cal-i-for-nia (it’s better if you sing that)

i'm comin' home tonite!  wooooooooooopoop!

it's been a super great trip, of course...quality time with great friends and my family.  i sure am blessed. 

i plan to spend my last day o' fun on the golf course and shopping...with a quick stop at jimmy john's, my trip is complete.

CA, see you soon!  it's time for me to pack & move to mountain view.  :-)

GSPs on GT!

yup, i scored 'em

for those who travel

happy hour everywhere

disappointment

i missed another earthquake.  old boss just came in my office to say she'd read the article on CNN and knew i'd be bummed.  all the good stuff happens when i'm gone...including '80's karaoke.

it's pretty great to see these fabulous people, though, too.  i still have an extra ticket for the Twins tonight...anyone interested?!?!?

my life is insane

last week i was in mexico city; last night i was out in sunnyvale, ca celebrating birthdays and new jobs; this morning i'm working in roseville, mn.

airplanes are my favorite.

i’m moving!

in late august....with a cool new roommie...to a wicked fun 'hood up the peninsula.  just because - no real reason.

(djg pointed out how ridiculous i was for actually posting the address, so i had to take it down.  man, i hate it when i don't think)

wooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bar name

sorry if this offends anyone...

i have a bar name.  if a random guy talks to me at the bar and i don't really like him, i use it.  it's stolen from a MN friend, but she said it was ok.  to these guys, i go by "roni."  it's short for "veronica."  and usually my profession is an undercover cop.

anyway, i decided that a summer goal would be to get a guy to call my cell phone and ask for roni.  yesterday, i met success.  after answering with my usual "hi, this is kristie," i told him that roni wasn't available, but he could call back after 5:30.  he never called back.  perhaps he's smarter than i thought.

girls are mean.

Twins!

got my broom out over the weekend...and it came in handy. 

Twins sweep the A's in a series of four games!  pay up, yak!

july’s adventure in cooking

i figured it was only right to make some enchiladas after becoming a little bit mexican...and it turned out to be a great idea!

i got the recipe from esperanza, so i figured it'd be excellent.  spanish rice, beans & chicken enchiladas were on the menu...6-8 peeps were coming over to enjoy it.  espi was on call until she got here around 7...but brooke & i had to call around 5:30 'cause i'd purchased minute rice instead of regular rice...espi confirmed that that would just not work.  after she told her husband about it, he told her she could come right on over to help out.  thank goodness!!!

we only had one mishap while cooking - once we started the rice, the cover was suctioned onto the pan.  it took some time & effort, but we got it off and the rice was tasty.

i LOVED the mess i got to make with the enchiladas...pour a bunch of sauce, rub it on the tortilla, grab some chicken & cheese, throw it all together, roll it up...i was disaster!  so fun!

meanwhile, my car was having issues so you'll see some "workin' on the car" shots in the pictures link above.  yes, i cook AND fix cars.  and later on i built a fire for us to enjoy some outdoor time. 

A Frog Story

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack."Miss Whack, I'd like to get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday." Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name. The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he knows the bank manager. Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral. The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed. Very confused, Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office. She finds the manager and says, " There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral." She holds up the tiny pink elephant. "I mean, what in the world is this?" The bank manager looks back at her and says..."It 's a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan, His old man's a Rolling Stone." (You're singing it, aren't you? Yeah, I know you are........)

and i thought i was tall in CA

seriously.  i'm ginormous in mexico city.  people come up to my chest...maybe.  i just almost ran over the cleaning lady on my way to the bathroom because i didn't see her...she just giggled.

the other day i was behind a crowd with carlos (5'6"), watching some performers, and he couldn't see anything.  i could easily see over everyone's head.

ps  'ginormous' was added to the dictionary today

i love traveling!

i had the most excellent chicken mole tonite, as well as some tasty tequila.   my coworkers even joined me at dinner, adding to the fun...the people here are so friendly!  even those who don't speak english treat me well...we just smile, gesture and laugh.

however, driving is a totally different story...the peeps are freaking crazy!  lines on the street don't matter, stop lights don't mean much and it's totally ok to pull out into the middle of traffic.  this morning my taxi driver even looked down at his seat for a bit and came wicked close to hitting someone.  mom would have a heart attack.

i'm going to be sad when i leave.  i like mexico a lot.

microfinance.2

(cut & pasted) 

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Vote for Microcredit to Businesses in Developing Countries by July 15 at midnight and help us make it to the next round.  Card members can vote in each of the three rounds to narrow down the top ideas.  We’ll keep you informed on how to keep Grameen Foundation in the running.

