*Snowflakes in the Eye Sort of Day

kinda sucks when you have to walk around campus with your eyes closed because otherwise you'll get large snowflakes in your eyes.
kinda boggles my mind that I saw a dumb-ass girl walking around outside wearing shorts and a sweatshirt. (she must not have received the memo about it being winter and all.) (LIZZLE GETS IT.)
finally, i'm kinda sad that I just wrote a large check made out to loyola university. We should be educated for free.

If golfers, football, basketball, soccer, baseball, and hockey players make so much money that they can probably buy a person, people with the desire to learn should be educated for free.
God bless athletes for having their talents- honestly, props to you athletes. But in all reality, you are getting paid gazillions of dollars to PLAY GAMES. Hockey? GAME. Basketball? GAME. Football? BARBARIC GAME. and the list continues.

And so, the rest of us who have to sit in classrooms and be attentive and regurgitate what we have learned in order to prove that we actually learned something are here doing it all the right way. We are working our way to the top. That's the way it ought to be for everyone. People who are handed the world in a lace-trimmed basket are often imbeciles, and sherly should squirt lemons in their eyes. (lol that's a reference to a quote from the last post.)

I leave for California on Friday and have nothing ready, save my will to get the hell out of here.

Here's and aside that has NOTHING to do with anything but my large appetite: I have to congratulate the nursing students for baking an out-of-this world oreo cheesecake- at least I think that's what it was. I'm a big spender at bake sales.

Well, its still rather early in the day, but from the looks of it, I really don't think anything worth capturing in words will happen to me from now to when the days ends. My Sensation and Perception lab classmates have provided the qotd's so I think I'm all set. Yelena is a sweet gal that just like me doesn't know as much as she should know about computers and Candace is my hilarious ghetto-fab friend in class (we often make inconspicuous snack runs)

QOTDs
Yelena:"I'm allergic to something here, my eyes are watery and red."
Me: "Oh something in this room?"
Yelena (in all seriousness): "Actually, I think I'm allergic to Loyola."


Me: "you can have this cupcake. I already ate a cupcake and the cheesecake thing."
Candace: "girl, you fat. nah I take that back, you're probably gonna think that you're fat for real."
Me: "Nope, I weigh 105 lbs."
Candace: "Ok then, you fat."

Cookie Crisps for Dinner

Saturday and Sunday were probably the most ridiculous days I've had in a while. They reminded me that humans are insane. Tonight, I had a two hour conversation with one of my closest friends in this whole world, David. I'm 22 years old and have known him since I was 5. This past week- a sudden wave of melancholy came over me- and I've caught myself on the verge of tears more than twice. All I needed was a chat with Dave- he has an amazing way of bringing it all back to normal.

He reminded me that we are all controlled by things that we ourselves formulated. He gave the crowning example of the stock market: "Nen- humans invented the goddam stock market. Then when it crashes, there are people dying of hunger bc of unemployment and things of that sort. And no one ever stops to think that humans brought it upon themselves."

I'm with you on that Dave. We invented time (calendars, clocks) and there might not be anything that does a better job at controlling us. Dave said we should move to an island and wake up whenever the hell we want. "If you're still tired, go back to sleep! If you want to eat Cookie Crisps for dinner, go right ahead! LIVE! Be free, dammit."

We talked about love- my favorite topic.
We talked about the possibility of the true love, or the "fairy-tale" (as he calls it) not being true or fathomable. He must have heard the skepticism in my voice because what he said made me hang on.
He said "Nen, if crazy shit like rapes and murders and other unthinkable crimes can happen, there has got to be another side to that coin. There had better be damn rainbows and blue skies on the other side, and I think there are."

Of course there are. There have to be blue skies. Otherwise, what are we here for? Love exists. Chances are, you feel it everyday. Now, I'm not just talking about eros. I'm talking Love. It exists, there's no question. I see love everyday when my mother takes me to the train station, when my sisters send me random emails just to say hi, when my brothers drive me alllll the way to work bc my car is in a coma, when friends like Dave don't let me give up.

Bear with me readers- I won't be so somber when I come back from my vacation. LOL...I was worse before! Dave actually helped me tone it down a notch. ;p But enough of that.

