Rise Up, Dirty Birds!

Stardate 66464.4

18:57  -  Over the past professional football season, I have been getting quite into the NFL. So much so I finished 13^th in a fantasy football league. I’d say things are getting pretty serious. To get really into fantasy football, you have got to watch a bunch of actual football. I mean Redzone switching around to all of the games watching football. There is no waiting around and watching commercials; action is happening. However, I love watching a game live. There is nothing like being in the actual stadium. Over New Year’s Eve, Rob and I stopped by his old stomping grounds of Atlanta, and we couldn't be in Atlanta without seeing the Falcons. It was time to Rise Up!

For those Focus Foxies unfamiliar with the season will need to know that the Dirty Birds were riding the wave of multiple victories into the playoffs. In fact, they were the number one seed in the NFC. They had their last game at home and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game was pretty much a wash, but we got to see some of Rob's favorite players go out and run around. By the second half, they were resting a few starters, but it didn't stop us from cheering on when Matt Ryan would go long for Julio Jones. Plus, going to the Georgia Dome is a one of a kind experience. Where else can you see the Dirty Bird Victory Dance in person? 

Focus Foxy Dirty Birds: Atlanta's Finest Rob, Matt and Joseph plus me. 

Hail to the Falcons

Stardate 66236.5

15:28 - On Sunday (Stardate 66233.7) Rob and I made our way to Landover, Maryland to Fedex Field. We had tickets to see the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins battle it out. Being from Atlanta, Rob wanted to be there to support Matt Ryan trampling the Redskins. I wanted to support RGIII and the home team, but I secretly wanted the Falcons to win.

View from the outside

Despite having Washington attached to their name, the Redskins' field is not located in Washington. It is barely in what I would consider the metro area. It's outside the beltway! But I digress, Focus Foxies, the Landover location allows Redskins' fans plenty of room to tailgate. They tailgate pretty well for not being in the South. They have tents, grills, and games set up all around the parking lots. We had to dodge footballs to make it into the stadium. I think they were aimed at Rob's Ryan jersey, but there is no way to be sure.

We got inside the bowl shaped Fedex Field at last. Let me tell you something, Focus Foxies, no one comes to the stadium until kick off or a bit afterwards. We were worried that no one would show up. For the first half of the game the Redskins remained competitive with the 4-0 Falcons. They met them touchdown for touchdown. In fact, they looked like an awesome team for a bit there. After the touchdowns, I was introduced to the Redskins' Marching Band. Each touchdown they play their fight song: 'Hail to the Redskins.'

Rain and cold weather didn't stop us!

Well, the Redskins' good luck couldn't last very long. The Falcons came out ready to play the second half. They kept RGII contained, and then they sent him to the sidelines with a mild concussion. The Falcons were trying to make short work of the Redskins, but the Redskins kept limping along. One of the more special aspects of this game was the opportunity to see a career die. It wasn't RGIII's (although he should take lessons from Harper in sliding); it was the kicker Cundiff. We watched the sad field goal attempts to keep the Redskins in the game. Missing a 30 yard field goal was an especially low moment for Cundiff. His next extra point attempt led to the crowd booing him. I mean the guy could not kick a simple field goal; why add to his struggle by booing an extra point attempt? Redskins' fans that's why. Cundiff was eventually cut the next week in disgrace. The Redskins had a few chances at the end of the game, not that their fans would have noticed. A majority of them left before the last 5 minutes. Two turnovers in the last 3 minutes sealed the deal for the Redskins defeat. So I guess their fans' bet against the home team worked.

Superman Rob over Fedex Field

Well, a bunch of people in the stands were happy with the Atlanta win. I credit this with Atlanta fans being the only ones left (I cannot stress enough the emptying of the stands. Incredible). Focus Foxies, what you are more interested in knowing is why would I want the Falcons to win? Is it love? In a way yes. I would love to have a Falcons/Texans Superbowl. I would love to see the hope drain from falcons' fans eyes. I would love to see them leaving the stands as degraded as Redskins' fans. The picture that I want to paint for you, Focus Foxies, is one where our dear Superman is shaken up by the kryptonite that is the Texans Defense. It would include the one-two punch that is Foster/Johnson duo masterminding a Lex Luther like destruction of the Falcons Defense. Unfortunately for the Falcons, there will be no Parker Posey to save them. So yes, love is the reason.