Thank you for your support.

if i try espanol

people think i actually speak it.  i'm now careful to start in english and maybe end with a "gracias."

unless, of course, i'm just givin' a good ol' "buenos dias!"

another interesting note - the reason mexicans say "gracias" all the time is rooted in slavery.  it's more of a "oh, thank you, kind sir" with a bow than a genuine "thank you."  tour guide carlos taught me that.

the simpsons!

according to JJ, this is in mountain view...awesome!
(i've decided to become a fan of the Simpsons)

auto-mac

i love mexico city...it's so full of life, culture, history...it's awesome.  i've been a bit too exhausted to truly enjoy it, but i've done my best for the past 24 hours.

carlos (friend of adub's) picked me up at the airport to discover that my luggage hadn't arrived with me, so we went on our merry way to begin my mexico city adventure.  since 4:30 yesterday afternoon, we:
- ate at La Mansion, an awesome Argentinian place
- walked the markets in Coyoacan
- drove through the city center to view the super old buildings, square, etc
- stopped at the Remedy Cantina to wash our cares away with tequila...
- had real huevos rancheros for breakfast
- stopped by some art building that i really should know the name of
- drove to the pyramids to walk around, climb up and inspect
- walked around the city center to view the cathedral, the ruins, the government building...and then shopped just a little at the markets
- ate dinner at a yummy italian place at the supermall
- got to my hotel, where my luggage was waiting
- and soon, i hope to crash

my favorite thing so far has been that the McDonald's drive through is called the "auto-mac"

tequila & maracas

i'm off to meHico early tomorrow morning!!!

i'm pretty excited...i've got a friend of a friend to show me the sites tomorrow and sunday...and monday i start working and stuff...i think it'll be great!

on the list of sites to see:  The Pyramids of Teotihuacán, Coyoacan, The “Zocalo” of the City Center. 

vacation?

brooke & i hope you come visit us in our city - we're in the middle gate. :)

happy independence day!

hope ya'll are enjoying some awesome weather, bbq's & friends! 

i'm trying not to whine, but i have to...this is the second 4th of july i'm sitting on my butt at my kitchen table writing a research paper.  poo on school.  i tried hard to get this done before today, but it just didn't happen...grrrr.

i'm thankful that i live in a country where i've got a great job that pays for more education...which should eventually pay off.  go USA!  and, holy crap, do i make wicked mac & cheese when it's the only thing in my house to cook.

wings

i was fully aware that my nose would run and eyes would water when i ate spicier wings...but i had no idea that my eyes would go bloodshot and get puffy, as well.  yeesh!

and we're only at traditional death.  the 911 challenge is lookin' to be ROUGH.

TRANSFORMERS!!!

i'm speechless.  go see it.

i will be standing in line at Best Buy to purchase it on DVD.  i think it tops my list of favorite movies of all time...below Top Gun, of course.

15 Things That It Took Me Over 50 Years To Learn

by Dave Barry 1.  Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night. 2.  If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "Meetings." 3.  There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." 4.  People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them. 5.  You should not confuse your career with your life. 6.  Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. 7.  Never lick a steak knife. 8.  The most destructive force in the universe is gossip. 9.  You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reasonwhy we observe daylight savings time. 10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment. 11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven. 12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers. 13. A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.) 14. Your friends love you anyway. 15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

I strongly disagree with #11, but that's just me.

spelling my name

i would think that having IM or email would make it that much easier to spell my name...really...it's fully spelled out in both formats.

yet, i've become "kristin" to some..."kristy" to others...

world peace, or something

Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson and Symantec Partner
to Promote Internet Safety

 Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson and Symantec’s Internet Safety Advocate, Marian Merritt, Educate Parents and Kids Through Symantec’s Connected and Protected Child Safety Initiative