kaptin marie

Erin found it

2008-02-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

SO... this is the picture I get from Erin this morning in an email. Any guesses as to what she wrote?????

SHAMELESS

2008-02-11T21:46:00.000-08:00

So i shamelessly stole jay's last comment to have a new post and PLUS i really enjoyed his vday poem.

The Week Of Love
By: Jay Winfrey

The week of love,
fits like a glove,
If you are married,
To a guy named Larry.
Or if you are dating,
A gal called Katie.
If you are sweet,
On a guy named Pete,
The week of love,
Would seem mighty neat.
And if you were courting,
a lady called Lorrie,
The week of love,
Would be honkey dorrie.
But if you are single,
There's a little wrinkle,
The week of love,
Totally stinkles.

Hope everyone enjoyed my 'week of love' poem. Not as happy as i thought it would be, but all-in-all pretty good.Happy V-Day!

spontaneous wind poetry

2008-01-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

This poem I just wrote is about wind and lubbock. I'm probably the first person ever to write a poem about these two topics. So here goes.

SDW DAY (co-author - Lindsey)

Severe dirty weather day.
I get out my bike.
Almost fall over.
I am the witch from Wizard of Oz.
doo da doo da doo doo , doo da doo da do doo

Today it is windy.
Today it is dirty.
Today it is Lubbock.
Severe dirty weather day.
School is cancelled.

Thank, thank you very much. (The thanks are not part of the poem.)

Why i want to work retail - HELP

2008-01-21T21:35:00.000-08:00

Today i picked up applications at several stores around lubbock, several in the mall to be exact and when i was filling out the applications, and subsequently visiting with one of the managers, i realized i was not prepared for the types of questions i would be asked, both on the forms and face to face. i found the hardest question to be "why would you like to come to work for our company?" uh, i like your clothes. they're cute. didn't say that but i did feel like an idiot. so i beseech you to help me in my quest for a second job to provide me with answers to questions such as this and others like "what strengths will you bring to our company?" and "what didn't you like about your previous jobs?" and "if you could be an animal what would it be and why?" ok so that last one wasn't on there but who knows, they might ask me it in the interview so i've got to be ready. a girl can't take any chances...

Per emily's request

2008-01-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

HELLO NEW JERSEY!

HAPPY JANUARY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

and HAPPY RETURN TO BLOGGING!!!!

Ok so it seems that I have been absent from this blog site for a very long time. After a conversation with em about the status of kateinspain, I decided to go ahead and blog once more.

I've decided to dedicate this blog to the winter blues... to the winter doldrums... to the 'i hate winter, winter sucks, days... I think we should all put our heads together and come up with a few ways to beat the "winter makes me want to hole up in my house and hibernate and get really fat" blues. I've come up with a few fool proof ways to turn a sad, depressing day into something slightly more enjoyable:

1) buy nutella. take a spoon from your drawer. dip in nutella. take your time licking all chocolatey goodness off the spoon.

2) stop at a thrift store or donation site; pick up some random piece of furniture for less than $5. buy can of funky-colored paint. paint furniture. look at furniture a be happy.

3) find a new recipe online. make sure it is something that doesn't even slightly resemble anything you have ever had or attempted. go buy ingredients. go home. turn on fun music really loud. give the new recipe a go. taste your creation. if it is good. email to all of us. if it is horrible. smile. take the disgusting heap of food to the nearest pond and feed the ducks and birds. if there are no ducks and birds (bc ducks aren't birds) bc it is winter and freezing, give the food to your neighbor that you don't like. he/she will appreciate the gesture.

I can think of many more things, but i should do a little work now, which by the way, does NOT help to beat the winter blues. i will go feed the ducks and birds soon.

OPEN FORUM

2007-07-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

most frequently used words in my vocabulary of late:
don't know
i'm unsure
don't know yet
have no idea
floundering
lots of good options
still uncertain
completely indecisive
i'll wait and see
just being patient
time to think
time off (from what? i have no idea)
still don't know
no clue
figuring it out

i think you get the gist and that's why i've made up my mind to let all my friends and family and loved ones, and acquaintances, and people i don't know, make up my mind for me about my future. this is an open discussion forum to reach a conclusion about what kate should be when she grows up. (firefighter and policewoman are out... too risky).

consider it a privilege you have been given this charge.

you're welcome.

a little crashity crash crash

2007-07-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

uh, so yesterday erin and kate were driving to work and got rear ended. kate got out of the car to see the damage. "very little if any" (kate's first assessment which she would later find out was incorrect...$800 worth of incorrect). after reviewing carefully the damage kate begin's to speak to the girl who is crying at this point to see if she has insurance. uh, she doesn't. nor does she speak english. after getting all the information she could, kate reassured the girl that everything would be ok (bien) and as erin witnessed, kate danged near hugged the girl. the end.

TOP MODELS

2007-07-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

With just a pair of stylish glasses, you too could become a top model like these two lovely ladies. Advice: stop at ALL garage sales. You never know when you're gonna come across a pair of one-lensed sunglasses... for the indecisive folks.

Flowers in May

2007-05-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

It's quite possible that by looking at this photo you will think that you are looking at a picture of California or possibly another state known for its many flowers, but you would be wrong. Terribly wrong. These flowers are the result of my recent return to Sundown. They heard I was coming and out of sheer joy, decided to litter most bar ditches with their presence. I'm so lucky.

I'M HOME!!!!!

2007-05-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

So, unless you thought that Kendall, Lindsey and Erin came to see me in Spain all at the same time, you will have guessed correctly by the picture that I am HOME!!!! This is good news for all of you. I imagine when I say "all of you" that it encompasses around, say, zero to nonexistent persons because of the lag in readership over the past month. The lag in readership is most definitely to be blamed for the lag in posting. I'm sure you will all agree:)

lost in cyberspace

2007-05-02T02:50:00.000-07:00

Emily,

You recently expressed concern that there might be some funny business going on in cyberspace and because of it, some of your super long emails to me were lost. Well, just wanted to let you know, as well as the search party that's been out looking for those emails, that I have found the missing messages, however, now I too am lost in cyberspace. Stay tuned for the next episode when Kate reads the long lost emails and discovers a map to a hidden treasure.

:)

uh, just staying warm

2007-03-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

this past week i was in madrid and it seems i did not interpret weather.com very well. i know that i checked the web page before leaving for madrid but somewhere between computer screen and suitcase packing the importance of the 'it's going to be colder in madrid than seville' message got lost. i took a light jacket, a very airy sweater and not much else in the way of cold weather gear. anyway, i ended up with this beautiful pink wrap that did not match anything. it was lovely.

fish head

2007-03-05T02:25:00.000-08:00

Ever had one of those days? Need I say more...

New post

2007-01-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

I know, I couldn't believe it either. It's just shocking. down right outrageous.

(needed a clean slate for more comments, or david hasselhoff videos, and emily it just happened to be your turn to make the front page. plus the pink is pretty and goes well with the blog site;)

Topic: leggings and mullets.... discuss

Keep looking up!

2007-01-11T14:29:00.000-08:00

This is kind of like a belated Happy New Year's message. In this picture we were in Toledo I think at a Jewish synagogue. I'm let you know now we weren't looking at anything but you know, reflecting on life and how all good things come from above (not from two big lions). Well maybe I was the only one reflecting on that, or maybe I wasn't at the time but I am now, so you should too! Ok so this kicks the new blogging year off and I'm going to try and be committed to a new post a week. I think it's do-able. We shall soon see!!!!!!!!!!!