PR at Partners: Redemption!

I'm not a space invader!

Stardate 65840

In the middle!

20:10 - As many long time Focus Foxies know, I have had trouble with my hair. I would not describe these troubles as actual problems, but as some major first world problems. I am pretty uncomfortable with the idea of going to a salon, and past experience hasn't really helped that (see Stardate 65420.9). I decided that it was time for another haircut, but this time it would be different. For many years I have wanted to dye my hair and never have. Being a fancy new vixen in a fancy town, I decided to change this. I started looking around, and yes, I did look at PR at Partners again. However, I did not go back to the same location. I went to a different salon with a new hair stylist.

Before

Meets After

 I have to say that my experience went well this time! I went with red highlights. I was afraid of blonde ones because everyone says bleaching is bad. Also, I have always wanted to have red hair. I don't know why. Now, I am a saucy ginger for the time being. I also went with straight across the face bangs. I haven't had this type of bangs since I was little. If I find a picture of it, I will post it. Focus Foxies, I looked cute then, and I can still work it. The red is not as visible in the pictures, but I will get better ones when I get a better camera.

Overall, Krystal did a great job of walking me through the whole process, and I had a bunch of Focus Foxy input. So thank you everyone!

Josh Abbott Band and Pat Green

Josh Abbott and I

Stardate 65654

20:45 - We have a great deal of unique things about Texas. Rarely highlighted is our own unique blend of country music, which combines folk, outlaw country, and alternative rock intro songs mostly to do about Texas. Outside of Texas, Texas country does not get radio time. Hell, Texas stations do not give it its proper due. Sometimes, if I close my eyes, I can hear Texas country playing. I can see them dancing at The Hall, and when I dream, I dream I'm back in College Station.

I haven't floated down the Ol' Frio or had a kolache in awhile, but on March 8th, Texas came to me. Two stars of Texas country music, Josh Abbott Band and Pat Green, made a tour stop at the 930 Club in DC. So Rob took me out to the dancehall. After all, he hadn't met my Texas yet.

Josh Abbott Band

It was some kind of miracle to have Texas country music in my life. Having mostly heard it on the radio, the live version could not disappoint. That night, we were gonna set the world on fire. We sang along to all the songs, and in the end, I met Josh Abbott himself. Texas made a grand showing that night with her charm shinning through it all. After the concert, Rob got to know that I am a bit more like Texas than he realized, and he likes me for it.

Pat Green

Laser Tag and Dogfish Head Ale

Crazy outside snow! The most snow I saw in my life.

Stardate 65580.2

21:02 - Few things can be better than laser tag. True story! We road to the out skirts of the DC metro area to rent out a laser tag place in Maryland. We did not go to make kids cry but grown men and women from the internet. With my two top ten finishes, I would say: Mission Accomplished. With this much awesome about, we tried to top it, and we did.

Menu of beer. A whole menu of dedicated to beer.

A kingly beer

We went for a night cap/victory drink at Dogfish Head Ale House in Gaithersberg. This magical place houses the wonderful ales, lagers, and stouts of Dogfish Head Brewery. It is hard to find these brews on tap or in the store. They simply are on the endangered species list for D.C. Of the rarest of breeds is the Midas Touch beer. A part of the Ancient Ales line, the Midas Touch began 2,700 years ago. Collecting a vessel from the tomb of King Midas, the brew masters reverse engineered the recipe and now bring it to us humble beings. This crisp and flavorful beer danced on my tongue. The most prominent taste is the honey flavors. What can I say about this beer is that the Midas Touch Ale is the golden touch to the ending of a victorious evening. I would have accepted a gold medal, but I got better.

