Bucket List

Bucket list:

1.  Raise and unconditionally love a flying squirrel named Cthulu or Chickenbear, Jr.

2.  Visit Glacier National Park

3.  Be as funny, for at least 5 minutes, as David Sedaris

4.  Read every book ever written by Philip K. Dick

5.  Understand a philosophy book.  Any one.  Or philosophy in general.  Anything. Please.

6.  Go back to school for my doctorate (this one is a most likely "to do")

That is all for now.

Inca Toffee and Nietzsche

I woke up this morning with a growing sense of unease.  It has been building up all day and it feels... uneasy.  I have come to the conclusion that I am going to die soon.  I also have been having serious heart pain the last few days (not heartburn) which only confirms my theory of imminent death.

One thing that did make my day wonderful, however, was the discovery of this in my bedroom:

I bought bags of these when I was in Peru, because they are legitimately the tastiest treats to ever exist.  I thought I had eaten them all and I found a bag of them today.  I rejoiced.  

On an entirely different note, I took Reeb to Barnes and Noble today to peruse the philosophy section (for myself) and the kids section (for Reeb).  I bought "The Philosopher's Handbook" and haven't even made it through the introduction yet after a considerable time spent reading and rereading.  This is not my road of thinking, but it really interests me.  When I lived in New Jersey, I had a friend named Aryn who was a philosophy major at Princeton.  She once took me to a party in a basement on campus somewhere.  I remember sitting there in awe at her and her fellow philosophy major friends' conversation.  I hope I can one day be on 1/10 of her level at understanding Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, Locke, Kant and others.

Home Videos

I went to Erin's house last Monday night to pick up some beverage and ended up staying for my second and final dinner of the night. We started watching our home movies we made in 2002-2003, which would make me 19-20 years old. We used to record everything we did. Case in point: when we got into our car accident in Spanish Fork Canyon, my side of the car was smashed into a cement barrier and she couldn't open her door, so we had to crawl out the back. I remember jumping out the backseat of the car and one of us saying "Wait, grab the camera!" And I'm glad we did. You can see the car in the background, smoking and car horn blaring while Erin calls 911 on her dance light phone. Priceless memories. We spent 45-minutes on Monday watching videos and I really, really want to watch the rest right this second. We thought we were so cool. In hindsight, we were not really cool at all, but quite funny. I was 20-30 pounds heavier with red and blonde hair and a tongue ring, so I cringe alot while watching it, but again, funny stuff.

I told Erin that night that I was going to start recording everything that happens again, because even though I am not nearly as cool as I was when I was 19 and my life revolved around cruising for guys on State Street, I will really enjoy the memories down the line. I don't think she believed me, but here it is:

Yay! Now I can start recording everything I do again.  I love my new video camera. It's so handy and adorable.  Just you wait Erin. This is gonna be great.

William Randolph Hearst, Sand Dollars and Boo's.

I am currently sitting on a plane at LAX typing on my phone. I wonder if I throw a big enough fit, if I can stay in California? I don't want to go home! I don't want to go back to work yet! I don't wanna! *wah wah *. It didn't work. Oh, well. Home I go. I had the most wonderful time here. I got to see Summer, Rich and Lucy. I met my boo, Nick.



AND i did an enormous amount of wonderful things. This last weekend I was here, we got to go to Hearst Castle! I listened to a podcast about it last year some time and since then have dreamed numerous times about going and I have taken the online tour at least 4 times. I MUST decorate my future home as William Randolph Hearst did his: gaudy.






I also went hiking in Big Sur again. Then I went to Point Lobos, which I visited the first time I came out here in March. And Carmel, which is another quaint little town that reminds me a little of New Hope, with it's galleries and hip shops.






The last night I was there, Summer and I went to the beach to look for sand dollars. We didn't find any, but had a grand time giggling with our head lamps on and getting attacked by the occasional large wave that came crashing in. It was by far the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen.




And now... back to the daily grind. Good thing I love my job. And my friends in Utah too. I love you guys.

Monterey: Part One

I will be intermixing my recent Peru trip and current California trip on here.

Right now: Monterey, California

I haven't seen Summer, Rich and Lucy in so long: since March to be exact. I was quite excited to get here. Rich is in training at the Defense Language Institute and Summer is working as an administrative assistant. Lucy runs around and cuddles with people. She slept with me the first night. She's the sweetest, cuddliest dog in the history of dogs.



I went for a run on Thursday morning, for the first time in 3 weeks. I thought it would be torture, but my body said "Welcome back, Tiffers. I've been waiting for you." I don't know the area well, so I just started running and hoped I would be able to find my way back. I made it nearly 3 miles and it felt wonderful.