One of my best days

2006-12-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

seriously, is this not a great picture or what? my favorite is the fact that i look like i'm about to fall over dead. i'm surprised i was able to walk, looking as pathetic as i did. travelling is really hard.

HI!

2006-11-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

Hola a todos. This is a picture of us at Calatrava, a pretty neat knights' castle. They weren't at the castle the day when we were because I think they had a battle or something. They asked us to watch it for them while they were gone. you know, castle-sit. Other than being really cold, my first castle-sitting experience was pleasant.

A lovely building

2006-11-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

Brotherfriend,
When I saw this building I thought of you. It reminded me of some of the stuff that I have seen of yours in Portland. This isn't the greatest picture because it's at night but I'll take more pics when I'm back in Nottingham. This is one of the libraries on one of the campuses (or is it campi...). Anyway, for all of you who aren't referred to as 'brotherfriend' maybe this picture will teach you to appreciate architecture. Yeah, that's right, I'm trying to culturize you all!!!

Nottingham

2006-11-06T02:10:00.000-08:00

Robin Hood is not a nice man.

5 reasons why I don't live in Portland

2006-10-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

1) I don't like more than a week of consecutive rain.
2) I don't look cute in a raincoat (it doesn't help if it's a brand name jacket or a black plastic garbage bag. they all fit the same)
3) My hair is very straight in case you didn't know. Rain does nothing for straight hair.
4) Rain is depressing. Who knew that staring at the rain outside your living room window could make you cry. Well it can. (i'm better now, no worries. but it's still raining). You never know when the rain will stop.
5) All of my pants are long. This means that everytime I go outside my pants get soaked. I should buy galoshes (i don't think that's how it spelled. if i lived in portland i would probably know how it was spelled).

So yeah, it's been raining a lot here but as they say in My Fair Lady (thanks Emily): The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
Or the popular phrase here: La lluvia en Sevilla es una maravilla.

Here's to pants soaked halfway up the leg!!!

Settin' the record straight: Kaptin Marie says yes to freedom of speech!

2006-10-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

First of all, Hi Kendall;)

Ok, second of all... I am writing this post in order to remind everyone that this blog generally contains nothing serious nor does it ever contain much of an update about what i'm doing, where i've been, how i'm feeling, etc. What it normally is, is a place for all of my friends (and people who like me ok) and family to communicate, which does not necessarily mean with me. I do like being the center of attention and receiving comments from you that occasionally contain a hello, hi, how are ya, but at the same time, which we all will easily recognize by looking at the blog archives, that sometimes kaptin marie's blog finds the most hilarity in the witty banter of the participants, the occasional bamming of commenters, fun poems about nothing or about those 'crazy methodists' (we're praying for you mandy), random lists about whatever, etc. I think we all can admit as well that the main reason I post is to give all participants a clean slate, a fresh start, and it saves us all from having to scroll through 13 comments to share whatever bit of wisdom we want to impart. This is a place for you to sharpen your writing skills, to dig through the thesaurus if you want to enhance your vocabulary, to outwit your neighbor (you know... outwit your neighbor as you would have them do unto you...) and/or to say hi to ME!

SO... if you just want to write something like 'I think Kate is really cool,' or 'Kate is super special and probably my favorite friend ever' or something to that effect, that's perfectly ok and welcome. However, if you are one of those who has been given the gift of gab, all of your comments and comic genius are not only accepted, they are most definitely needed. Without them we'll all just be crying sad because our good friend kate is in spain and probaby wouldn't be able to get out of bed or do anything. I sure don't want that for anyone of you:)

Rockin' out to Martina's 'Independence Day' on repeat....

Do it or else!

2006-10-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

This is lindsey. This is lindsey on the day before her wedding. This is lindsey's face that says she means business. Lindsey is a force to be reckoned with.

history is cool!

2006-09-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

um so what you are seeing are the remains of christopher columbus. that's right the columbus who sailed the ocean blue in 1493, or was it 2. i never can remember that rhyme. oscar and i went to the cathedral the other day and they are having an exhibition of lots of chris's stuff and you can just go and look at it. they had all this information from tests they had run on the remains to prove that they were in fact his. i was just hoping that i could have my remains kept in a gold box on display. or i would actually prefer the gold box without me in it. i could just put stuff in it, you know, like pens and pencils and stuff. if you had a gold box what would you put in it?? and no dumb answers like all the things that are important to you.
oh and hello to mikki and denise who posted recently.

An unusual wedding idea

2006-09-03T02:15:00.000-07:00

One of our first trips as a group was to the roman ruins just outside of Seville, Italica. We left Seville at 10 in the morning and needless to say it was already hot. We (Idoia and I) were enjoying the tour from afar, because Doug, the director, likes to give the tour standing in the cool and friendly beams of sunlight that gently burn your skin to a crisp. See the small areas of shade up against the walls, yeah that's where we were. Anyway, we were leaving this part of the ruins just as this wedding was about to start. On our way out of Italica, about two hours later, we saw the wedding party again taking photos and such and, let's just say, (advice for Lindsey concerning makeup) the bride's makeup was not 100+ degree-weather-proof. It was hanging down around her chin and I'm sure that in the "light and airy" multi-layered dress she was sporting, she felt indeed like a blushing beautiful bride. So all this to say, I was thinking that maybe we could move the wedding to the Roman ruins that lie (is that right Mom?) just outside Azle, Texas.

one of my favs

2006-08-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

um so yeah. don't be jealous. this amazing painting can be seen in the 5G Gallery until kate can find a store that sells a good glue stick. until then... all are welcome to see this and many others somewhat like it. i apologize for any envy i may create by having this piece of artwork.

BACK IN SPAIN!!!

2006-08-23T03:19:00.000-07:00

Tip of the day: Don't take three suitcases on a trip that weigh a half pound under the limit if you are not physically capable of dragging said suitcases all over town until finally reaching your apt.

Ok so maybe it wasn't all over town but it could have been right at a mile, in the heat did i mention... We got into Sevilla yesterday and had some minor disasters at the airport so I ended up having to go to the apt with only our bus driver and the photography professor, who by the way, has stayed at the apts before. We drop of the kids at the hotel and head to the apts, which to my dismay, neither bus driver nor camera guy know where they are. So the good thing is, bus driver just drops us off on the side of the road with our bags and pretty much says good luck. I ask photographer if any of the apt buildings look familiar and the answer is, not surprisingly, no. We begin hiking and i am ever so gracefully carrying all my bags, not sweating at all when I realize that mr. mapquest has no idea where we are. i drop my bags, i mean set them gently on the ground, and make camp under a stop sign while my friend goes for help, (apt hunting). it doesn't take him but about 20 or 30 minutes or so (= appx 8 strange looks) to return and help me get all my luggage and tote it to the apt before i had to leave two minutes later for orientation. i will be posting soon some pics of the lovely artwork that has been provided for me in this house so that you will all be insanely jealous. get ready all you animal lovers.

Granny's online!!

