Tuesday Tunesday: Beta Love

It's Tuesday, and I can honestly say that this week is chugging along a whole lot better than last week. For one thing, this evening's class was *ahem* unfortunately cancelled because the professor's flight was *ahem* unfortunately cancelled. LOL.

So, before I continue with my studying, I'm taking some time to share today's Tuesday Tunesday: the title song from Ra Ra Riot's new album Beta Love. I've just barely started listening to this album, I like it enough to give it a few more listens and we'll go from there.

Hmmm, let me share something that happened today, I'm trying to make teenytinytidbits more lighthearted and full of more stories and random anecdotes or whatever. Ok, so today felt like an April Spring day, like right before a huge thunderstorm rolls on through town. There was a light pleasant breeze as I made my way to my car in the morning, and the clouds were coming majestically together to cover my entire route to work in a deep and mesmerizing coat of gentlemanly grey. I love those kinds of clouds, that kind of sky.

The meteorologist had announced that there would be a slight chance of thunderstorms in the early part of the day today; when the early part of the day passed on by without a drop of rain, I was disappointed. I love it when it storms around here, especially when those storms bring about a hint of Spring. I know, we're still far from Spring, but this is Texas, and I have had enough cold to last me the entire year thank you very much. Anyway, the hours passed along uneventfully, for the most part, and then suddenly, about an hour and a half before clocking out, the gentlemanly grey clouds paid us another visit.

It poured. No, it spilled all over us. So much rain, so many resulting puddles for my Jeep to drive through like a rugged all-terrain adventurer, well, as far as my imagination was concerned. It was glorious. A much welcomed cleansing.

But the storm brought along its friend, the cold front, which isn't so bad I guess, I mean, it's not like it's freezing or anything like that. Also, the rain has stopped now for sure, and tomorrow we'll probably see the sun again.

And tomorrow, TOMORROW, is Wednesday, already. Wow, right? Last week took its sweet time to end, and this week is just flying by, not even stopping to have a cup of coffee with me or chatting about how it's doing. Oh well, it's okay, January is almost over, and I want to say goodbye to it already.

Hmm, I guess this is where my post ends tonight. I'll make an effort to write tomorrow too! :) Hope y'all have been having a better week too!

That's just CRAY CRAY

From xkcd. I should just wear this print on a shirt or badge...

I meant to write about something else (and earlier in the week), but this week has just been a little out of sorts, and it's really testing my ability to be flexible and resilient in every situation I encounter.

First off, I haven't been to yoga all week, and that makes me terribly sad; I like the feeling of going to yoga, and I was supposed to go yesterday after work, but then I got in a car accident and that just ruined my schedule for the rest of the evening. Nobody got hurt, some girl wasn't paying attention to the traffic and rammed (yes, the pickup truck rammed, like a big old ram) into the back of my poor Jeep. It's a good thing I have a Jeep; it scares me to think what would've happened to me if I still drove a little 4-cylinder Toyota Yaris. I know everything with regards to the body repairs to my car will be fixed, it's no big deal, it wasn't my fault or anything, but the fright always gets to me. All these what-ifs and scary thoughts are jarring and really test my patience and my ability to remain calm.

But it's okay. If anything, this little blip on my life's timeline has just served to show me how much my family and friends love me. They love me even though I'm kind of strange (ha, I had to find a way to tie in that xkcd comic). Anyway, I'll just let this cray cray stuff slide off me while I continue to smile and sing along to my favorite songs as I drive home.

The Ballad of Mr. Buggy

The Ballad of Mr. Buggy

Got in a stranger's car

Needed to get away from my hometown

Didn't know where this car was headin'

Mr. Buggyyyyyyyyy

Gonna take a riiiiiiiiiiiide

Of a lifetiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime

Lost in midnight's darkness

No way out of this forgotten 'mobile

No goin' back, no way no how

Mr. Buggyyyyyyyyy

Gonna take a riiiiiiiiiiiide

Of a lifetiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime

It's a-thunderin' hard

Confessin' my last small sins to the world

Scared froze'--preparin' to meet death

Mr. Buggyyyyyyyyy

Gonna take a riiiiiiiiiiiide

Of a lifetiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime

~~~The sun awakes me~~~

~~~Life shines upon me~~~

~~~My journey goes on!~~~

Mr. Buggyyyyyyyyy

Gonna take a riiiiiiiiiiiide

Of a lifetiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime

Must be on a spaceship

'cos ev'ryone looks like a blur to me

Gotta enjoy this while I can

Mr. Buggyyyyyyyyy

Gonna take a riiiiiiiiiiiide

Of a lifetiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime

A sudden turn, that's all

"Why we stoppin'?" I ask from a distance

"That's it, Buggy, end of the ride!"

