the GET in get-a-day

remember the whole "give a day, get a day" thing? well this past weekend i got my free day at disneyland, along with my three mousekateers: claudia, tori, and jess. this has been the first year in very long while that i haven't had an annual pass to the happiest place on earth, and boy have i missed it. i'm almost certian that i could live at disneyland--preferably in the castle, or maybe they could build me a nice little place on tom sawyer's island--and never get tired or bored of it. there are just so many things that i love about the place. i love how everywhere you turn, a different disney song is playing, each one bringing back some cherished childhood memory; i love the anticipation of getting soaked on splash mountain, followed by my even greater love of the laughter that insues after actually getting soaked; i love the freezer-burnt chocolate-covered bananas; i love taking astro-blasters way too seriously; i love watching the leashed children try with all their might to break free and run rampant; i love looking for hidden mickeys, even though i can never seem to find any; i love the fireworks, the ridiculously long lines, and the relief of resting my aching feet on the tram ride back to my pinochio parking spot. really, i just love it all. and i was so glad to experience it all again, even if just for a day. the girls and i had a great time, spending a fantastic fifteen hours riding rides, taking pictures, and channeling our inner child. and i hope with all of my heart that disney does the whole "give a day, get a day" diddy again next year.

one day without shoes

once a year TOMS shoes encourages people around the world to take part in "one day without shoes," a day in which you kick off your heels, flip-flops, or flats and spread awareness for those who go every day without shoes. so i did just that, baring my feet for the day. at times it was liberating; there's something freeing about unfettering your feet. i loved feeling the warmth of the sidewalks and the squish of dampish grass. there are so many sensations that shoes prevent your feet from feeling. and feeling those feelings was what i enjoyed most about today. it also felt good to walk around with the knowledge of what my bare feet stood for. but to be honest, there were times that i found myself a bit self conscious, as some people looked at me with disdain rather than interest. at the beginning of the day, before the word got out and the shoelessness caught on, people were giving me glances that screamed, "ew. where are that girl's shoes?" and instead of asking me about my bare feet, they just walked on by, likely thinking i was some sort of unsanitary hippie. by the time someone stopped and asked, i was more than happy to finally share the purpose behind my day without shoes. but as glad as i was to spread awareness to others, it was my own awareness that really grew today. i mentioned before that today was liberating. but there were also times that it was hard. crossing the occasional unpaved road or path shoved sharp rocks in my uncalloused souls, and the hot asphault of the parking lots burned the bottoms of my feet. i couldn't help but imagine those who have to cross much more difficult terrain and travel much longer distances. my heart goes out to those people and their feet. and so i have gained a new understanding and a fresh sense of gratitude. i am so thankful for my heels, flip-flops, and flats. i am so thankful for this one day i spent without shoes.

two broken airplanes & twenty-four hours later

it just took me twenty-four hours to get home from oregon. two canceled flights. one delayed. a free meal and a free hotel room. i could have driven home faster. phew. i may or may not blog about my trip later. for now, i'm just glad to be back.

what happens to a dream deferred?

does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
or fester like a sore --
and then run?
does it stink like rotten meat?
or crust and sugar over --
like a syrupy sweet?

maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

or does it explode?

-langston hughes

a picnic & a boat

this past weekend the boyfriend came for a visit to the land of loma! few things make me happier than when nathan stops by for a day or two. i love spending time with him, and i love the adventures we have. on this particular visit we picnicked at the park, watching airplanes and kites fly over head, and ventured to the u.s.s. midway, an aircraft carrier museum in the san diego harbor. we had tons of fun and learned lots of things throughout the day:

1. snuggies make great picnic blankets

2. north park is a perfect place for a date.
it's not too crowded & not too empty. it's a great place to fly
a kite or take a nap. and it has military gadgets on the ground
& airplanes in the sky to entertain and amuse any boy of any age.
3. i can eat a whole chipotle burrito in one sitting.
nathan cannot.

