all the lovely people i had thanksgiving with.. yummy food + yummy people = yay


this is what the holiday season looks like in miami. yes, there are already massive christmas trees up. crazy.

happy thanksgiving, internet world..

we've entered into the 'holiday season' which.. to be perfectly honest, is not one of my favorites. feel free to bah humbug me. it's just the way it is.

however, thanksgiving is one of the better of the 'holy days' in the next month and a half, so far as i'm concerned, so i figured i would talk a little about some of the things i'm thankful for:

~ my absolutely amazing friends and family who have been there for me through thick and thin (especially during this last, rather difficult, year).
~ forgiveness and friendship that lasts despite mistakes.
~ my brain. it serves me well (and other people sometimes too).
~ my body. cuz it does so many cool things and is functional for the most part.
~ korea. i don't know if i'd be as sane today if not for the amazingness of that place.
~ my siblings.. for the little ones who are finally getting cool ;) and the big one who has always taken care of me.
~ my boss who keeps me grounded and focused even when things and people try to thwart my efforts.
~ the ROUNDUP. mecca. whatever you want to call it.
~ new friends who serve as excellent distractions :)
~ mail! because it often brings good things.
~ learning from mistakes and difficult interactions..
~ annnnd.. well. i dont know what else. lots of things.

there you go. i'm off to eat turkey. what are you thankful for?

happy birthday to my most favoritest texan!!

in celebration, i baked a *homemade* red velvet chocolate cake. pretty tasty. have a couple things i'll change next time to make it even better, but not bad for a first attempt at a fairly difficult cake.

ALSO, as a lovely windfall.. i won tickets to the lonestar concert at FAU for friday night! yayy! my first time ever winning tickets for something! perfect timing for the texan's bday and very nice considering my somewhat barren checking account. i won it by having a local dj as my buddy on myspace.. i suppose that ridiculous site is good for something. :)

i'm so proud of squat.. she stood up to some obnoxious miami men who were staring at her and the texan at dinner tonight. there's a thing about people in miami that is kindof hard for us foreigners to handle. this concept that it is ok to leer at other people, and that it doesn't matter if you make them uncomfortable.

outside of miami, i have only experienced this phenomenon in korea. it makes more sense for people there to stare. as a tall, white girl, i stuck out like a sore thumb. in miami, not so much. so what gives with the staring? i know my friends are gorgeous, but they should be allowed to eat a meal in peace. it's not like they were dressed in any inappropriate way. and even then i would argue that it is within their right to be able to wear whatever they'd have wanted without fear of unruly gawking. there is no reason that anyone should feel it is ok to stare, and continue staring (even after being told very bluntly to stop) to the point that my friends are so uncomfortable that they leave the restaurant.

anyhow, squat stood up for herself and the texan, and did so quite wittily it seems. hopefully those men think a little bit before the next time they are so rude to people. kudos to her. sometimes, you just get frustrated and have to say something. extra bonus points for the witty retorts and excellent dealing with the situation, squat!

incessant staring will be added to the list of things i won't miss about miami when i leave. i have been thinking about making a physical list of things i will and will not miss, just to keep track for myself and have something to remind me of later. add to the list of things to do. pretty sad when the list of things to do includes other lists..

so, i have to say.. WI, i am disappointed in you. not that anyone reading this voted in favor of the gay marriage ban, but i just had to put it out there. one step further from civil rights...

in similar news, here is an interesting report from npr on some events that have been happening in israel. i'm glad that the muslims and jews were able to find something to agree on, but i really wish it wasn't yet another discriminatory thing. they're already awful enough to each other.. there's no reason to single out another group to be hateful towards.

i get to house sit for one of my mentors at school, this weekend.. it means a weekend in a gated community, playing with a puppy, and running in the evening b/c it will actually be safe to do so. also, she doesn't really have internet, so i will have lots of time to concentrate on all the homework i should be doing. and she wanted to pay me for taking care of the house/dog... silly bean lady! i'm just excited to have such a quiet weekend of studying and relaxing ahead of me :) plus i just got an ipod, so i will be playing with that lots, too. yayyy!

hehehehe... this amuses me greatly.
marriedtothesea.com

as soon as i get pictures from jess, i will post stuff of our adventures while she was here. yay!

happy halloween!! mwahahaha..

not that it's really something i super get into, but jess and i made bat sugar cookies this evening for me to take to work tomorrow. they're not the prettiest cookies i've ever seen, but we sure did have a lot of fun making them :D will try to remember to take a picture of the bat blobs tomorrow.. sleepy time now.