2006-07-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

Now there is absolutely no doubt that our granny is super cool! Her email address is grannycozart@hotmail.com. Remember she is new at this so keep it simple. No sending funny videos for her to download or cute personality tests that she has to fill in and send to 15 people or the computer will explode. That would be highly uncool. Oh and sorry for the months without a post. i've been incredibly busy relaxing;)

Pottery masters

2006-06-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah so we all pretty much rocked at painting pottery. The owners might have told us we were the best they had ever seen and hoped that we would come in and use their material for free as often as we liked because they would be honored just to have us back and be in our presence. Girls, we are amazing, and I don't mean to brag;)

the big bash

2006-05-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

parties wear jay out. he's not as young as he used to be...

2006-05-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Lindsey wasn't kidding. I wonder if we can get them with that stain...

2006-04-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

So, as you may or may not know, Lindsey is getting married. I've decided to help her out and go ahead and pick the bridesmaids dresses. I've narrowed it down to two. Now, I know they are both fabulous, but which one is the MOST fabulous?

The bluegrass festival

2006-04-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

so hear we are with the birthday girl at the hoppin' bluegrass festival in littlefield. i wasn't gonna say it but there might have been a little dancin...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!

2006-04-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking since today is my mom's birthday and she is such a fair lady that we should all take turns writing her birthday poems. Your poem can take whatever form you like (sonnet, haiku, roses are red style, free verse, etc.) but it must be packed with birthday fun. Here goes my attempt:

Happy birthday lovely lady
You are kind and far (far far) from eighty.
You're beautiful in every way
and just seeing you brightens my day.
With this poem I hope you see
you're loved and wonderful and special and cool and generous and thoughtful and amazing and inspiring and incredible and a whole heap of other adjectives that escape me!

*I highlighted the words that rhyme in case there was some confusion.

deep question

2006-04-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

did you ever walk so much and pound your heels so hard that you felt like your heels were bruised? well i have and did... and my heels feel like they're bruised. could it be that i occasionally wear shoes that are the thickness of cardstock paper?

Phase II complete

2006-03-06T06:39:00.000-08:00

these are the before and after shots of the big day. circle the differences.

Answering machines

2006-03-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

since erin and i refuse to answer the phone at our house, i think we need something more fun as our message so that everyone will be entertained and excited when the machine picks up. these are the options i have so far.

Hi! Erin and Kate's answering machine is broken. This is their refrigerator. Please speak very slowly, and I'll stick your message to myself with one of these magnets.

Thank you for calling 217-2962. If you wish to speak to kate, push 1 on your touch tone phone now. If you wish to speak to erin, push 2 on your touch tone phone now. If you have a wrong number, push 3 on your touch tone phone now. All of this button pushing doesn't do anything, but it is a good way to work off anger, and it makes us feel like we have a big time phone system.

oh and i've also considered leaving the message in spanish with flamenco music in the background (or mariachi, both good options:)

All last names welcome

2006-02-27T20:28:00.000-08:00

Slade - you have brought to my attention the fact that maybe i have been a little discriminatory in the last name department. This new post is dedicated to embracing all last name possiblities. What's good about this idea is that it really functions as an "I'm available. Hook me up with any of your amazingly incredible single friends," post. So come on all you Smiths, Lees, Johnsons, Jacksons, Pamlikovas, Pemchenkos, Lis, Wus, and de la Fuentes. You're all welcome. ;)

A New Search Begins

2006-02-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

So as you all know, I am now 24 years old and still not married;) It seems that my list of qualifications for the man I will marry are somewhat too narrow. I only know of two "de la Fuentes" one of which is married and is an actor (a little inaccessible) and the other, is a little too old. So, not that the "de la Fuentes" are out of the question, however I feel as though I should broaden my last name horizons. I have recently chosen as a second option, GUPTA. nice huh. So you should all begin to collect resumes from the Guptas that you know. With the help of my family, I have already picked out my future childrens' names as well:

1) Gupta Gee Gupta
2) Gupita G (pronounced je - the Spanish g) Gupta (gupita as a shout out to my hispanic heritage)
3) Supa Dupa Gupta

As you can see, all I lack is a really handsome, rich Gupta who wants to marry me and have lots of little Guptas runnin around.

-kaptin Gupta

Turn on the funny

2006-02-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

ok so in case you haven't heard, Lindsey and I are going to be rich soon but not without your help. thanks to a brilliant idea by Jan, we have decided to start making hilariously funny greeting cards in Spanish. the only problem is neither Lindsey nor I are particularly funny (no offense Lindsey, you make me laugh all the time;). So all you have to do is start sending all your amazing ideas for greeting cards. anything you think would make people pee their pants laughing just send it. here's a fun idea: start keeping a greeting card journal. carry it with you all the time. anytime you hear something funny or think of something clever, write it down in your journal. then send all those ideas to kateinspain.blogspot.com. you will get credit for all your ideas and if we get rich enough you might get a portion of the profits. oh and lindsey and i will be doing the translating into Spanish so you leave that to the professionals. so lets stop doing our real work and get to work being really really really funny.

Back from tour

2006-01-31T07:21:00.000-08:00

So you know how some bands like to keep everyone updated throughout the duration of their tour. well, i don't. i'm not conforming to what all the other bands do. i'm keepin' it real. one thing i did want to share though are these few quotes which served as inspiration for me every time i went on stage.

If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

and last but not least:
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

quick erin, destroy that last post's picture!!!

Mutiny on the Bounty

2006-01-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

I totally hijaked the Kaptain's ship (blog). Can you hijak a ship? Anyway, let's all give it up for the musical stylings of the Kaptain. Sanctuary anyone? Anyone?

MY FANS!!

2006-01-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

ok so i was gonna post a picture of me on tour but i can't convert the picture to a format where it will work on the blog. (actually i can't even get it to open). you will all have to wait for my tour photos. you will be so envious. i opted to post this picture of me with my fans instead. they have been by my side since that first day in the recording studio when i was laying down the tracks for Ear Candy.

Out of this world birthday cake!

2006-01-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

Everyone is welcome to sample my A-mazing birthday cake. FYI this does not make me a Starship Kaptin. I remain P.K. Swarthy. arg.

Long time no see!

2006-01-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

This is how much I've missed everyone. It's just been awful! Let the blogging resume!

oh freedom

2005-12-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

This time of the semester always reminds of this ol' hymn 'bout freedom and all such things.

OH FREEDOM
Oh freedom
Oh freedom
Oh freedom over me!
And before I’d be a slave
I’ll be buried in my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free.
No more moaning
No more moaning
No more moaning over me!

(if you can't hear the tune in your head, just ask emily, she can hum the melody to all the great hymns; no worries em. i'll harmonize.)

quote of the day: (lindsey to kendall re: high-pitched, sometimes not understandable voice)
"Yeah like, if you've ever been in a war, ya just can't hear me!"

(emily attack that one. she's definitely dissin old people. she laughs at them too)

happy tuesday!

And that's just the way I like it!

2005-12-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

So the other day I was driving from Lindsey's to Kendall's house and I heard this guy on the radio talking about complaining. He was saying how in his family (or maybe at work or somewhere else, i can't remember) they allow complaints but after every complaint it is obligatory to say "and that's just the way I like it." So if you're stuck in traffic or hit every red light in existence and you missed class and you failed a test, it would go like this.
Oh my gosh. I cannot believe this traffic. I have hit every red light in existence. I'm going to miss my class and for sure I failed my test... and that's just the way I like it. It's definitely funnier if you say it out loud. Ok try saying it now: and that's JUST the way I like it!
This blog is not only complaint friendly but this post in particular is complaint inviting, as long as you make sure and say the magic words at the end of all your complaining.