State of the Union 2012

Stardate 65532.7

12:00 - If you are looking for outrageous or insightful commentary on yesterday's State of the Union (SOTU), you came to the wrong blog. I do, however, have a plethora of facebook friends to whom I can refer you to that have ample amounts of opinions on the validity of the SOTU's content. You may discuss or troll with those individuals to your heart's content.  I will be giving a recount of the watch party awesomness. True Story.

The big man on the big screen!

Apparently, SOTU is a big deal in DC. So much so, we have watch parties for them as if it were the Super Bowl. We piled into a sports bar to watch President Obama on huge screens deliver is mandatory yearly speech. At Union Pub, a group of thirty played a little drinking game, and here are some of the rules. You can pick a word, such as jobs, unemployment, Iraq, Afghanistan, or Democrat/Republican, to take a drink each time it is uttered. Another approach (mine) is to drink whenever a group of politicians stands up and claps obnoxiously. If the TV station mismatches a name on the bottom of the screen with a face of a different secretary, drink (Secretary Kathleen Seblins does not look like Attorney General Eric Holder. fact).  These are pretty standardized rules that could be used for the past decade. This year yielded a few more laughing/drinking moments. Let's say the Vice President visibly silences his cell phone at the beginning of the speech; you should probably take a shot. Start the evening out right, Focus Foxies. Phrases like "Congressional insider trading," "human dignity cannot be denied," and "America is the most indispensable nation in delivering fairness" cause you take a drink due to sheer badassness. One of the rarely seen oratory tactics in a SOTU is humor, and I have to say President Obama pulled off an old school joke. If the president ever tells the nation that unnecessary regulations for dairy accidents are 'spilled milk worth crying over' with a straight face, finish your beer before you spit out all over your fellow viewers.

Free drink/cup for coming out to Union Pub!

 I must say that I may not have partaken in all of these rules, but we did have thirty people to spread the rules out. This dirty thirty did their best to take down those rules, one by one, and had an awesome time doing so. I have to say the best part of the night was a certain shout out to a little known agency for their China tires investigation. You can't beat a SOTU shout out!


Dirty Thirty of Redditor Focus Foxies made this possible

Zombie Horror and DC Slices

Stardate 65491.5

12:05 - Close to midnight, a frightening epidemic sweeps across the bar districts of DC. Crawling all over and out of the bars are the zombie versions of your friends. You try to contain them in cabs, buses, and metro stops to no avail. They stumble around ignoring crosswalk signals on major streets, displaying all ranges of emotions without reason or recollection why, and mingling and infecting other local bar hoppers. You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it. Without the phone number to Umbrella Corporation’s customer service line or voice, how are you supposed to bring your friends back to life? No worries, Focus Foxies, help is on the way. Rolling to a curb near you is your knight in shining armor: the Food Truck. These touring culinary saviors have the cure for drunken shenanigans: food!

 Last Saturday, as we donned our classiest attire (Yes we suited up!) and tried to match our behaviors to our wardrobe, I found myself in such a zombie state. The cure for the common classy drunk munchies appeared in the form of DC Slices. They serve New York style slices, and I had to have me a pepperoni one. It was delightfully dripping in grease and covered in parmesan cheese. Even more delightful were the two guys serving the slices. Yes, their shirts say ‘He is Gay’ and ‘He is Not.’ Unneeded info, but entertaining to me nonetheless. What else could this single-minded vixen ask for that night? Chicago style pizza. Enough said.

 As a safety tip from the Focus Fox Log, if you ever find yourself in this position, go quickly to the nearest food establishment. For no drunk mortal can resist the smell of greasy food.

In attendance: Current Knight in Shining Armor and Shenanigan Financier Focus Foxy Rob and soon to be Focus Foxies of Suck it Trebek!/Redditor

PR at Partners

Stardate 65420.9

14:55 - Last night, I went to PR at Partners hair salon because I needed to get my hair did, badly. I am not one to fuss about hair issues but my hair style was oscillating from 'no-style' to Alan Rickman's Severus Snape.  Either of these do not qualify as hot in my book. Being in a new city, I took a recommendation from a friend, which came with a coupon, and scheduled an appointment with PR at Partners.

