’ll be honest here, I’ve never downloaded a podcast until I knew we had an assignment for it. I know what they are and I see them on most of the sites that I visit but they never really appealed to me and I never found them necessary.

But this week I subscribed to three podcasts: VH1’s Best Week Ever, The Sarah Silverman Program and The Sound of Young America. These were the only three that I knew would interest me. After a long day, Sarah Silverman’s sketches are just what I need to make me laugh and forget about all my homework even if it’s just for a couple of minutes.

VH1’s Best Week Ever doesn’t fall behind either. It’s probably one of the shows I miss the most since I no longer have cable at my house.

And finally after hearing Jesse Thorn talk to us I decided to subscribe to his podcast and so far it’s been a good choice. I think eventually I’ll end up subscribing to more, but for now I’m giving these three a chance.

Our President-Elect gets his haircuts in Hyde Park by Zariff....

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:58:29 -0500

Our President-Elect gets his haircuts in Hyde Park by Zariff. He’s been going there for the past 14 years.

always makes me laugh after a long day

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:52:08 -0500

always makes me laugh after a long day

lol… my sign language debut

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:50:53 -0500

lol… my sign language debut

And we're friends?

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 20:48:48 -0500

I think I’ve said this before but I have had many of the same friends since high school and some since grammar school. One in particular has been my ‘best friend’ since high school. We have always lived two blocks away and thanks to my brother we have managed to stay in touch.

My brother started dating my best friend in high school. The weirdest moment was having him at my senior prom. Need I say more?

Either way, when she started dating my brother, our friendship began changing. She wold always talk about my brother and I no longer was her go to when she needed to talk. Yep, I felt left out.

It’s been three years since all that and now they are engaged. I’ve gotten over being the second person she talks to when she needs something but she has become a different person. I hate to say it but my brother is very controlling. It’s gotten to the point that he doesn’t let her hang out with me without him being there.

It’s sad to see her not fight back and have some type of freedom. This past weekend I heard from my brother that her grandma was diagnosed with cancer. I know it might not be the easiest thing to talk about to people but I know she won’t tell me unless I tell her first. Maybe I’m just the one with the problem and needs to move on.

night to remember

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:04:15 -0500

night to remember:

It was a crazy night and I wish I had a better camera but here’s what I got.

html

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:21:48 -0500

Great I was trying to fix my page and make it easier to read and now I’m stuck with all this random stuff on top, sorry guys.

just like that…

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:17:10 -0500

just like that…

it's going to be crazy

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:14:13 -0500

I have spent my past Sundays doing the same thing, h.w. I have never been a fan of Sundays because they always seem so boring. Either way, I have filled out my post it’s with my to do list for this week and just looking at it gives me a head ache.

I still can’t believe I will be registering for my classes for the last time on Tues. That is, if I can register. I had a hold on my account and the financial aid office is horrible. How can all my aid still be pending if we’re a month away from the end of the semester?!

I can’t hand in my deposit for Paris until I know I can actually pay for it. With that comes applying to renew my passport which means I would have to go to the Mexican Consulate and loose a whole day there because the service is ridiculous.

It’s great that my class is cancelled on Tues night but of course, I still have to email my stuff. I just realized my boyfriends bday is on Friday and I will be stuck working all day. Not to mention I still need a gift.

And of course, elections. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving weekend.

old friends...

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:14:08 -0400

So I hung out with my friends from grammar school tonight. Not sure how many people can actually say that. Since I have been living in the same house for 13 years or so, I tend to go back to my old friends once in a while just to catch up. Not to mention that one of them is engaged to my brother, but that’s a different story.

So I heard that one of them was moving to California. Sure people always come and go and move on but we were always close and we had that special bonding type of thing where every time we bumped into one another, it was a nice feeling rather than that awkward one.

So six of us got together tonight to say our farewell to my friend who is moving to pursue a singing career (he made it to the second round in American Idol). Now these guys aren’t just high school friends, we go all the way back to sixth and some to third grade!