Have a happy day!

Mr. Awesome dresses the part

2005-11-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

Jay, this for sure proves that you are, in fact, Mr. I'm Awesome Awesome.

Thanksgiving Thanks and Thankfulness

2005-11-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

Top four things I'm thankful for: (or at least the first four I thought of)
1) Electric blankets and space heaters
2) Cell phone batteries that stay charged longer than one day
3) Extended paper deadlines
4) Sugary bubble gum to rot my teeth. mmmm. delish!

The following is just an adorable thanksgiving poem I found online to warm your hearts and fill your head with thoughts of thanksgivingness.

Funny Bird
A turkey is a funny bird,
Its head goes wobble, wobble,
All it knows is just one word,
"Gobble, gobble, gobble."

Let's have an "I'm thankful for" party. They're the funnest parties ever!!! I'm thankful for them.

Riddle me timber

2005-11-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

These should stump you for at least three minutes. Solve them if you dare.

Riddle #1:
I am seen in the water
If seen in the sky,
I am in the rainbow,
A jay's feather,
And lapis lazuli.

Riddle #2:
I know a word of letters three.
Add two, and fewer there will be.

If you google these to find the answer, God will know.

FREE Fresca

2005-11-02T06:46:00.000-08:00

This is #1 in the Free Fresca Series of pics. We got much, many free frescas... mmmm I like the peach one. and the best part... it's all diet. who knew?!

Which one does not fit?

2005-10-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

Ok this is a test:
#1: Which pedicure is the cutest?
#2: Which shoe does not belong?
#3: How many brown flip flops do you see?
#4: Are there four shoes and not three?

Yeah so just try to get those!

Sideline takes the field!

2005-10-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

The secret weapon in action.

Fire up GANAS!!!

2005-10-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

game tonight!!!! 9 p.m. be there or be not there.

Skrrrrt!

2005-10-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

Watch out! Skrrrrt has a game tonight and we have blagg: our secret weapon.

Reason #103 Why I'm so Awesome:

2005-10-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Unequivocal knowledge of all things guitar and music. Let me explain. Read the following script and I'm sure reason #103 will become clear as day:

Enter Kate in Sugar Brown's.
Place laptop bag and purse in comfortable chair.
Grab wallet to order a bottomless cup o' joe and an ice water.
Customer: "Who's this you got playing?"
Employee: (who you will later discover is more music saavy than me) "Gypsy Kings."
(Kate, familiar with the music of the Gypsy Kings sees her entrance into the conversation, but decides to wait for the opportune moment.)
Customer takes a seat w/ coffee and now it's Kate's turn to order.
Kate: "I'll have a bottomless cup of coffee (decided not to say joe, that's what I say in my head;) and an ice water.
Employee: "That'll be $2.17."
Kate: "Ok, thanks."
(Kate pays and walks to other side of the counter to wait for her joe. Opportune moment. Wait for it...)
Kate: "So is this whole CD acoustic?" (that's right, I said acoustic. I do play you know. Sanctuary anyone?? Can I get a sanctuary?)
Musical guru (aka Employee): Yes.
Kate: (oh no, don't say it! abort!!) "Because the one I have of the Gypsy Kings they sing on a lot of the songs." (thinking I'm pretty cool at this point. demonstrating knowledge of music and guitar simultaneously)
Musical snob who enjoys putting people in their place (aka Musical guru): "Yeah this is actually a mixed CD and the whole thing is INSTRUMENTAL."
(Cool. that's what I meant. Instrumental. It's just that I have this disease that doesn't let me say words that start with Instru and end with "mental." )
Kate, able to laugh at herself (remember I have played Sanctuary for many of you), gets her coffee and walks cooly back to her comfortable chair, spilling a little awesome coffee on the way back.

That's right.
I'm awesome.

A Fun-filled week planned

2005-10-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Ok so i decided to write just to make each of you jealous of all the super fun things i have planned for this week. today: i get to have lunch with my mom and janice, 2) hold an exciting office hour for all my students who can't wait to get to come and talk to me about the fun they are having in spanish this semester and how they are soooo glad they have me as a teacher 3) go to class from 4 - 7p.m. and pretend to have fun things to say and share in the discussion 4) meet with an exhilarating study group from 7 -9 to review for a really really fun test i will be having tomorrow... speaking of tomorrow, tuesday october 18th: more fun things... wake up at 5 when the sun has exactly decided to show its fun face, teach fun class, go to fun staff meeting and hear fun instructions for the upcoming weeks, teach fun class again, go to one fun class, have a test in the other fun class then go to Bible study. Wednesday's fun agenda: blank. Thursday: see tuesday minus Bible study. Friday: the most fun, get to grade lots and lots of online compositions. oh just thought of wednesday's fun... grading oral exams, which probably will turn out to be fun bc i usually get to laugh a LOT!

so hope you are have all reached a satisfactory level of jealousy after reading this fun post. what fun things will you be doing this week? you will you be doing fun things with? who is the most fun person you know?

for a little fun: go through this post and replace the word "fun" with "ganas" or "cank." guaranteed fun!!!

oh and the highlighted parts are actually the only fun things.

Merits its own post

2005-10-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

F is for Falling leaves and bad grades
A is for Awesome, always Awesome
L is for Lintels in my hot hot soup
L is also for the Ladies, i like them

I is for Illness, be careful, don't get a cold
S is for Sickness, as if Illness weren't enough

C is for Vitamin C to fight afore mentioned cold
O is for Obeying all traffic laws
O is for Outdoor activities like picnics
L is for Long acrostics

A is for Aeromatic family feasts
N is for November and nostril
D is for Delivery of both tricks and treats

G is for Gary the Fall Antelope
R is for Randy, my dad!
E is for Elephant, they are big like Fall
A is for Almost done
T is for Tamales, man i want one right now.

Happy Fall
- Soy El

FALL is ALL-some and other fun FALL things

2005-10-09T23:28:00.000-07:00

Fall has come, and I sure am glad. Summer stayed too long and it made me mad. It's time for diving for apples, football games, and warming by the fire. Add wearing tall boots to the list and these are all things of which I will not tire.
- excerpt from "Reflections: The seasons change" a poem about change and, emm, errr, reflection, by e.b. (to see poem in its entirety see previous post's comments... enjoy)

Brown leaves, red leaves, orange leaves and blue
the season of fall arrives and brings with it a clue
what season is next? you ask with elmer's glue
just look at the ground and all around, you will see white.
- excerpt from "Pitiful and pathetic poetry" by kaptin marie

Lets all welcome fall this week with our fun fall poetry creations.

El Conqui makes frontpage

2005-10-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

In case each of you didn't want to scroll down through all the comments on the previous entry, I have decided to post soy el's recent adventure here on p.k. swarthy's main page. (for those of you who don't realize what is actually going on, i will let you in on a little secret: p.k. got lazy and didn't want to write an entry, har dee har har)
doing what i want because i wear an eye patch,
la kaptin

i was lucky to escape with my life. an old stow-away found me on the dock and took me to his hiding place on the north side of the ship there at the dock. he fed me soup and bread and gave me cocoa. it was good. from there i began my journey home across the sea. it was perilous and frought with peril. many sea monsters and monstresses attacked us and we nearly sank, but didn't. but then one night we did sink. noone knew how, but i think that it was that coward dodgee ole hodges. while the big boat was sinking i fashioned myself a smalled and faster boat out of things that were floating about. i was ashore in no time. from there i took a train and that was also frought to the max with peril. but, fear not, i overcame all of the peril. after many hard nights and even harder days i made it home. glory be.

the moral of this story: technology is frought with perilous peril. you'll stay away from it if you know what's good for you. - - Soy El

2005-09-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

The Pirate Kaptin in Spanish.