Before I wrap up here, I just want to comment on how damn sweet it was of Sherly, my little friend from work, to drive me home last night because I was stranded at work. She lives NOWHERE near me, but I think she sensed I was a little off this weekend, and she took me home. Thanks Sherls!!! You're a champion.

QOTD
"Insanity sauce, Nen. I'm swimmin' in it." -David

Keith: "Woah, Sherly. You're being mean today. You even have a crazy look in your eye."
Sherly:"what kind of look? Like I'll squirt lemons in your eyes?!"

Sad Times in America

I'm the product of a Roman Catholic education. I was baptized Catholic, raised Catholic, and can state with complete security that my sound sense of morality has everything to do with my parents and the schools that I attended. The educators in those schools were outstanding in that they were genuine, concerned, and most defintely selfless. Most educators at private institutions such as the schools that I attended will tell you that the monetary compensation for their labor was less than what they would have wished for. They will tell you that there were times that money was tight and that they sometimes had to get a second job. But they will also tell you something that many other educators will never experience- they will tell you about family...the universal kind.

Walking through the halls of Epiphany (my grammar school) and Immaculate Heart of Mary (my H.S.) I felt as safe as if I were at home. At Epiphany, I vividly remember a weekly assembly we called "faith community," which was a gathering of the entire school into the gymnasium. There we would watch re-enactments of various bible stories that were assigned to each grade level to perform. Every skit was memorable, touching, and was wrapped up with the heart-warming words of our principal, Sister Christina Helstley. Every week she told us all how much she loved us and our school and the best part about that was that she meant it every time. We all loved her right back. Every morning as all of us children walked into the building, she would stand at the top of the staircase, with a smile on her face and open arms waiting to greet us with hugs and sweet words. What I loved so much about Epiphany was that every teacher I had there had the same attitude about children and education as Sr. Christina did. I can confidently tell you that I would NEVER have had that experience at a public school.

Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) is an all-girls Catholic school that I am unbelievably sad to see close down. The value of the life lessons that I learned there will never again be known by other young women. They will never learn about sisterhood. They will never experience KAIROS- the most AMAZING spiritual retreat there is on planet earth. They won't ever have the pleasure of telling everyone that they were taught by some of the world's most dedicated, effective, intelligent, self-sacrificing human beings.

About 2 years back, Mr. Daniel Keough passed away in an untimely fashion. He was a religious studies professor at Immaculate Heart of Mary. I attended the mass that was held in his honor at Holy Name Cathedral. The entire church was full. Students, fellow teachers, and family filled every pew, every moment. Every tear that fell was heard. That's how damn close we all were. I miss Mr. Keough soooo very much and very recently when I visited IHM, it was very difficult to walk past room 205, his room.

It's hard to stomach the fact that IHM and Epiphany are closing, but it is even harder to deal with knowing that a collective number of about 23 Roman Catholic schools in the Archdioces are closing down, mostly due to low enrollment. SAD TIMES IN AMERICA. Yes, private schooling is costly, but it is worth every penny. What the hell is wrong with you, America?!

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-cath25.html

My parents worked their tails off to be able to provide my siblings and I with the gift of a Catholic education. They sacrificed having nice cars and a nice home! They had their priorities straight because they knew that if there's anything that can never be taken away from their children, its a quality education.

At this rate, I fear that soon, all Catholic schools will be wiped out. I feel sorry for future generations, including my own children, if I ever have any. You will never know what it's like to have a universal family. Your parents will have to work extra hard to show you how to care for the world and for those around you. Their will be a scarcity of the kind of hearts that are formed by the schooling provided at many of the schools that are closing down. My prayers are with you.

The quotes of the day will be the alma maters of both Epiphany and IHM.
"Epiphany, Epiphany-
Proudly do we praise you.
We thank you for the gift you are
to each and every one of us.
We strive for peace and learning well
to live in perfect harmony.
Epiphany, Epiphany, we'll always love you dear."

