More Pictures of SF

Muir Woods- Laura and I!
On the day before we left, San Francisco was so foggy- but as soon as we crossed the bridgeall the fog went away... :)
Muir Woods
The beautiful hills of sonoma valley (this is also one of the last photos because this is the winery I left my camera in!)
The Japan-town Peace Pagoda.
Laura and I right after walking down Lombard St. We had to walk all the way up from columbus st- picture a 31 degree incline for about 8 blocks so that we could walk down one. Good thing Lombard st. is pretty.
Palace of Fine Arts- we went back on the day we were supposed to fly home- and we had a great little picnic. It was beautiful!
On the Powell st- Hyde st cable car! I think we rode this car 4-5 times... :)
Laura and I hugging a Redwood tree in the middle of Muir Woods
I got my camera back from the winery that I left it at in Sonoma valley :)

PS

I rode a bike over the golden gate bridge :)
I love this pic.

back too late, yet oh so soon.

So the trip to San Fran was extended due to a lack of available flights- so I just got back about an hour ago- instead of friday. Overall, I think it was worth it. Unfortunately, I think I'm officially out of money. If anyone wants to pay me to clean their house, etc- just let me know. I'll take whatever I can get.

Back to the trip- here are some pictures... we saw basically everything and I'm in love with SF.
Public transit is my new favorite thing. I mean, if other cities had something like this, it would be amazing.
I left my heart in SF- on union square! Our hostel was about three blocks from here...
This is Laura and I while riding through the Golden Gate Park- we had just walked out of the botanical gardens and I snapped this picture.
The Golden Gate Park ends at the beach- this boulder/sign marks the beach entrance!
You can see Seal Rock in the back ground... absolutely beautiful!


Ok- more later.

San Francisco.

So Laura and I have deided that we're going to sanfran for spring break. I went and bought a travel book at half price bookstore (which is actually another story in itself) and I am so excited about going. We've reserved two places at a hostel that has been ranked one of the top ten in the world and its actually 2 blocks away from Union Square, 4 from chinatown. The buses and cable car's stop at the end of our block and to top it all off, it's cheap. Now, it's not Kenny-cheap, but it will definitely do.
We've already had a million ideas of what we're going to do while we're there. Oddly enough, the first thing out of both of our mouth's were places to eat.... the Ferry building during the farmers market! China town! Fisherman's Warf for seafood!
now, the list goes on from there and moves up to places we want to see, walk, etc. Everything from Golden Gate Park to Ocean's Beach, Palace of Fine Arts- etc. It's going to be a great time and I can't wait. Anyways, if anyone is in the area for some odd reason... come see us- because we'll be there from Mon-Friday :) ohhh yeah.
PS- bring a jacket because it will be cold.

:D

Did I mention that I got free tickets for spring break? Laura, we're going somewhere cool babe! oh yeah.

:)

This makes me laugh. mad seal. rar.



Funny Videos

oh yeah...

Seriously- how adorable is that?
Rugger's new girlfriend, Honey. She lives 3 apartments down :) They're cute.
Liz, you are one of my favorite people. The older we get, the more beautiful you are- I hope you see that.
Tim and Daniel, you guys aren't so bad either- but I think Hal is definitely my favorite.
Don't you just love his new UT tee-shirt. I think its adorable (see previous post.)
And this is my favorite place in austin. The dog park. You just can't beat that view in any other intercity area.

gee golly.

Let's start with last weekend.