This is hilarious!

2005-09-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

In case you're one of the few who haven't seen it, check out this video. HILARIOUS!

http://www.collegehumor.com/movies/1607632/

Have a nice Monday.

Multitasking

2005-09-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

ok so i'm currently in class learning about how to create a class Web site. the good thing is that i still have 2 1/2 hours left of class. that means i have lots more fun staring me in the face. the bad thing about typing this post during the class is that this keyboard seems to be extremely LOUD. like everytime i hit a key all 14 heads in the room turn to see what the heck i'm doing and why i'm not paying close attention. hmmm i say. i'm not good at focusing for very long when i have the internet at my fingertips. at least i'm not erin or emily who struggle with this distraction every class period. they are way more adept at wasting time on the internet, i mean, at finding out very important information like who wants to be their friend on facebook. i haven't succumbed to facebook yet however, with very many more trainings like this one, i will be forced to wave the white flag and surrender (bc that's what the white flag means). before i end this post i will leave you with this deep thought:

It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man. (jack handy)

Taking a pirate's well-deserved day off

2005-09-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

ok so i have official business to take care of:

first of all, if you are a member of the cozart family then i would love it if you could give me your email addresses. or if you have access to lots, or if bree already has a list of everybodys' which is what i figure is true, then could someone send that to me kj1032@hotmail.com or just post them in the comments section. let's all work together on this people!! (this is team kaptin kate speaking)

second, the following link is for nickki's heart walk. take a look at it and feel free to tell lots of people about it. for those of you who don't know, (which i figure there is no one) nickki is our cousin that lives in san diego and works for the american heart association. she is a corporate events director who works on the heart walk in Balboa Park in San Diego and she does all this work to help prevent our # 1 and # 3 killers, cardiovascular disease and stroke!! so check it out!!

http://www.heartwalk.kintera.org/sandiegoca/nickkip

yes i advertise shamelessly and i feel good about it;)
have a happy wednesday!

P.K. Swarthy (but only on the weekends)

2005-09-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

Top a the mornin to ya!
(wait is that pirate speak... hmmm, getting out pirate dictionary... nope!)

Top a the mornin to ya! arrg.
(that's better and definitely more kaptinly)

so i've decided that P.K. Swarthy suits me as yer Kaptin but only on weekends and holidays and any other days that might be considered more casual (ya know when we're not wearin our pirate duds). second matter of business, in light of the recent requests for a few good plank walk'ns, I've decided that my second in command (what were you called again erin?) will be in charge of all such punishments seeing as to how the Kaptin can't be disturbed with such trivial matters as life and death. I've got other things to worry about:

1. maintaining the pirate voice all day long (it's tough, don't doubt that)
2. finding cute black outfits to wear everyday that combine with a pirate vest and dirty ol' boots
3. looking for a ship online that will be suitable for an outfit (not referring to clothes, ya know, like my outfit, my group of pirates, my men, the people i run with, insert your synonym or definition here _____) like mine.
4. practicing getting our song and dance together (the pirates of penzance were real pirates weren't they?)

Ok so all this to say, yes you may call me P.K. Swarthy if Kaptin Marie doesn't suit yer fancy.

2005-09-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

Maybe you should all take some time a review this list of piratical expressions so that you will always be able to understand this Kaptin. (and know i didn't get these from talkpirate.com. these are things i really say!)

Stereotypical piratical expressions

Ahoy (there)! Along the lines of 'you there'

Arr, (Me/My) Matey Hello

Swab The Deck Clean the ship's deck

Arrrrrr! The onomatopoeia of a pirate, as an exclamation for various different moods. See also arg

Avast! Stop, take notice.

Blow me down Expression of surprise (as in being blown off one's feet by a strong gale or a cannonball)

Keelhaul the swabs Tie the scrubber of the ship's deck to the keel of a boat. Typically the victim would be dragged along the underside of the boat where he would be badly cut by the sharp barnacles.

Shiver me timbers Expression of surprise (as in having the wooden timbers of one's ship "shivered" by a cannonball, in the archaic sense of the term "shivered")

Yoho(ho) Greeting

I'll Crush Ye Barnacles! A pirate threat.

Chock 'a Block Full; At it's maximum extent. From the situation where the pulleys of a block and tackle are touching.

Afore, Astern, Abeam towards the front, back, and off to the sides respectively

Port, Starboard left and right. Marked by red and green navigational colours or lights.

Point as in "points of the compass". A compass is divided into 32 points - 8 per quadrant. So "three points starboard" is about one-o`clock. Useful for specifying directions on international talk like a pirate day, especially in bars.

Pieces of eight From the spanish 8 real silver coin, which was sometimes scored into 8 segments to make change. Since the US dollar was originally valued at one of these, in US vernacular "two bits" = 25 cents.

Aye Aye Captain: Sayings by the Seamen when taking an order from the Captain of the Ship.

Har De Har Har! Sarcastic remark.

Yar Har Harrrr Greeting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Pirate#Pirate_Quotes

2005-09-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

Pirate Quote of the Month
Oh, better far to live and die Under the brave black flag I fly, Than play a sanctimonious part With a pirate head and a pirate heart. Away to the cheating world go you, Where pirates all are well-to-do... ~ The Pirate King, The Pirates of Penzance, Act I

i'm going to recommend that before there are anymore complaints about the way this pirate kaptin decides to command this blog site, that each of you complainers visit this web site and spend a few quality hours learning all about how cool pirates really are. hmmmm

http://www.cindyvallar.com/pirates.html

oh and here's the link to bree and matt's blog page, cause i'm an idiot and can't figure out yet how to add links to my blog page (this is kate speaking, not The Pirate Kaptin).

www.wandsworthdiaries.blogspot.com

new comment rules and regulations

2005-09-04T00:12:00.000-07:00

ok so a couple of things...
first of all, i have definitely decided to be a pirate captain because they get to say cool things like "arg" and "pull that thing, and the other thing" and "veer left" and you get to make people walk the plank and last but definitely not least... i found a bag at Savers with the initials P.C. on it and my brother bought it for me and P.C. without a doubt stands for Pirate Captain.
second... the comments to this particular post will be subject to the following stipulations.
1) no longer than 25 words
2) each sentence should start with Captain
3) one of the 25 words should be "weirdly"
4) extra points will be awarded for spelling Captain with a "K"

name change

2005-08-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

as many of you may have noticed i have decided to change the title of this blog site to Kaptin Marie, however i have left the web site address the same. if from now on you would like to refer to me as Kaptin Marie, i will not be opposed. again, if you are confused as to the reason for the name change, just say it aloud several times... Kaptin Marie, Kaptin Marie, Kaptin Marie and i'm sure you will realize how much it sounds like Katherine Marie but with just a little extra umph.

last day of nothing

2005-08-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

today i am being very productive... i just realized it's my last day without actual work and that i had better start getting important things done that i've wanted to do that WILL NOT get done during school.
1) clean the bathroom
2) clean the mirror in the bathroom
3) clean the floor in the bathroom
4) get shower pole cut off so that it won't be laying in my floor anymore
5) put things from the hall in the attic
6) put dirty clothes in the washing machine and not just beside the washing machine
7) start the washing machine
8) start the dishwasher
9) sweep out the garage
10) carry out the trash
11) fold blanket that's outside
12) clean bedroom
13) hang up all clothes
14) clean off top of dresser
15) reorganize stacks of crap
16) take clothes to goodwill
17) have a diet coke

pretty good list huh... i think that if you break down each chore like "clean the bathroom" into about twelve tiny chores on the list it looks like you've done way more than you really have. so basically what i'm sayin is... i'm the hardest worker i know and will continue to be as i go put the paintbrush away that's sittin by the sink. i am such a hard worker...

back in Texas!!