Focus Foxies, when I go out on a limb and try to be cool with my hair styles, the hair cuts tend to be a series of bad 70s cuts. The most defining example of this comes from the seventh grade. As you can imagine, I was too nerdy/dorky/geeky to function, but I wanted to be cool.  At that time, all of the pretty, cool girls had 'layers' in their hair. Young me did not quite get the concept of layers because I had always had a straight cut in back and for my bangs.  So I requested layers for my next hair cut and my 'stylist' (who doubled as my piano teacher. $5 for a cut or piano lesson was the going rate). What she gave me was a 70s inspired shag cut. Google David Cassidy from the Partridge family; that was me in the seventh grade. It was so bad that the next day when I went to the lunch table, people said I looked like a boy and everyone laughed at me. I tried laughing with the joke and my orthodontic work got stuck, preventing my mouth from closing. Damn overbite corrector! Anyways, you can see how I could be a big ball of insecurity to this day when trying something new with my hair.

I have watched plenty of episodes Tabitha's Salon Take Over to know that going to a salon does not equal good quality. BUT, I am in a new fancy city, and I am trying new and fancy things. So, I put aside my upbringing and tried a place out that cost more than 15 dollars. I got played, badly.  Despite my stylist, Huey, being 45 minutes late, I only requested three things. (side note: he showed me a picture of Natalie Portman as what he wanted to do with my hair, and I had visions of looking like Senator Amidala. Expectations way too high for starters. double side note: the picture might have been of Kiera Knightley, but telling the two apart is really hard. See Episode I, but I digress.) The first thing, I wanted to have enough hair to pull back. I work out 4-5 times a week and need a pony tail. Check, easy to do. Second thing, low maintenance is key. He didn't do so great here. I will probably have to put product and blow dry it. Not a happy camper about that. Lastly and most importantly, I wanted volume to my hair. Let me explain you something about a stereotypical Texas woman. We like our hair big. The TV show Dallas was not lost on us. We updated our styles but continue the homage. We like big hair, big personalities and big... well you can fill the blank on that one. So you can imagine my surprise when the 'voluminous' hair cut I got fell flatter than a pancake. It was crepe thin!

Considering there were people sleeping on the ground outside, it was silly of me to walk out balling my eyes out, but I miss Texas so damn much at times like these. Every time I go into a place like this, I feel like I have sucker written on my forehead and someone will take advantage me not knowing anything about anything. Funny thing is, when I got home, the 'styling' Huey did left with Farrah Faucet wing tips. Some things just don't change.

NAKID Karaoke

Stardate 65379

17:35 - I have joined a kickball league called NAKID (No, Adult kickball isn't dumb).  The league is full of young and awesome people from around the DC area.  Occasionally, NAKID hosts pretty sweet parties, and last Friday, they held a Karaoke contest. I have never been labeled a singer. In fact, when I told Mama Fox  I was going to do Karaoke, she flat out told me that I can't sing, and she only hears me in church.  So you know, Focus Foxies, that is the heaven sent truth. Luckily, Karaoke calls for a bit more performance than singing talent. With this in mind, I dragged Abby along with me to sing them a song.

We did not sing in the competition because let's be honest, we couldn't win.  We sang 'Chicken Fried' by Zac Brown Band. We would allow you to join our group, but you would have to wear a purple sweater dress, black tights, and black boots, which we both did without any pre-planning. I will say knowing the lyrics to a song will enhance your performance.  I really thought that I knew all the words to 'Chicken Fried', but it turns out, I don't remember the second half of the chorus.  It was a struggle.

More highlights of the evening include a pair of guys singing 'A Whole New World' from Aladdin. A dude in Dixie shirt wailed Barbra Streisand's  "Wind Beneath My Wings' but refused to joining the entire group of NAKIDers in a round of 'Friends in Low Places.'  Also, I met the guy who won 3rd place in the contest. So I know an extremely minor celebrity.

All in All, Focus Foxies, I highly suggest you sing when forced up to a Karaoke mic by your friends.  Remember, it is not peer pressure; it is just your turn.