So I went home and spent some time with my mom, saw Brooke and Katie, and Shane and Christina, Matt and Heather, my aunt Kay... I guess it was actually a pretty busy weekend. Mom and I went to see the new Diane Keaton movie-- Because I Said So-- we wanted to see it together since it's a mother-daughter type of movie. Liked it, definitely a girl movie- but I recommend it.
We also painted mom's room- a pink/terra cotta (as mom calls it) color. She absolutely loves it and it just so happy that her room is so pretty... blah blah blah. I'm just glad i did something for her.
Brooke is doing well- slightly underweight and to top that off, she pulled out her G-tube last weekend and the ER at Parkland waited two hours, then poked the hole so much that it swelled up and they couldn't even get a tiny tube in. SOoooo now the baby has to go have surgery. again. ugh. but she's doing well. and she likes to take me by the hand and say "come on" and drag me around the apartment :) She's talking a LOT more and it's just so amazing to hear her voice. Katie's next baby is due in april or may. So soon, that little girl is going to have to get used to NOT being the center of everyone's attention... which is definitely not going to be easy for her.

So now let's get down to it. Valentines day was yesterday. I've been single since... do i really want to say this on the internet?... let's just say I've been single since high school. What is it about me. I mean there are certain things about looks that I can understand- but REALLY UGLY people get boyfriends, so why can't I?! what the hell is it about me that prevents me from opening up to people or prevents people from seeing me in that way? enough of this. everyone who reads this stuff about me has a significant other! so i'm wasting my breath! :)


Anyways, Rugger's birthday was Valentines Day also- he's now officially 2 years old. And on that note, I've officially reached old spinster status. I spent Valentines celebrating my dog's birthday. Next thing you know, I'm sitting on my front porch in a rocking chair, cocking my shotgun and yelling at the local kids to get the hell off my lawn. Did I mention that I'll have 30 cats? in fact, I might even have more. That's how spinster-like I will be. except for the fact that I'll have an MD at the end of my name. In fact, I'll be one of those old grandmas who makes sure that EVERYONE calls me dr. If not, I'll grandma slap you.

Classes are rough- but not tougher than usual. I feel like I keep taking the same classes over and over- I mean, I seriously haven't had a class that was seriously challenging since genetics. And I dont meant challenging like, can i read 20 chapters in the day before the test? I mean, a really hard class. Please God, don't jinx me. All I'm saying is that completely new material is rare nowadays it seems. I want to learn about diseases. I want to see pictures of disgustingly disturbing stuff- oh, and how to cure it of course. Anyways- you get the point.

Anyways- Liz, when you finally read this- I miss you. SO we should hang out. :)

new pics...

So while I was back in mesquite, I was able to spend some quality time with Brooke and Katie. Brooke is turning into a beautiful little girl and Katie is a good mom. My favorite part about Brooke getting older is that (not only is she cuter now but...) she's talking up a storm!








She loves to get into things that aren't hers... like my shoes. She walked around in these things for almost an hour and - just in case you cant read the jumper she's wearing- she's being raised a mav's fan :) Yay Dallas!














I was also able to finally see miss Ruth O- and she has gotten so beautiful. Her and faith both have just... blossomed! I mean, ruth has always been beautiful but now she just glows. Oh, yay for the early years when getting older is a good thing.
Brooke is also starting to let me into her life more. She runs up and hugs me when I come in and she always knows I have something for her. She even says my name! actually she says Shell- but that's good enough for me. It's funny how people react to children- even ones that aren't their own.
















Another thing that happened since I got back was Austin's bday- as you can see I got him good with his own cake... however he then chased me down and hugged me with his face. We then had an all out war and ended up with war paint- but it was fun and I was glad just to finally see him. I hate that people can care for someone so much even when they shouldnt. Seems like the story of my life.

Anyways- just wanted to share some photos! I'll put some in of the snow day tomorrow :) this is the best first day of school ever. especially since we didnt have to go- and I dont have class on Wednesdays :)I could have stayed home another week!

s.c.u.b.a.

so... mom and I went to the scuba shop where I was first certified today. I dont know what it is- but just being in a scuba shop gives me a sort of high. I've decided that after I get my confirmation of my openwater dive class- I'm going to get my Advanced then go on to Emergency Rescue and then maybe to search and recovery... I dont know about the last one- but I definitely want to do the first two. And to top it all off, if i get to ER (hahah) then I can become certified as an assistant instructor then Instructor! I can be an instructor just like dad :) I think he would probably really enjoy that.
The point was- it was weird just to walk out of that shop, not even having bought or signed up for anything, and just have this sense of... Yes. this is what I want to do. I have to admit, I dont get that very often so when it does occur it really catches me off guard.