4. the uss midway is huge!
in the three hours we were there we only saw 2/3 of the ship.
5. wax figures are frightening.
to give tourists an idea of what life was life on the uss midway, there are wax figures throughout, meant to represent different people in different roles on the aircraft carrier. they were very scary looking.

6. i will never live on an aircraft carrier.
first of all, i would get lost all the time. i've never been in a more confusing mess of hallways, levels, and ladders. second of all, i would get extremely claustrophobic. there are practically no windows and the rooms and passageways are compact and constricting.
7. how to tie fancy navy knots, 8. how to ring a giant navy bell,
9. how to captain an aircraft carrier, and 10. how to fly airplanes (kind of)

have you ever eaten funfetti cake with chopsticks? i have.

march seventeenth

according to legend, saint patrick used the shamrock (you know, those three-leafed plants we call clovers) to explain the holy trinity to the pre-christian irish people. and while i think that is a super neat use for a clover, this saint patrick's day i'm just using them to add a bit of color and life to my dorm room. happy st. patty's day! i hope it was full of green things and luck.

pajaros. oiseaux. uccelli.

if you know spanish, french, or italian you know what this blog is about. but for those of you who are monolingual, i'll just tell you in english: this blog is about birds. today we took our third and final field trip for my ecology and conservation lab course. and what did we do? we went bird watching at the famosa slough. i had never actually been bird watching before, and i don't think i'll be doing it again any time soon. it's not so much that it wasn't interesting. i think animals are really interesting. really. i think its amazing how many different types of birds there are, and how many of those different types we saw in just one marsh. we saw tall birds, colorful birds, fluffy birds, all sorts of birds. i don't remember the names of all the species we identified or the exact amount, but i think the total came in around 25. and i could go on and on about how interesting the birds were. but i won't. because that's not the point i was trying to make. the reason why i don't plan on bird watching in the future is not the birds, but the binoculars that we watched them with. they should come with a warning label: "using binoculars may result in dizziness, nausea, and severe headaches." i'd rather view close-ups of nature through the television screen, planet earth style. that way i get the cool brittish-accent-narration without the binocular-induced-discombobulation. the birds and binoculars weren't the only interesting part of the field trip, though. while we were hiking along the trail, my professor (who, staying true to tradition, sported his field trip outfit once more) brought us to a sudden hault, and with excitment he shouted, "look! a veracious predator!" in unison, we gasped, without even knowing what this "veracious predator" was. "where?!" "a coyote!?" "a bobcat?!" "oh...a cat." apparently house cats are considered veracious predators at the famosa slough. and there were lots of them. we even saw one on a leash. we also encountered some obnoxious children whose mothers would have been ashamed at the things they said to us. i wont repeat the profanities and insults. i will just say that i hope that my future children will not 1) know those words and 2) harass strangers (or anyone, for that matter). as we continued on the trail, the boys eventually stopped following us and shouting profanities and we came across a woman, crying and crouching over something. it turns out that that something was a bird, and that bird had been attacked by her dogs and was dying. poor lady. poor bird. but at least i got to see a bird close up without looking through those darned binoculars. rest in peace little guy. and r.i.p. to you too, field trips. it was nice knowing you. thanks for the opportunity to get out of the class room and into the tide pools, trails, and sloughs. from here on out its back to the laboratory...

goodbye spring break, hello blog

this week has been wonderful. full of r & r...with two capital R's. lots of rest and tons of relaxation. it's all because this week has been spring break. and let me tell you, i really broke (breaked?). ...i mean, i really took a break. from everything. and as you might have guessed from the lack of recent posts, "everything" included blogging. but now it's sunday night, and spring break is officially over, which means i'll be back to blogging, well...now!

bang bangs

for years now i've wanted to get bangs. i mean, i've had side bangs for quite a while. but i'm talking about real bangs. bang bangs. ya know? well anyways, i've always found excuses not to get them, or chickened out at the last minute when the hair-cutter asked, "what do you want?" but today when the hair-cutter popped the question, i answered boldly, "bangs." and i'm so glad i did. not because i think they look great (i actually haven't decided whether i like them or not), but because i finally did it.