2005-08-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! This is Lindsey. I was just getting on to Kate for not posting so I decided to post for her. She was supposed to be home next week but we decided to surprise her parents. It all started when Kate tried to move her flight but then thought it was impossible. After telling everyone she wouldn't be back any earlier, she found out her flight was changed. Instead of telling everyone, we kept it secret. And by secret I mean that just about everyone knew. So, Erin, Emily and I drove to Dallas on Wednesday. We made matching shirts and super cool posters and TEAM WELCOME aka "1935 posse" was armed and ready. Of course, our dinner stop at my parents house was a little longer than planned so we HAULED IT to DFW. And for my parents who might be reading, "hauling" DID NOT involve speeding or running any red lights. We made it to the airport a few minutes after the flight was supposed to land but to our dismay, Kate was already waiting for her luggage with Mandy who beat us there. TEAM WELCOME was unsuccessful at the surprise welcome but the tshirts totally made up for it. Now, Kate is home and we are all complete. Give her a shout and don't make fun if her english stinks. I feel like I should inform everyone that right now, Kate is sitting in my chair singing the song from Aladdin "gotta eat to live., gotta steal to eat...." awesome.

a quick trip to sevilla

2005-08-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

hello everyone. first off, i am soooo sorry i have been completely absent the past four or five days. i´ll do better don´t worry. lola and i are in sevilla right now at the house. we had to come and get a few things and seeing as to how the beach is only about an hour away, it´s not too bad of a trip. lola started her vacation this past friday so as soon as she got off we headed to sanlucar. we went to another beach, chipiona, on saturday with a group of her friends and played volleyball in the water for about an hour. needless to say the next day we were both soooo sore. we are ok now and working out our soreness daily. last night at about two in the morning i was awake and decided to do some stretching. the only problem was that my bed is a little creaky so everytime i moved it made quite a loud sound. i have no idea if i woke anyone up but i wouldn´t be surprised if i did. today it was a little cool at the beach but we went anyway and ate tortilla de patata sandwiches (tortilla bocadillo mmmmm). well i will write more soon and again, a thousand apologies for my the tardiness of this post. love y´all.

Clase de español

2005-07-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hola a todos, ya veo vuestro interés por mi idioma, lo cual me alegra porque a mi no me gusta hablar en inglés, así que voy a ayudaros un poco.

En primer lugar, a las chicas españolas no nos enloquece que el chico que tenemos delante al hablar se parezca a JACKIE CHAN. Por ello recomiendo al CONQUISTADOR, en el caso que quiera casarse con una española, que continue con sus estudios y que cuando hable ponga sus manos en los bolsillos, ES LO MEJOR......... ya conoci a un guiri que en lugar de hablar solia hacer baile interpretativo, aunque nunca se sabe.... el tuvo exito.

A vosotras chicas, deciros que en españa los hombres tambien son malos, bueno yo diría que son aun peor que en EEUU, aqui esta especie no evolucionó, aun tenemos entre nosotras al HOMO SAPIENS, algo parecido a Fred Flinstone ( Pedro Picapiedra)

chicas luego continuo ahora tenemos visita, es el HOMO ERECTUS......
LOLA

enjoying nice weather

2005-07-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

mom so the book is really cool. i think you´re going to like it. it has these overlay things on lots of the pictures that show how the city originally looked then you flip the page and it has pictures of the ruins. very cool. and i´m jealous of the rain but i will say that it has been unusually cool here which makes me really happy. last night i went with lola and her english class friends to eat and i was cold. yes cold.
oh and hi there garrett... i´m so glad you have finely found my blog page. and thanks for the peanut butter tip. very useful. well, will write more later. love y´all, kate

very busy at work...

2005-07-27T04:23:00.000-07:00

happy wednesday to everyone...
i´m currently working and yes being very productive. i have cut many articles out of local newspapers, organized them and am about to search for a cool folder in which to store them. hmmm. what else? oh jay, conquistador is actually how you spell conquistador in spanish. crazy how it looks just like english. just thought i´d help you out since you are permanently changing your name. (and if i misspell anything i have immunity to corrections because i´m in spain.. i love powers of immunity, especially when i make up all the rules.) as soon as i get home we are having an intervention for mandy and jay as well, because this relationship is definitely struggling and i just can´t handle the emotional distress.
a couple of days ago i went to the place where they had the world expo in seville in 1992. let´s just say amazing. the site is so huge and most of the pavillions are still in tact, now office bldgs or something of the sort. lola was explaining every detail to me and since i have a poor memory, i´m going to buy a book about it. well, that´s all i´ve got. hope you´re all super.
kate

Hello again!!

2005-07-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

ok so i have finally decided to post again. i was on a one week hiatus (spelling) at the beach. i am definitely somewhat darker and can now check several books of the list of ¨have to reads¨. this is terrific news, it means i haven´t completely wasted time. we just got back to sevilla today and i will be here for the next two weeks working for one of the coordinators of the texas tech center in spain. i´ll just be overseeing the building project... next picture... kate in hardhat. hehe. i will work from 12 until 3 everyday. pretty tough. if it makes all of you feel better, it´s still hot here and i´ll be walking to work (by choice), there´s a bus system but i prefer the exercise. and just so you all know, i have many many many pictures (none of which are posted) and lots of videos of my week at the beach. oh and i´ve been meaning to tell luke, anthony and graham that their videos have been a great hit with the spanish ladies. especially the video with luke introducing his friend antonio. gets a laugh everytime and everyone makes me play it over and over and over again. i´m not going to promise the pictures this week because i don´t want to be punished but i´ll do my best. well, i´ll do lots better at posting too because i´m back here with lots of free time to play on the computer. love you all, kate

Party in Sundown...

2005-07-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

Jay just wanted to say that you are going to have to plan another trip to Texas in August so I can see you when I get home. We can have a party in Sundown, with hamburgers and homemade icecream and everyone´s invited. So figure out a date that you can come home and you can make me laugh all day long. We should run this idea by mom and dad and maybe by your bosses because I´m not sure how understanding they are about family get-togethers in August. Anyway, still reading lots here like a good student awaiting the very cool, although not-capable-to-buy-my-love, package from Mandy,)

Back in Sevilla where I can receive calls for FREE!!

2005-07-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that I´m back in Sevilla finally. The trip on Tuesday took me 16 hours. I caught a flight early in the morning from Rome to Valencia. Then found the train station in Valencia and bought a ticket to Sevilla. I spent 8 hours on the train. Not quite the Ave that I´m used to (the fast train). In Sevilla it is HOT HOT HOT. I have decided to go with my housemom to the beach for the next two weeks because she lives there during the summer. Now it´s very understandable why. I´m going to work for one of the coordinators here at the very end of July but that´s about all I have planned so far. Traveling all around has left me tired and made me miss Spain. I hope that you are all doing well and enjoying the summer. Love and miss you all!