I went and saw Children of Men... yesterday?... anyways, I loved it. My mom and Jerry B. said it was incredibly depressing- but I really liked it. Something about how realistic it was- how possible it was. so- I recommend it- but only if you aren't suicidal :)
Oddly, the movie reminded me of a conversation that liz and I (and maybe a few others) had almost 3+ years ago about the origin and nature of man. I think we were discussing Thomas Hobbes view of men's nature- the brute, selfishness that leads every man... or something to that accord- and when I saw this movie- that's all i could think of. And I think I've changed my opinion. Before, I argued that men weren't inherently bad or animalistic. That we do in fact have an internal sense of right and wrong. But I want to change that- I think some people do. and others don't. I'm not going to say nuture vs. nature or give any other type of reason. I think human beings are both good and bad. There are some who can't live with injustice, who search out and fight it for the sake of preserving the others- inherent altruism if you will- and others who... either do or don't see it, and degrade society as a whole.
Do you think there could ever be an answer to such a question? It's funny that now, after having studied people in general longer, after having read more newspapers and learned more... more than I've ever previously known- (an obvious fact of life seems like such a revelation to me at this moment)- I've reverted to a more negative and probably more accurate opinion of mankind.
So... Liz, I dont remember your original argument- but we should talk about this again now that my beliefs have evolved.

This year I will...

So i'm working on some New Year's Resolutions.
There's the ones you do every year....
-Be more organized
-Study throughout the semester and not the days before the test
-Go to class everyday
-Lose some weight

Then there's the ones that are more specific to this year.
-Plan and rebuild mom's deck
-get the group together to do something ridiculously fun this year for our goodbye trip
-make someone specific that scrapbook i wanted to
-print out some of my pics and continue with my album making
-take rugger running
-rip this house apart and put it back together in a more efficient, less country-style, home

ok, I know there are more- but I don't want to type any more :)

I've waited too long....

Wow. So it's been forever... My birthday, Thanksgiving, etc...
So here's the deal- My birthday was great, amazing actually and I had a wonderful time. I truly have the best friends and I love you all dearly!
Thanksgiving...
My family set the turkey on fire. Biggest grease fire I've ever seen. The flames reached the CEILING. Thank God that wall is solid brick.
So the fire dept came to the house- happy thanksgiving- and they brought this thermal imaging thing- so as soon as we all knew we were safe, we all got to play with their heat gun! After a Ham dinner, we lost my grandmother for a good 20 minutes (she was outside raking the leaves) and spent the day riding one of the younger cousins scooters down the driveway, jumping the curb, and tumbling in to the grass- trying not to roll straight into the lake. Overall it was one of the best Thanksgivings we've had. Honestly, it was probably just because my cousing Wendy wasn't there.
So after all the family left, Friday night was Dallas friends night. Everyone who was in the area- Liz, Paul, Dez, and Daniel all went to dinner at Campizi's? and then to lower greenville for some good ol' fashioned drinking.
The next day, I went out to eat with Ruth- who is still adorable and then to a Dallas Mavericks game- which I've actually never been to... truthfully I've never seen a live basketball game so- it was fun. Nancy and Jon came with me- quite an enjoyable night...
I got to see my beautiful god-daughter who has managed to grown another 2 inches since I last saw her and who now recognizes me immediately- which I find quite nice.
This past weekend was also quite fun- I went to a sex toys party- I bought body spray and -yes- that is really all I bought. It was so much fun- there was a fountain of chocolate. LITERALLY. The next night I went to a party at a friends friends- you know, the usually really boring, can we leave now type of parties- but I had fun. Dez is trying to get me to not push guys away. She was giving me cues all night. I'm like- really... do you think this guys worth it? It's hillarious to me how practical I am in some situations.
So I'm putting in a ton of picture to catch everybody up. THey're all at the end, and out of order, but you should be able to figure out some of them... like the fire truck pic... Love you all.