Not Running on Gas

Stardate 64280.1
15:18 - The first time I ran out of gas happened in June of 2009; my then boyfriend, Gabe, rescued me from the infernal grips of the Texas heat. Camped in lot 61 on campus, I cursed the fact that I forgot to fill up my tank and my cheap idea of not filling up my tank the whole way the last time.  For those of you not familiar with the state of lot 61 at this time, lot 61 was equated many a time to the infrastructure of Baghdad with its incredibly large potholes and its sharp, rusted metal objects thrown about. In all seriousness, I trembled as my car would traverse over the pothole craters in fear of an improvised explosive device (IED) detonating in that sorry excuse of a parking lot.

This incident caused me to invest in a two gallon gas can to remain in my trunk for all of eternity 'just in case'. I say investment, but I am not so sure on the returns to this 'investment'. Since purchasing the can, I have been stuck in parking lots and at the corner of Harvey and Texas Ave more times than I care to count, and I wonder: did this gas tank pay for itself by me being prepared or was it a self-fulfilling prophecy? Because if I gambled, I would say that this scourge of a gas tank created perverse incentives for me to run out of gas by giving me the independence to do so without going through the embarrassment of calling upon my friends for help. This past night was no exception, with the gage at 'E', I swung by my sister Kim's dorm (or a location near her dorm to save on gas). Being warned of the precarious situation we found ourselves in, she knew the drill of a rolling stop and executed it with style. I made it home safely, only by not going over 2 on the r/min and rolling through stops to prevent from idling out. However, later that night (around midnight), I had to use my blasted gas tank to refill my tank in order to bring my friend ice cream. To which, I admit was bad form on multiple levels and more proof of the gas tank's incentive perverting nature. At least, I did not have to contend with the embarrassment of not having enough gas in my tank when I left my friend's place.

Thunderhawks Unite

Stardate 64245
14:37 - Last night was the first night that I played a full game of softball in over a decade. Yes, I am old enough to say that I haven't done something in a decade.  I joined the co-rec softball team, named the Thunderhawks. Educational opportunity, Focus Foxies: a Thunderhawk is an ancient bird friend of the Greek God, Rock Stareous, who was once his son, Thunderus, but Zeus turned him into an awesome hawk just as he was about to die from being critically injured by a Hydra. Zeus equipped this hawk with the ability to produce loud booming noises every time he flapped his wing. In exchange for giving him new life, Zeus demanded that the Thunderus Hawk flap around during every lighting storm Zeus created. The God Rock Stareous

was so happy that sometimes he would play music to go along with the storm. Thunderhawk and Rock Stareous were sad that they couldn't be both human anymore, but they stopped being sad. Instead, they decided to be awesome. True Story.  Anyways, our team laid a hurting on some unsuspecting team called the Cremasters. What is a Cremaster? I have no idea. Well, I do have an idea; it is a team that gets beat 17-4. Well, Focus Foxies, I didn't do half bad; I did worse than half bad. I did terrible. I struck out twice, walked once (then scored), and then was gotten out before I hit first base.  MVP for that game was Weston who dropped bombs on those Cremasters like the coalition forces on Saddam in March 2003. A Whoop!

Doce Margarita Madness

Stardate 64207.4
21:43 - Put yourself in my unique situation. On Monday (stardate 64182.8), a friend of mine challenged me to drink ten (diez) margaritas on one of the Ozonas $1 margarita nights because the next few are free until you pass out.  Well, I never go looking for trouble from anyone or anything, but it finds its way to my doorstep easily enough. This 'challenge' was going to be nothing but trouble for me. As you well know, Focus Foxies, I sure as hell never back down from a challenge. Without a moments hesitation, I accepted this challenge. How hard could it be? I spent the next week mentally prepping myself and advertising the event to anyone I could. It was going to be a spectacle. Also, half of the deal was that if I did not finish the drinks then I would have to pay for them myself, and I'm broke. Once I started down this path of margaritas, forever would it control that night's destiny.