"IHM High, lead us ever nigh to goals both high and true.
For minds trained, for friends gained, we're grateful now to you.
As the years roll by, your standards high will tell the whole world why..
In the halls of fame you'll find the name of IHM High!"

toupees are for champions

sending a shout-out to the man who sat next to me on the train today despite the fact that there were a good 20 seats open, lonely, and just begging to be occupied by someone's posterior. sir, may I just say that you are sporting one hell of a toupee, and I wish you much bliss and prosperity.

i went to school for ONE class today that begins at 8:15 in the a.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so that's always great. waking up at 6am is spectacular.

The momma decided that I should treat her to lunch at Red Lobster since we cannot consume meat on Fridays during lent. There we sat with our scrawny shrimp & calamari (sea vegetables) while the folks at the table right next to us feasted on some very appetizing looking T-Bones...God's got a sense of humor ladies and gents!!! The pi~a colada I gulped was most definitely in order.

I took a phenomenal nap today; it was so cozy that I might still be sleeping now if I did not have to work tonight. Ahhh...the closing shifts as a server. There's always that chance that a pair of ignoramus' will waltz in 5-10 minutes before close, leave you 5 dollars on a $60 bill, and tell you your service was out of this world. I know...I know...something is better than nothing- but, when you are getting paid in peanuts for your hourly wage, accurate tipping is always appreciated. Take care of the server that takes care of you.

The state of California awaits my arrival next Friday night. I don't know what to expect of the place. The media always makes all of its inhabitants seem like first class jerk-faces. And we all know T.V. would NEVER lie to us!!!!

Today I got to thinking about expressive kisses and all-encompassing embraces- and how f-in divine it would be to be greeted like that on a daily basis. I see it at school all the time...you got your cutesy couples here and there, but then there are those couples that you spy- the ones that know what they have; the ones that don't care that they might get hurt, and decide to just love. In them, I see so many things that would make this whole world a nicer place if everyone accepted love. How great would it be to be greeted by someone as if that person has thought of nothing but you all day? Don't get me wrong, I can't stand it when couples are practically conceiving a couple of kids within the eyeshot of like- everyone. I'm talking about tasteful greetings that just display one thing between two people. That one thing: crazy faith. There's nothing wrong with showing the world that you are taking a chance on something that is so risky these days. Relationships are risky business- there are waaaay too many volatile, ill-intentioned people out there to be able to readily trust anyone. But when a person listens intently, they can hear the innate "ok" from the ol ticker if it is indeed safe to proceed.

With that said, I will "shut it off" as my pal Meaghan says and give you what I think is a suitable quote of the day. (The person who said it did use profanity and it would be outrageous of me to misquote him.)

QOTD
"Love hurts, wear a fuckin' helmet." --Arbjan--

What Happens When You're Running Late

This morning, I was rushing through the platform to board the train that was already speeding towards my stop. I swiped my U-Pass and forrest gumped my way through the turnstile so that somehow, it got into a fight with my thigh and won!! I half ran/half limped all the way to the doors of the train (I made it!) but by the time I sat down, I was nearly in tears because it hurt that much!! Now people, I do not run- and that could very well be another reason why I was almost in tears. Working out is for jerks and I'm not a jerk (most of the time.) So there I sat out of breath, hot from the run, and in excruciating pain. I now have a bruise the size of Texas on my right thigh. That's OK though, Texas is one of my favorite states.

Prior to last semester, I had never heard of these here "blogs," but I think they're quite entertaining. I owe it all to my pal Lizzle for introducing me to even more ways that I could waste my time on the internet. You're a real gem Lizzle. Actually, she really is. I had two classes with her last semester, stats and brain&behavior; and if it weren't for her, I would have been one bored and lonely Mexican in those classes. She's unbelievably bright and probably the wittiest gal I know. She's definitely the funniest Caucasian gal I know, although her roomate Jennie gives her some competition. One feature on Lizzle's blog that I will steal is the Quote of the Day (QOTD) because as Liz and I have discussed, people say some stupid sh*%....(I gave up swearing for Lent) and it would be a sin not to keep a log of those unbelievably retarded (but hilaaaarious) utterances.

I found that I was developing quite the sailor's vocabulary, but now I also find that some of the things that I try to communicate just don't have the same effect without the word "f-ing" preceding it. But as the T-shirts say "Jesus is my homeboy" and I'd give up sounding vulgar for Him any day!!