MCAT RESULTS!

So I just got my MCAT results in... I made a 25. Not that bad- not that great. I can do better :) I made a FIVE on the bio section! I could have GUESSED and done better... but considering the fact that there were 2 passages on microbiology... a class I hadn't taken... I hope to do a lot better next time. I made an 11 on the physical sciences section- yay- and a 9 on the verbal section... the section that i fell asleep in. I FELL ASLEEP during the MCAT and STILL did better on that section than the bio section. geez.
Mom was right- I didn't study enough. well shit.
good thing I put applying to schools off for a bit :) because that had absolutely nothing to do with my ability to procrastinate... nope, that was just me knowing myself that well. oh yes.

OU sucks...

Actually, we didn't play all that well either the first half. Thank goodness for random moments of greatness that ended up pumping us up and giving us that little something extra to help us beat OU!
It was amazing- a sea of orange- absolutely crazy. I have to say though, my favorite part of the whole thing was the carnival :) I love carnivals! We got to ride the flying swing things- you know where you all sit in swings facing the same direction and it lifts up and spins as if you were a ball on a string being swung around someone's head... a classic carnie ride. I wanted to do the bumber cars, the fun house, and the haunted house... but it didn't work out. I even ate a corndog. Laura got funnel cake and cotton candy. Darrell won me an adorbale teddy bear- thank god for roommates- as I was the only single person in the group. shoot me.
Going home was one of the single best times I've had this year. Everyone got to meet both Shane, Matt, and Katie & Brooke. I actually felt very comfortable at home and was able to share that positive side with everybody. Dad came up once in a conversation about why it's hard for me to go home... as if there would be any other reason that had more weight than that.
Matt and I got the chance to talk- to catch up on being the really good friends that we at one point were. It was nice to have him around, that's for sure.
Then there's shane. Shane was extremely tired- probably could have passed out at any point during dinner/driving/drinking... amazingly, he made it all the way to the end before passing out on the couch. I really don't know how he does it- they're both amazingly hard workers. They sure do know how to make you feel like a lazy bum :)
And then after shane passed out- christina came in and spoke with sierra and I... actually she just stood there for about 5 minutes until sierra and I pressed her to tell us what was wrong. I feel like she's lonely. She needs more good friends, poor thing.
Brooke is absolutely adorable. She still smiles if you tell her to show you her grill and she fell very quickly for dear Darrell. She couldn't stop staring at him! It was so funny :) That's my girl... just be good until your 30. that way i wont have to take a bitch out. I mean, I am The Godmother.
Anyways- the point is, overall the weekend went very well. Then I came back and had the single most UNPRODUCTIVE WEEK EVER.
Yep- it was that bad.

So now I'm bummed, stressed, and trying to work hard... I sure do study more than any of my friends. And I dont actually have a roommate anymore- but that's probably a good thing- more time to study.

Oh- and micro lab sucks. it's a ONE HOUR LAB who's teacher is deluded- she seems to think that its a 10 hour lab. Someone should really send her a memo... or shoot her. you know, whatever.


:)

I'm disappointed...

in myself.

School sucks this semester.

relationships.

So it seems that everyone I know is in a relationship. Or at least, in and out of them. Sierra and Darrell are now an item- that's right ya'll- they are together. And it's really cute. I have to admit, I did NOT see that one happening ever if you'd have asked me a year or two ago. But now... now it fits. So I'm happy for you two. Congrats.
Now back to me :)
Is it normal that I'm so ok with not being in a relationship? I mean, I'm not even playing the field. I'm just me and I don't work for it and I don't push for it... partly due to some innate characteristics within myself and partly because I don't see why I should have to. But I look around and everyone has someone! Everyone has a significant other. I have to say- it's starting to make me miss being in a relationship- but I don't want to want a relationship-I want to want a person. And I've only met one or two people that I would be interested in, and let's just say neither of those worked out... and I was ok with that. I can't remember feeling passionate about someone in quite some time. ISNT THAT WEIRD!?!! I mean, I dont even get crushes. seriously. what's going on.