~~~I look around, windin' down~~~

~~~Look how far I've travelled~~~

~~~Time to start a-new my dears~~~

Mr. Buggyyyyyyyyy

Gonna take a riiiiiiiiiiiide

Of a lifetiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime



I want to dedicate The Ballad of Mr. Buggy to my older sister, who unknowingly had a stowaway bug in her car. Oh, and of course, this is dedicated to the star of this ballad, Mr. Buggy.

Mr. Buggy on the window.

"Nice to meet ya!" - Mr. Buggy.



Please tell me Mr. Buggy was a dangerous bug. We made him get out of the car when we got to work. Farewell, Mr. Buggy!! Happy travels!

Music Monday: Girl Sailor

Happy Music Monday!!! I've been in a certain kind of mood...the kind of mood that just wants to listen to The Shins all day long, every single day. Oh yeah, I'm definitely excited for March, when their new album comes out...

Anyway, after all that serious stuff from last week on the economy and politics, I thought it be nice to just enjoy this week peacefully and more lightly. And so.....are YOU READY FOR SOME WHALE TIME?????

Oh yeah, I think y'all are...

I decided to draw whales on my nails. They never fail. *badrhyming*

Whale you be my friend??? (I promise whale puns get better with time!...riiiiight...)

And last but not least....since it IS Monday, after all...

How can it NOT be a great Monday when there is a whale by my side??

Anyway, I hope y'all have a had a great start of this new week! Can y'all believe it's almost February!? I'm ready to fall in love again! <3 :)

P.S. Yes, I'm ready to fall in love again, I can't let myself forget how good it feels to be in love, even if the ending might be unforgivingly painful.

P.P.S. I finally got a new car...Well, it's a Jeep, and it's exactly the one I wanted...I'll talk about it later this week!!! :D

Dog Days Are Over

It appears that Spring is ready to come back. Quite suddenly, many trees, young and old, have begun to blossom. An overwhelming feeling comes over me. What is it, who knows, I'm debating whether it's anxiety or excitement. Maybe a perfectly-crafted blend of both that only Spring can cultivate.


In any case, I drift away as I drive, the road becomes a long stretch of land that leads my daydreams toward nostalgia, toward my most cherished memories.


Traffic dissolves as I float away into dreams.


The sun delicately caresses my forehead while a light Lenten breeze kisses my cheek.


All feels perfect, like everything is right where it is meant to be. These moments of unadulterated silence and contemplation on the road are what maintain my being.


Being the daydreamer that I am, there is hardly ever a time when I don't have a song that fits into my state of being. Does it make sense? Like if I had to describe myself -- not in the sense of biography or whatever, but rather in my abstract composition -- a certain song would perfectly fit at a particular point in time. Today it's this song, Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine. Just listen to the composition -- how everything just interacts and fits together.





In other news, I drew bunnies, and they are green.

bunnies.

Oh, February!

Hi everyone, I do apologize for the scarce posts: I've actually been working 40-hr weeks this past month, and now that God has given us a few days of forced rest via snow/sleet/ice here in good ole Texas, I have time to write once more! Oh happy day!


First thing first, who's in the mood for a nice, weather-related summary of these last couple of days? I'm sure you all are. Really.


Ice-In Part I: Chips, Chips, and More Chips


Well, this day (Tuesday) actually got an early start. Like, rather early: I was awoken by tons and tons of tiny but sharp-sounding ice pellets. Oh, and my bedroom window has this weird green, tarp-y shade (that is much appreciated in the summer), and when there are strong gusts of cold air, that tarp-y shade loves to obnoxiously flap super loudly. It literally sounds like someone is beating against the wall. Anyway, this was at about 3 in the morning, and I somehow managed to go back to sleep.
Woke up (for real) a couple of hours later, and looked out the window. Some portions looked a little wet, but everything else on the parking lot looked peculiarly dry. For a split second I thought, "Is that ice?...nah, of course it couldn't be...right?"