Update from Italy...Perugia

2005-07-02T02:49:00.000-07:00

hello to all. sorry for the phone situation. we just realized last night that we could not receive calls in italy without putting more minutes on the phone and funny enough we have not been successful at adding those minutes as of yet. hopefully by this afternoon we will be able to talk.

perugia is wonderful. it is a beautiful place and the people are just wonderful. last night we had dinner at lorenzos house. it was very informal but so neat. his family has a beautiful home that looks out off a mountain over the city. the food was so good and the family was so nice. after dinner, the young people made our way to the plaza where we followed lorenzo down the street to reginas apartment. he called to her from the street and she came to the balcony. he serenaded her with an italian love song in the street while she cried happily from her balcony. it was just like the movies. lorenzo has done an amazing job making things as "texan" as possible. he wore a cowboy hat and a superman shirt while singing. he is so wonderful and after he finished singing she yelled "i love you regina" as loud as he could. it was so incredible. im sure we woke some people up seeing as how everyone sleeps with their windows open but i can not imagine they did not enjoy the moment.

we will be going to the wedding this afternoon at 5. there will be 13 countries represented at the wedding. it is just the greatest experience we have ever had. we cant wait to show you all the pictures and tell you more stories. lorenzo and reginas friends are just wonderful as well. most of them speak spanish so kate has made many new friends. i usually just smile and pretend like i know what they are saying. many of them speak english as well which is great for me. lorenzos friend, frederico, showed us around last night and it taking us to the good shops today. perugia is such an amazing place. sorry for the longevity but you know i could go on forever. we miss you all very much and im eager to get home and tell you all about this adventure. hope everyone is going well and happy 4th of july! (in 2 days)

mandy and kate

2005-06-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

hello to all. we are currently in barcelona and we are TIRED! mandy´s not feeling super and still hasn´t exactly recovered from traveling. we have spent the day getting settled and we have seen several important sites. we went to the picasso museum, which was cool and it´s about to rain outside which is wonderful. we left the HOTEL purposely with our hair wet and were glad we did when it rained the first time. we have many many new friends. on our overnight adventure we met carolina from argentina who is doing her residency here in barcelona. right now we are traveling with a new friend, kami from utah, who is here by herself, CRAZY, and knows zero spanish. mandy slept very little on the train and amazingly enough, kate slept well, even snored (according to mandy who we all know occasionally lies. i´m working on her jay). i did definitely get a full night´s sleep but right now mandy must have a nap. the great news is that we aren´t anywhere close to our hotel. we checked out a hostal, the one we had directions too, and after encountering the sheman who would let us have the terrific room (dripping with sarcasm) for only 60€ a night. we opted for the cleaner and safer hotel for only a few euros extra. (mom and dad you have mandy to thank for my safety,)
we also have a little surprise for you all... mandy and i might have done something a little nutty. we fit in a little better now with our somewhat slightly darker hair. eek! professionals, really cute professionals in sevilla took care of us. mandy´s is only somewhat darker, whereas mine mmm mucho... you´ll see pictures soon. i´m sorry i keep promising them but the computer, internet situation has been altogether accomodating. we are going to try and see a couple more things today so that tomorrow we can see olympic park and hang out at the beach. thursday we will catch a train to gerona, then the flight to rome. we LOVE you all and if you want to talk to us and don´t mind paying... it´s free for us to receive calls and we can talk as long as you´re willing to pay. the number is 01134. 662.136.557 and also if you don´t have cell one service you can text us!! hope to hear from you all soon. mom thanks for updating me on all that is going on. glad the reunion was fun. love you.

Back in Sevilla where mint icecream tastes like donagel.

2005-06-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

ok so i made it back today to sevilla and i´m exhausted. last night we didn´t sleep because we stayed up until 3 when we went to watch the final game between the spurs and the pistons. i was half asleep watching the game but we made it back to the hotel this morning in time for breakfast. right now it´s 9 at night and i just took a nap for 3 hours. i feel a little better but i´m already ready for bed. tomorrow i have to make sure everything is prepared for mandy to come. we´re currently building onto the apartement so mandy will have a room. we want to treat her like a queen. i´ve been planning our trip today and i´m sure this puts everyone´s minds at ease, taking into account my incredible ability to trip plan. i met this really nice guy in madrid who is a pilot so needless to say i´m trying to make a good impression... free flights anyone?
oh i just remembered another spainism... apparently here the movie credits are part of the movie. hilda and i went to see a movie in madrid and right after it ended, we like good moviegoers, gathered our things and stood up immediately when the credits started rolling. we exited the aisle quickly only to notice that no lights were coming on and no one was moving. we stood for a while on the side of the theater, which you will see a picture of soon (very small), until we decided we should sit back down. we proceeded to laugh a lot but we feel good about knowing who the second stuntman was.
well, right now i´m about to unpack my suitcase. hello to all the new commentors. will do better in the future responding and taking part in the comments section except for next week i´ll be off seeing the countryside again so my presence will be sporadic. love you all.

toledo and madrid

2005-06-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

today we are having a free day in madrid so the first priority was to find an internet cafe. this one is operated by a japanese couple i think... they could be chinese but i'm unsure. this morning i explored the royal palace with aaron, kurtis, dr. stratton and donna. continue to think dr. stratton *who the kids call silver fox* is one of the coolest trip coordinators ever. he showed us today how to glide up royal staircases. all it takes is a slight knee bend apparently. we just ate lunch at a spanish fast food restaurant which serves tiny bocadillos, little sandwiches, for really cheap. we ate there last night too. i think we are about to go explore for the day because tomorrow will be et up with guided tour after guided tours. they take FOREVER!!!!!! i'm pretty good at reading all of the provided signs that accompany each exhibit. it's this crazy new skill i've started to acquire here in spain. must go for now. will send more pictures as soon as i make it back to sevilla. love y

new pictures... with me!!

2005-06-16T04:44:00.000-07:00

here they are mom!

almost done with class!!! woohoo!!

2005-06-14T23:38:00.000-07:00

yes there are five exclamation points in the title. i´m extremely excited that we are about to be done with class. i really don´t mind it that much but i feel like the kids are getting tired and worn down from hearing spanish all the time and i know how exhausting it can be. we have a review today because our exams are tomorrow. i have to give 9 oral exams that are 10 minutes each and then i have my exam tomorrow as well. for all of you who were wondering if i had seen the light and changed my ways with regard to procrastinating... i haven´t. i have several hundred things to do today but i´m not sure how well i would function if i didn´t procrastinate. today after class my housemom has invited my friends over for lunch. that should be fun... she´s been cooking for a couple of days now. apparently everything can´t be prepared in 20 minutes. what else?... oh, one of my everyday happinesses... there are coffee vending machines here, fully equipped with every option i need except a sweet n low button. for only 40 cents i get a cup of decaf coffee, sometimes with sugar sometimes without, depending on how many extra packets of sweet n low i´ve got in my bag, with milk. mmmm... i wish i hadn´t already had mine this morning because i´m already craving it again. maybe i´ll bring a couple of these vending machines home with me as presents. i´m sure they weigh under 70 lbs. hope you like coffee!! ok everyone should comment and let me know how you are doing!!!! much love.