Anyways- on to discussing this past weekend. So the UT Women's Rugby team went to Norman, Oklahoma this past weekend for a tournament called the War of the Roses. We played really well- even though we lost both games. The other teams were well established and our team was basically all new - so I was really proud when we didn't get slaughtered! We actually did really well. What sucked was that we only took 15 people (ie, one team with no subs) and we had people getting hurt left and right (like me). Luckily for us, rugby people are very nice and other teams were willing to "whore" themselves out to us. So not only did we have subs, but we even had our rivals playing for our team :) it was very fun to say the least... oh well, until SIERRA took a knee to the head and ended up passing out for a second then not being able to stand and I had to rush her to the ER (by way of wrong directions and a minor medical center that wouldn't treat us). I was a little panicky I have to admit- but it's always really scary when it's a head trauma and the person is acting all funny/weird/different because of it. **she's fine by the way- just a concussion** I only got to play like 10 minutes because of my ankle- since I hurt in it practice on Thursday, when someone sat on it at the game, I was out for the day. I was SOOO MAD! but, it's better to tend my wound than play on it- or at least, that's why Rocky (my coach) wouldn't let me play anymore.
The roadtrip there was awesome- the first thing that happened after we had picked everyone up was that Ana almost backed right into me. great way to start a trip if I do say so myself.

After the tournament I went to shane's place so that I could rest/recover/shower and see my mom, shane, and christina. I now have lots of pens thanks to a Sam's visit and shane put me on the account! yay! so sam's trips are on me guys! (do we have a sam's in austin?)

Anyways- now I have to work really hard to finish up a bunch of stuff before thursday.

I've had a range of emotions go through my head recently- both positive and negative. I'd write about them, but they are so fleeting that they're not worth referring to.
Maybe next time.


Back to work.

ay dios mio...

So I shoulnt be doing this because I have three tests next week and I didnt study like I was supposed to but... Friday was awesome :)
Thank you Laura and Jon for having an awesome party- that I had a blast at. I hope that your house and everything survived and I hope that your recovery went well :) Anyways- So it was a pirate party- we all dressed as pirates... and as a summary, w
e all got drunk, had sword fights, and said arghhh! a lot. Then someone gave me a sharpie and I proceeded to give everyone drunk enough to let me write on them sharpie tattoos on their necks. Sierra had to go to work with the word SEXY on her jaw line. We decided, at least it wasnt a penis. Sierra and I also spent a significant amount of time laughing at the pervert that Darrell has become :) I mean, he will tell a dirty joke just like the rest of them! And we love you all the more for it, D.
SOooo Laura also pushed me on the ground and made me split my $.75 pirate pants right down the butt, broke my sword, and crawled on the floor in her room with me- we were looking on the floor for my skull-necklace. Then Dave pushed me into the hookah and made me burn my finger- which actually is a pretty bad burn now- but dont worry, all the nerve endings are dead and I cant feel it :)
Anyways- I had a very enjoyable time at the party. We had a bit to drink, we all acted like dumbasses (as a collective group as well as individually), and I think every single one of us ended up with my initials on a body part in sharpie. It just doesnt get better than that.

Saturday was a wasted day- laundry etc. and Sunday has been a study day (except for the fact that I woke up at 12 so I havent actually studied all that much.
So friday was the light of my weekend- that and the beautiful storm yesterday :)

money money money..... money.