The strategy for achieving this feat consisted of drinking margaritas really fast. This strategy received two criticisms.  The first being that I would be sloppy in a matter of minutes if I decided to chug, and the second being I might get brain freeze. Truth be told, I preoccupied myself with preventing the latter from happening. Besides, who worries about getting sloppy when they embark on a mission to drink 10 margaritas? Its like worrying if you are going to be chilly on the planet Hoth because all you ever have known are the warm sands of Tatooine. Its inevitable. Of course, there is always the pesky problem of heart burn to worry about as well. I would have modified my strategy, but we arrived at 21.42 only to find that $1 margaritas end at 23.00. Do or do not; there is no try.

To add a scientific research aspect to this project, we calculated the utility of each of the first ten margaritas.  I personally defined utility as how the margarita tasted and how I felt at that point. I assigned each value out of ten, and then a tally was marked on my right hand. We started this journey pretty low, but things started picking up intensity when the tequila started sinking in. I'm not sure why we did this experiment, but I think my friend and investor gets a tax ride-off for sponsoring research or donating to charity cases such as myself.

I finished 11 margaritas and was able to start on my 12th one for the twelfth man.  I was victorious in my challenge with only rubbing salt in my eye once, giving up one crazy story about Costa Rica, and explaining my Mom's views on President Obama.  The real story happened after I stopped drinking and the tequila had its chance to wreck havoc on my mental capabilities. So warning, if you choose to enter this challenge, you might experience one or more of the following. First, I told an inordinate amount of details about my past boyfriends and my past in general. The last time I told that much information about how I tick, I was watching the sun rise over the Caribe with a man from Cameroon (see Stardate 64051.5). I mean I blabbed about why I chose to go into economic development and how possessive my ex was. Craziness. Secondly, because we were getting so deep into my life, I decided to tell people that my life's theme song was "Gettin' By" by Jerry Jeff Walker. After, my friends dropped me off, I started listening to the entirety of the Great Gonzos album, and I thought (and said out loud to myself) that if the world really wanted to make a connection with me, you would have to sing the words to "Redneck Mother" with me. So, apparently drunk Michele has a connection to Layne (because we have sung this song randomly together in CR) and eight ninths of the redneck world.  There is no explaining this one. Next, you might think that the fact that you conquered the challenge is equivalent to graduating from college, winning a gold medal or finishing an IronMan competition. In turn, this may cause you to do the following: start crying to Kyle about how sad you are to not have your college family by your side, write a guilt trip on your good friend Bethany's wall about her lack of attendance, and write an incoherent message to James about how it meant a ton for him to show up. All of this was deemed unnecessary drama in the morning. Do not get me wrong; awesomeness was achieved. The tears, guilt trips, and exaggerations were not necessary.  But thanks guys for the support, except for you, Bethany. Lastly, you might start thinking a ton about your family. You might write a message to your sister telling her about how awesome she is and then, write a poem about your family. That seriously occurred.  That pretty much wraps up the struggles that I went through on Monday. After all it was just another Monday night, and I'm just carryin' on an ol' family tradition.

Special shout-out to: Bush School peeps (who wont be named because of their impending job search), Alex LaBelle (You doubted, son. Never again.), James (Thanks for giving up engineering to witness all 10 margaritas), Kyle ( you were there, but you just drinking beer), Greg (who bought the 11th) and Crew, and the random engineers that knew both James and Alex.

the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Mexican Food

Stardate 64181.7
09:13 - Now, I am not an expert on Mexicans, but I have certainly gotten my heart broken by a few too many. But along the way, I learned a bit about Mexican food that I will share with you, Focus Foxies. Specifically, over the past couple of weeks I had the (mis)fortune of eating both good mexican food, bad 'Mexican' food, and some straight-up UGLY Mexican food.

Good Mexican Food:

My friends cooked authentic Mexican food for me for a couple of dinners. I have to say it was pretty good, and dare I say, better than comida tica. Lo siento pero es la verdad. Dinner one included Chilaquiles, Mexican Rice, and soup. Chilaquiles consists of a really hot (by gringo standards) blended salsa with chips in the salsa. The best way to describe it would be that it is a 'casarole' of sorts with really good, fresh tomatoes and jalapeño salsa. Mexican rice is different from all other types of rice by the fact that the first part of the preparation consists of heating the rice up in a skillet and then afterwards adding a can of tomato sauce. The soup was pretty much pasta. Dinner two was made up of a dish called Tinga. Personally, I like 'Tinga' better, but I have no idea how to spell it. You layer a huge ship (I think its called a tostado), then beans, and then a mixture of a different salsa and shredded chicken. Very tasty, Focus Foxies. So complete these meals with a tecate, and you are doing awesome.