I was at the store with the mama today when suddenly I heard Wilson Philips. "Someday somebody's gonna make you wanna turn around and say goodbye!! Till then baby are you gonna let em hold you down and make you cry? Don't you know, things will change, things will go your way, if you hoooooold on for one more day!" LOL Carnie Wilson....lol....God bless her soul. Sorry- the point of that story was that secretly I think it's lame that I know the words. And now that song will be in your head. You're welcome!

My new friend Jacob beat me in an arm wrestling match last night. I was so sure I could beat him, too; I was quite sad. I don't know why I underestimated him- guess he just didn't look like an arm wrestler to me. Then to make matters worse, he asked me, a girl who spoke spanish before she knew a drop of english: "Cual es la tiempo?" giving the masculine word "tiempo" a feminine article, "la" with such security, you'd think he was the beaner, not me; it was endearing. lol....it's always good to have him around.

Well readers, assuming that I have any, I will carry on the Lizzle tradition and provide you with some QOTDs to wrap it up for the night.

QOTD
"What, are you gonna wrap me up in a burrito if I don't do what you say?!" -Jennie V. (Lizzle's roomate ) commenting on one of the various ways I can be threatening as a young Latina.

"Pizza." lol...this is just a new word my little angel of a niece, Haley learned to say today.

my very first blog (everybody...."awwwwww")

So I should be in class but I got here too late to walk in like normal people do...on time. While I would like to believe that I am normal, sometimes, I get the sinking feeling that I'm not!! Quite alright- I'm more than happy with the way I've turned out and so are the p-units. (parental units) <---courtesy of my lovely niece, Stiney.

Everyday I take the train to school- a grueling commute that lasts about an hour. If I had a choice, I would be able to fly to school, or magically transport myself here so as to avoid all of the creeps that use the CTA, namely the red and the blue lines. Unfortunately, the world is not ready for my magically transporting contraption, so I'm pretty much stuck with some disturbingly smelly and odd commuters such as the man who sits in the back of the train car yelling "I'M A PIMP!!! I'M A PIMP AND YOU BETTER KNOW IT!" Or- I'm stuck watching the Michael Jackson impersonator who goes through the trouble of painting his face white....lol...actually, I kinda like him. There's also the man...or woman- haven't quite got it figured out yet- that simultaneously plays the violin, whistles, and does spectacular jigs that sound fantastic bc he or she is wearing tap shoes. TAP SHOES, ladies and gentlemen...tap shoes!!! The he/she gets an A for boldness. And who can forget our lovely scam artists or our occassional flashers?! I know I won't ever forget them; they have permanently scarred my mind with the most pitiful images. Thanks alot guys, 'preciate it.

Last night, my friend & I went to go see a new movie called "Hitch" starring Will Smith & Eva Mendes. The movie had its funny moments, but it was extremely predicatable and had too many of the same scenes...you know the kind....when all of a sudden sad, slow music starts to play in the background and the actors make speeches that were undoubtedly composed by the creative bunch at Hallmark. While it was momentarily heart-warming to hear Will Smith profess his love for the lovely Eva Mendes, I remembered that life is seldom like that, and it is movies such as Hitch that give so many gullible people the wrong idea about love. I can't blame them though, there really isn't much to go on these days. Even still, rarely do two people put forth the effort required to make something work, or even make something happen. But when it does work- well, then I suppose you should consider yourself lucky.

I would love to continue telling you what I think about Hitch and the people on the train, but frankly, my hunger takes priority at this point. I get cranky when I don't eat. And so, I am off to feast on a slice of pepperoni pizza, curly fries, and a large coke...the breakfast of champions, indeed. Smell you later, Nenny.

Ok I had to come back for a minute or two before lab starts to inquire about something. Who the hell authorized a snowfall? If you have any idea, I'd really like to know so that I may promptly deliver a swift kick in the ass to this person. Unless of course God authorized this dismal weather, in which case, I was totally kidding about the kick in the posterior. Even still, I believe a break from this stuff is in order. I don't even have my hat today :(

Enter Dr. Dye...and class will begin momentarily.
Breakfast was great in case you were wondering, except for the part when I managed to get myself ridiculously dirty...I am a very messy eater.
ok- more later...possibly.