weekend at the beach

2005-06-12T23:44:00.000-07:00

hola a todos. this past weekend we didn´t have any crazy trips planned to explore spain so we went to house families beach apt. we went on friday after we got home from seeing the port from which colombus set sail. we got to see replicas of the niña, the pinta and the santa maría, which by the way, the santa maría is the biggest of the three. i was unaware of that fact because the santa maría was in the middle of the other two so when you see them you naturally think that the pinta should go in the middle. anyway, we also went to a monastery and to a medieval castle where we saw a disgusting display of torture devices. really, i thought preston was going to be disturbed for the rest of the day after reading every one of the explanations of how the torture devices were used. ok so back to the beach, we got there (san lucar) late friday night and stayed until yesterday evening. hilda, the girls (alicia and lindsay), house mom, lola, two of her cousins and i stayed in a cozy apartment about a 10-minute walk from the beach. yesterday it was really windy so we stayed at the beach just long enough to get sand in our crevices. house mom cooked the whole weekend, so needless to say, this wasn´t the beach food we´re accustomed to. well, right now i have to prepare class for the next three days and do my homework before i go to class. in theory it works better to do your homework before you go. i´m going to test the theory today. i´ll let you know the results. hope you are all doing wonderfully. love you!!!

more pics

2005-06-08T00:31:00.000-07:00

check snapfish, there are more pictures.

granada

2005-06-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

hello to all from granada. we got here yesterday in the morning and walked for three hours in la alhambra. everyone can ask lindsey to explain just exactly how huge this building is. it took us the full three hours to see everything, i´m not even sure we saw everything. then we went to a cathedral in the afternoon that was incredible. this morning we went to a cloistered monastery (the nuns enter and never leave). needless to say i CANNOT imagine living there. it is a beautiful building but i think i might go nuts not being able to leave. the women living there make lots of handmade stuff though and sell it in the little shop at the entrance. after leaving the group, hilda and i and a couple of our friends went searching for this famous poet´s house and we walked for a really long time only to get there and it was closed. we weren´t too upset though but then we went to this mall where everything was closed because it´s siesta hour here. we decided to sit down and eat some icecream in one of the cafes that was open and there was a group of men staring at us from the time we entered until the time we left. hilda was about to get something else to drink when we realized that they had stopped talking and were just staring. like the idiot that i am and a little fed up, we got up and i raised my voice slightly and let them know that we knew what they were saying and could they just please stop. i think we´ve decided that lola´s influenced me a little. i didn´t say anything really harsh or ugly but it was really ridiculous. after i said my few words, i sat down and got all of their phone numbers and email addresses so all of my friends back home can have hot spanish boyfriends. i hope it doesn´t matter that some of them were really old and missing teeth. hehe. well, right now i´m about to go take a quick nap before we explore some more of the city. love you all!!

The Weekend

2005-05-30T05:15:00.000-07:00

this past weekend we went to cordoba where we walked for hours and hours. after we saw several important places we went to the feria and like kids at joyland rode rides. fun fun. we went to see more ruins that were outside the city and i definitely got a little sunburned. yesterday i slept a good portion of the day and so today i feel rested and excited about the week. i´ve started learning how to sew because that´s what we do when we don´t feel like working. i´ve just about finished two bags and a coin purse. before you know it i´m going to be designing my whole wardrobe. anyway, just wanted to say hello. no interesting stories today. love yáll lots.

parking in spain

2005-05-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

ok, hilarious. parking here is so chaotic. the cars are just about all tiny because there are no places to park so the smaller the car=greater number of parking spaces. in our apartment lola has to park in a spot that´s about as big as my pinky. it´s unbelievable. well two days ago we were going to see flamenco dancers and we found a parking spot but there was a car double parked (actually everyone was doubleparked) so lola said, no problem we´ll just get out a push the yellow car out of the way. we all thought she was joking. nope. and she is tiny, tiny. so she and i get out to push and there are a jillion people watching, sitting at tables eating dinner and we begin to push. i stopped but she kept pushing and hit the car behind it. the driver was in it and got and started arguing with her. she is super stubborn and would not back down. finally two guys that were eating outside came and held the yellow car in place while she proceeded to park the car in the TINY spot. the guy drove off saying some obscenity but we had our spot. then when we got back to the car we couldn´t get out because a car had blocked us in. she just went right ahead and called the tow truck. right before it got there the guy came and moved his car. she backs down from nothing. the word for stubborn that we use is ¨cabezona¨ and that´s exactly what she is. well, i´ll write more later. we´re about to eat dinner because it´s 10 o´clock. again much love and i´ll try to have picture tomorrow so that you can see all that i´m seeing.

meeting people

2005-05-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

ok so i have begun to meet lots of people, talking to everyone i see. the first person i met on the bus i actually saw again which was so weird because the city is huge. we were out walking downtown with housesister, lola, and i saw two people i knew (one of my professors and this guy from the bus). lola was shocked that in a city so huge that i was already running into people. also, yesterday i was sitting at the bus stop (after a huge series of errors with the busses) and i sat down to wait for the right bus to my house. when i sat down there was a lady sitting there that didn't say hi or anything (that's common here, you don't have to say hello to everyone you see) but then after about a minute, she said "hola hermana" hello sister for all of you who don't know. she asked if i was a christian because of the christian fish on my bracelet. when i told her yes she started crying, and we began to talk for the next hour, missing three busses that we both needed. she told we where a church is, because let's just say that protestant churches are rare. i think that my friends and i are going to go on thursday or on saturday. it was amazing to visit with her and i even read to her a passage that she gave me to read. we sat there, both amazed and encouraged by God's power. anyway, hope you are all wonderful. class today was good. the students that hilda and i have are great. type more soon.
and dad, i'm not meeting EVERYONE in one day, but i figure i can give it my best shot.
love you all!!

I made it!

2005-05-19T00:37:00.000-07:00

after an hour of wondering if hilda was going to be able to make the trip at all, we finally got checked in in dallas and have spent the whole day since, traveling. we are now in the madrid airport waiting for the next plane to seville. first thing we have noticed and hope not to adopt into our style... the mullet. it is in full force here. everyone, boys, girls, men, women... travel back in time to the 80s (i think the 80s). anyway, lots of mullets. it's 9:40 here and i think that all of us are beginning to get sleepy. it's so odd. everyone's eating breakfast and we are ready to go to bed. well love y'all.

day before the trip

2005-05-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

ok so this is the day before the trip and just so i don't completely forget about this blog site, i'm writing today to remind myself that i have this and that i should keep the people whom i care about in touch. we had dinner at mandy's parents' house tonight and had such a great time. i can't believe everyone in the group is leaving for the summer (at least for a little while). erin's headed to san diego tomorrow morning and hilda and i leave tomorrow night. we'll be in sevilla on the 19th and really won't have much until the 20th. blagg is coming to sevilla on friday and i am so excited to see her before she comes back to lubbock. i hope that you are all having a good week. if trying to comment is too difficult my email is kj1032@hotmail.com. keep me updated on all the fun that y'all are having without me. love ya.

just getting started...

2005-05-10T00:49:00.000-07:00

5.8.05
Just setting this up so I’ll be able to keep you guys updated on my trip. Hopefully I’ll figure out how to put pictures and such on this page.