Bad Mexican Food:
Bad Mexican Food is what I cook. No joke. I mastered the art of cooking 'migas' which I learned from an ex-boyfriend, but I an not sure if it is authentic. I also add chorizo into the deal to make it better. Very simple dish. But where I really fail lies in my inability to cook rice. I burnt the Mexican rice that I cooked. Not only was it crunchy because of the burntness, the inside was not cooked all the way through, allowing for an extra bit of crunch. See Stardate 641689.

Ugly Mexican Food:
Taco Cabana is ugly Mexican food. Although it cannot be considered Mexican food by most people, and a few claim that it is 'Tex-Mex', but in all reality, it is failure. Thinly disguised as being more 'authentic' than Taco Bell fails to out preform its chosen benchmark of TB. At Taco Bell do you find people struggling like Kyle here>>
No, you do not. You find people who are eating cheap, cheap food at 3 in the morning. You find them not having to trek all of the BCS area to find their location because they are adjacent to the gates of North. So next time you are famished after your nightly activities take your $2 to Taco Bell, and save $2010 and get the same amount of food as Taco C or what ever the cool kids call it these days.

I aint got no job, I aint got no money, I aint got shit to do

Stardate 64168.9
08:16 - My student loans have not come through. Why? I have a few things missing, but I know I have taken care of them last week. Entonces, I called financial aid for the third time this week. The lady on the other side was talking me through the system, which I already know, but I patiently listen. She informs me that it will take two days. I ask that if Friday it does not show up, should I follow up...?

"You really want your money don't you?"- Lady

"Nah, Trick, I just want call into different offices around campus to see if they are efficient or not." - Me

"Really?" - Lady

"Puta, Porfa. SHOW ME THE MONEY!" - Me

That isn't how it went, but it is what I thought. She said that they would request the documents by Friday, but they might not show up until Monday. I understand that this is my fault, but I could use a bit of help. I am down to less than a hundred dollars to my name with no credit card to back up on.  This makes me a bit nervous. Once my loans come through and my sister repays me my $50.

13:02 - I apply for a job at Atkinson Toyota. I think that I am pretty much in, if they can find the hours. Here is hoping. While this is happy, this event struggles because I told my good friend that I got a lead on this job. He said that "Surely you can get a cooler job than that." Really? I am applying to every job I can. I mean every job. It sucks because this is the only lead I have had. So, I will stand out in 100 degree weather in rain or shine for minimum wage. 

19:09 - Well, I decide to cook up some food. I have really nothing left in my kitchen, but a few things. I am not to the point of being really hungry. However, I am saving an ounce of tomato sauce. I reheated my mom's porkchop and made a pork fajita. I made mexican rice, but I burnt it. What sucks is that no matter what....I have to eat it for lunch tomorrow. 

20:39 - As I have a whole post complaining about my issues. No one feel sorry for me. I will be fine. Being poor will do me good. Less drinking, loosing weight and a general appreciation for what I used to have. But seriously, I have turned off the AC for now and I am donating plasma tomorrow. They don't want you to have piercings in the past twelve months.... I might lie about that....

Hungover Michele

Stardate 64134
12:22 - I have told many people that drunk Michele is the best version of myself because I am just more fun and will get into more trouble. But today, I found out that hungover Michele is a pretty cool cat.  Many people just chill and moan when they have a hangover, but not many. Usually, I can get around extremely early and start being productive. For example, I put together my blue lamp today and commenced playing with it. I mean it looks like a staff and as you can see, I clearly began acting out lines from my favorite wizard. Sorry, Focus Foxies more obsessed with Potter than LOTR, Gandalf wins. Please note that I even put on a grey robe for the occasion as was appropriate due to Gandalf being Gandalf the Grey when such lines were uttered. I also hung up pictures, painted trim around the walls and vacuumed. This all occurring before my friend picked me up to find my forgotten car.