So yesterday was a good day. And by good, I mean that I spent like 50 bucks yesterday. Sierra and I went to Book People- which is my favorite place ever, and I bought a book by the Dalai Lama about the convergence of science and spirituality. It's called The Universe in a Single Atom and I'm really excited about it. Unfortunately, my government class assigns a book a week and I don't have time to read it yet. yay for gov.
Anyways- I also bought these little bells on a string- a little cooler than that, but thats what it is- for really cheap that are beautiful sounding and some bangle bracelets for a $1.
THEN- we went to the 6th street Central Market for lunch. I had never been there before and I felt so overwhelmed. It's like going to walmart when all you need is bread- there is so much to look at and so many options that you end up spending a ridiculous amount of money on something that should have been like 5$, in the case of the bread example- more like $1.
I did laundry over at sierras for 6 HOURS becuase their dryer takes an hour and a half to dry stuff. I watched this movie- Hide and Seek- talk about freaky. I still want to see the Exorcism of Emily Rose though. But I got to do my laundry for free and watch a movie while hanging out with my dog. Not too shabby.
THEN we went to Dirty Martin's for hamburgers and I spent even more money. Dirty Martin's is.......... greasy. It's not great. It's not even really good. It's just ok. And really really really greasy. I haven't eaten that badly in a long time.
So the point is...Yesterday drained me dry! But it was a really fun day. I got to hang out with rugger. I really did do some studying and to top it all off I got to hang out with really interesting people, bought a very me book, and ate lunch at a really unique/busy place. Overall, I think I did well.
I actually got to talk to Sierra yesterday too. Really talk- about how she was doing, relationships, school, the future- you know, all the stuff you need to catch up on when you haven't seen someone in a while. I really did miss having her as a friend- I just wish none of that bad stuff would have happened. But then again, it did make me realize what kind of person another then-friend of mine was, so I gained valuable experience from the whole situation. Like to NEVER go out of your way (especially when it involves money) for people because they are usually just going to take advantage of it. (Liz, you are excluded from this rule due to the fact that I've known you for over a decade... and I know where your parents live.)
So anyways- I have to go study now. Because I'm stupid and I took 16 hours.

ugh.

I have felt so drained lately. Something about the way people are in general and something about the way I let them get under my skin. Like Gabby's friends who suck, or my uncle who think's I'm ridiculous for NOT being racist/prejudice, or really rude people in general. It just sucks me dry and one day I look up and I feel like I'm heartbroken and I don't know why.

Other than that today was a pretty decent day. Last night, too. Sierra came over and I made a vegetarian meal for us- and it was excellent. We spent about 2 more hours together before deciding we should definitely go get some ice cream- a treat Darrell was unable to resist coming with us to. Let me just say- I 100% recommend getting the banana pudding flavored ice cream at Amy's. It is SOOOOO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD. We had a really good night and Sierra did something that really surprised me... she paid me back her third of the deposit from that house we all lived in. I dont know why for sure, but I'm really happy she did. I wanted to say no- keep it, it's not important anymore... but the truth is it was important and she did owe it to me and it was very decent of her to do so. Just makes me like her even more. We took Rugger to Amy's too and I think he really enjoyed the banana pudding ice cream too. Darrell and I have discovered he also likes grapes, lettuce, tomatoes, MY FREAKING CRACKERS, shredded carrots, and those chocolatey peanut butter things D makes all the time. He does not however like raw potatoes. He also dreams in his sleep- I think he might actually dream about fighting someone for room on the bed because somehow he always manages to push me to the very edge (and then I wake up the next morning on the VERY edge... and he moved to the ground- punk). AND- he has found a new favorite contact sport. It's called "step on Darrell's nuts" and Rugger loves it so much- he does it at least once a day. I think it's hillarious. D does not enjoy it all that much.

Found out today that danielle is in my human sex class. I still don't really know what to think of her. I don't feel the urge to ever be around or near her- but when I am I just cant be mean. I think I'm just not that type of person. Overt anger is beyond me I guess... I'll just have to settle for passive aggressivity.

:)

http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/


I have more but I dont have time to write it yet.