To overcome any doubt, I headed straight for the news. Sure enough, the local weatherman confirmed my split second thought; why yes, that peculiarly dry parking lot was actually covered with a nice thick blanket of ice. Yes, ice. Not snow, well, maybe just a tiny bit of snow, but the majority was ice. And the snow was quickly transforming into ice. Anyway, because of the difficulty of even getting out of the parking lot, I had to call in and miss work.


My mother and sister also stayed home. So what did we do all day?

1. had some hot chocolate (Abuelita-style) with mini croissants;
2. sat on the couch;
3. had some potato chips;
4. watched "Bloody Murder" - a rip-off of the Friday the 13th movies, and even though it was corny and kind of confusing, it was actually worth the viewing;
5. had some more potato chips, with Tabasco;
6. got up and stretched for like a second so we could sit on the couch again;
7. watched "Nanny McPhee Returns" (a movie, which, was worthwhile too, considering our housed-in status);
8. ate chips again, all while flipping channels between "Zoolander," "Arthur," and "That 70s Show;"
9. moved around again, realized I still had my penguin blanket with me, watched the news;
10. lounged around some more;
11. had dinner;
12. aimlessly let my mind wander, while sitting on the couch.

I imagine what we did yesterday (Part I) is what it feels like to be a cat. I was however grateful that I got a chance to relax and recuperate from non-stop working. We went to sleep at half-past ten, thinking that we'd return to work and regular routine stuff once more.


Yeah, only not.


Ice-In Part II: We've Got Cabin Fever


Woke up at 5:30, stayed in bed until 6, everything outside was oddly serene. Could it be that I could go to work after all? Uh, no. The ice, in fact, had worsened the road, and since my "neighborhood" is in a still-isolated area, not many cars have driven by to run down the ice and junk. This time, though, I said, "Let's be productive today, we can't lounge around all day long!" Tell me if we succeeded:

1. had some coffee and cornbread muffins;
2. made my bed and cleaned the surrounding area of my room;
3. getting all ready (alternate clothing since I ended up not going to work) and stuff;
4. then...my mother accidentally turned on the television to CSI;
5. watched CSI for about three hours (we would've kept watching, CSI: New York, interrupted the flow of the previous CSI episodes;
6. had some popcorn and oranges (no chips left in the house!);
7. changed it back to CSI (it came back on);
8. had my sister braid my hair, while watching "My Bloody Valentine;"
9. finally decided to venture outside, to the apartment office: longest thirty minutes of my life, so much ice on the sidewalk paths and so much frozen dog poop on the frozen grass;
10. found out my sister was accepted to one of her choice universities;
11. had cereal for dinner;
12. writing this blog...

Anyway, I haven't touched my car all this time. I hope it hasn't frozen shut, you know! Hopefully conditions improve, because we're all tired of being stuck inside. The plan for tomorrow is to try to all drive together to my work, but if that doesn't work, we might have to resort to walking to the nearest grocery store for supplies! Oh what an adventure that will be, I'm sure.


So now that I've taken up your time with my confinement tale, how's the weather treating you, eh??

My Car Needs a Bath

I apologize for the delay in writing, I've been beating myself up about it -- having like three posts that I was supposed to publish these last couple of weeks -- but here we go. On a whim, I'll talk a little bit about my car's condition. Yes, definitely about my car today.

Let me keep it short. I've realized that I haven't washed my poor car since May. That sounds gross, but it's unfortunately true. I really should get on to that. Some tiny obscure part of my mind tells me I haven't washed it due to "attachment" reasons, but I'm trying to ignore that tiny thought. I promise I'll wash it by the end of this week! And then I'll show off Panchis' perfect cleanliness. Practically godliness (I just had to allude to that trite phrase. A million sorries!)

[Question: is the plural of "sorry" sorries?]

Anyway, maybe I'll follow this video tutorial on "How to Wash Your Car." Enjoy, maybe you should wash your car too!