Making Cookies and Earrings

Stardate 64124
21:22 - My adventures in cooking are entertaining and often not as tasty as one could hope. My Dad tasked me to make cookies for some charity thing. How hard could cookies be to make? Answer: hard. My flat too chocolaty experiments tasted alright but looked like a struggle. One day I will be able to cook something. But today was not that day.

So, I do not think that I told you, Focus Foxies, that I had my ears pierced several times while in Costa Rica. I got the cartilage piercing first, then the rook, and the industrial last. I know people who are getting their master's degrees are supposed to be professional, but screw it. I love them. Besides, I want to work in the field, not in an office.  Therefore, I will not continue to display the same sort of stuffiness found all around the Bush School. Lo siento, Bush School Focus Foxies, but it is kinda true. For the record, the did not hurt at all. Although the rook piercing did bleed a ton. So far they are not infected, and I did loose my cartilage earring, but replaced with a light blue earring. I am glad I got them and stopped worrying what people might think in the future. My Mom did no see the piercing, even though I had my hair up. She saw them in church. She told me to pray because even, God might not be able to save me. She wasn't too pleased to say the least.

Flight Home

Stardate 64101.4
14:47 - Ahora, estoy volando desde San Jose para Estados Unidos. Despues de tres meses, estoy yendome  Costa Rica. Estoy muy triste porque a mi me gusta Costa Rica. He aprendido mucho acerca de mi vida, otras culturas y que quiero hacer con mi vida. Lo mas importante es el significado de Pura Vida. Entonces, Chao, Costa Rica! Voy a extrañarte. Pero, este es solo el comienzo. Voy a continuar a viajar alrededor del mundo. No tengo dingue pero tengo el insecto de viaje (travel bug).

Mientras mi vuelo, mire los nubes y el Caribe debajo de mi avion. Maraville con los nubes y sus reflexiónes en el mar. Termine mi diado para Costa Rica. Necesite escribir acerca de mi ultimo viaje a Puerto Viejo y mi ultima noche en Heredia.

Tipico Latino y Futbol 5

Stardate 64075.1

10:25 - Anoche, fuimos a la discoteca: se llama Tipico Latino. Es una discoteca para viejos pero nos gusta esta discoteca. Mira!



Stardate 64079.1
20:45 -  Tambien, jugamos futbol 5.

No Luz en Heredia

Stardate 64057.2
23:21 - Esta noche, tenemos una tormenta. En inverno (ahora es inverno para Costa Rica), Costa Rica tiene mucha lluvia, pero hoy, tuvimos una tormenta grande. Durante la tormenta, la luz rompió y era desactivado. Mi familia tica y yo jugamos Jenga y yo construí un edifica. Mira!

Lights of the Central Valley

Stardate 64025
03:00 - Heredia tiene pocos lugares para salir a beber pero estos lugares siempre tienen muchos gringos. Eso es una problema para mi.  Yo acaba de volver de un lugar que no tiene gringos. Pues, tenia una gringa, pero nada mas! El bar, se llama E&B, esta en San Rafael (cerca de Heredia). E&B tiene mesas con muchas candelas y esta romántica. Es un lugar excelente para citas; lo se por experiencia. Desde aquí, puede ver todo el valle centro de Costa Rica. En la noche, las luces de San José son muy bonita. Es muy difícil a viajar a E&B pero vale la pena. La única problema era el camorrero; el era muy lento.

Heredia has a few places to go out and drink, but these places always have a ton of gringos. That is a problem for me. I just returned from a place that had no gringos. Well, it had one gringa, but no more. The bar was named E&B en San Rafael (close to Heredia). E&B has tables with many candles and is romantic. It is an excellent place for dates; I know this from expierence. From here, you can see all of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. At night, the San Jose lights are very pretty. It is dificult to travel to E&B but worth it. The only problem was the waiter; he is very slow.