We all have our own lives and new friends but they are part of my past and it’s just something that will never be taken away. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun just hanging out and laughing about old stories. It’s just good to know they will always be there.

Multimedia stuff

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:18:10 -0400

I’m not too familiar with this new world of multimedia stuff. I feel a little overwhelmed but at the same time I feel lucky. There are so many possibilities of how I can can get my news now.

If I miss the news I can just browse through the stories I want to see without having to sit there watching the whole broadcast. I can either read a story or watch the video and get the same information in a couple of minutes. Bloggers are some of the most passionate people I have met. Even though it seems like anyone can be a writer.

I’m yet to discover the world of pod casts and all the other stuff I’m missing out on. I know I have to take that step eventually but I’m not sure if I’m ready.

Everyblock

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:10:53 -0400

I was a little dissapointed when I entered my address on Everyblock.com. According to the site, it’s still not updated enough to recognize by address. Maybe it just has something to do with it being an uncommon one.

My zipode did work but most of the information was more than 10 days old. Which makes me wonder if people aren’t reporting the crimes or if it’s just outdated. From living in the same neighborhood for the past 13 years or so, I know stuff goes down every single day. Let’s just say i wouldn’t consider my neighborhood as a ‘safe’ one.

The site listed 25 recent crimes ranging from assaul, burglaries, vandalism and possession of crack and cocaine. I guess I didn’t find anything new since I know the neighborhood already. I was just really glad to find out that nothing serious had happened around my block.

my dad's parents

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:34:44 -0400

I have always been closer to my mom’s side of the family. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that they were always there when I was growing up and my dad’s family seems to be missing something called affection.

My dad has celebrated his birthdays without any of his brothers attending or my grandparents. And the thing is that he comes from a big family, my grandma had 10 of them. He never gets a call from any of them and he has to call in order to know what’s going on with his family. The worst was when we got invited to my cousins wedding, that same day. I still don’t know why we actually went.

Either way, my dad’s parents were over this weekend. I hadn’t seen them in a while and I was actually happy to see them. For some weird reason, it seems as though they haven’t aged. They look exactly the same as they did years ago.

My grandpa is a funny character who can’t stand being indoors for a long time and doesn’t keep up a conversation for more than a couple of minutes. He loves to talk about all his sons and their gossip.

My grandma on the other hand is a shopaholic. She loves to buy funny looking boots and wears pants under her skirts when it’s cold. She is going through a crisis where she thinks she’s going bald and so she spends hours in front of the mirror trying to cover her bald spots.

Although there were a lot of awkward silences this weekend, I’m glad I got to see them because I feel lucky to have them in my life. I just hope they feel the same.

waiting for sources...

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:46:56 -0400

So I’m writing a Halloween feature and I have been trying to contact people who work with haunted houses since Sunday. So much for my luck, the one guy who was my inside man is no longer returning my calls!!

Sure I might have gotten a bit annoying after leaving a lot of voice mails and sending him emails but what is it that people don’t understand what a deadline means. Can’t they just call back? I mean it won’t take more than like 15 minutes to talk to me and I’m a student. Shouldn’t people be willing to help me out?

I hate waiting.

presidential debates...

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:15:31 -0400

I’m going to be honest here and say that I’m not too excited about presidential debates. Most of the time I get bored after the first couple of minutes and they never seem to talk about stuff that I’m interested in like immigration or financial aid for students.

If they do ever talk about these matters it’s always a long answer that has nothing to do with the issues. I saw Obama speak at a conference this summer and I was dissapointed when he answered an immigration question very wordy and kept on going without answering it.

I would probably be more into all of it if I was voting, even though politics were never my favorite topic. I admire those who can hold a political conversation and evaluate both McCain and Obama’s point of view and have facts to back up their beliefs. Hopefully I’ll be more interested in all of it when I am able to vote.