Since both Summer and Rich work full time, I am on my own to explore and have fun during the day. Rich kindly helped me secure a bus pass and though it took me a day or two, I've figured out the transit system here. On Friday, I rode into downtown and had an hour before my transfer, so I walked around for a little while. Monterey is a quaint little town and I was especially delighted to find a used bookstore. I spent most of my time in there and bought an old book on Peru. I will soon be up to date on Peruvian history, at least up to the year 1965. I'm such a sucker for old books with neat covers though.



I also walked along fisherman's wharf for a bit, until it was time to catch my transfer to Big Sur.



I hiked a little around Big Sur, but wasn't really apparel prepared. I plan to go back a few days next week, when I'm better prepared, so I can get in some nice hikes. I walked two miles down to Pfeiffer Beach and sat on the sand for awhile. I don't necessarily like sand, as I have tactile issues with it and I don't like getting into the water, but the sand didn't seem too bad today, so I sat down and relaxed for an hour or so before I needed to get back to the bus stop.





The last thing I'll mention (this blog post doesn't flow very well. I apologize.) is riding motorcycles. Oh dear, it is sure fun. Saturday we took an hour+ ride into San Jose to go to a leather shop. I bought a rad pocket knife with a pearl and dark wood handle. I have been dreaming about this purchase for a year now, and it feels so wonderful to have it sitting in my back pocket right now. I rode on the back of Kevin's bike, a Victory, and it's really nice, but it doesn't have a back rest, so I am pretty sore. This morning, I went to breakfast with Nick, who rides a bullet bike (I don't know what kind) and he got to 115 mph on the freeway and he hit 100 mph going through the tunnel in downtown. It was terrifying and exhilarating and as much as I shouldn't want to... I want to do it again.

2nd to last day in Peru = Sad

I am glad you guys are reading my blog. I am sorry I am not posting anymore. Here is what happened...

(squiggly lines, squiggly lines, suiggly lines swirling and focusing into a scene)

I posted once and it took me so long to get even one post done. And then I checked a few days later to write the second post and only becca had commented, so I gave up. It is too hard. I want to spend every second here having fun. So I figure what I will do is this: I am going to type up my journal when I get home for personal reasons and because I have to turn it in to my professor. So I am thinking everyone who is interested and does not speak to me on a regular basis can hear about my adventures in Peru, day by day, while I am actually in California. Sounds fantastic, right?

While I wait for my amigas to get done, I will write a little bit, because I am too exhausted to wander on my own for a bit. My legs hurt. We got into Cusco on Saturday and it is suprisingly large. We met our host family and they are wonderful and loving and talented. The program for the University started on Sunday and we met Jesus who runs the Amigos Spanish School. He is fantastic and sassy and likes to share his sexual encounter stories with me for some reason. We started lessons on Monday and I had the most wonderful class ever. I learned quite a bit from Jossie, but we spent pretty much the entire time laughing. She even took us out for Cuy (Guinea Pig). It was muy rico and very hard to cut, so I did not eat too much, but I have some wonderful pictures for later. They bring the cuy out full. Teeth, hands, feet and all.

Archaeological wise, I have been to see Machu Picchu, Tambomachay, Pukapukara, Qengo, Saqsayhuaman (pronounced Sexy Woman), Pisac, and Moray. They were all breathtaking. The most profound experience of the trip was stepping off the train in Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes). I nearly cried when I saw the mountains soaring above me and the fog setting in all around us. It was... astounding.

We went out a lot too. They have a fun discoteca in the Plaza de Arms and we have gone salsa dancing a few times. I really am sad to leave.

My time is up on the computer. Love you guys. See you in a few days.

First off, here are pictures of our hotel room and restaurant/bar downstairs






I don´t have any pictures today, but I didn´t think I would be coming to an internet cafe. There are a lot of fun stories to tell, but they will probably only be told to some people in person, so my mom doesn´t have a heart attack :)

Seriously though...

We took the mirabus yesterday on a tour throughout Lima. It was amazing to see the entire city. We are staying in Mira Flores, which is a little out of the way, so we hadn´t ventured into the Plaza Mayor (I think that is what it is called) yet. We stopped at the Cathedral of San Francisco and got to tour the catacombs underneath. The paintings and woodwork are truly breathtaking. When we got back on the bus to head back, I met the first man I am going to bring home. His name is Rafael and he is Brazilian and gorgeous. My friends and I met he and his friends at a bar and went dancing.

Oops.. gotta go. I will post pictures from the tour and of Rafael whenever I get on here next.

Peru- Day One

I made it! I can not believe that I am actually here! 3 plane rides down, 5 to go over the next couple of weeks. The flight wasn´t too bad. I was a little worried about the ride from Atlanta to Lima, but they had lots of food and "New Release" movies to watch, so I was set. When we landed, we had a ride arranged through Katie, one of the girls I was traveling with. They are, by far, the scariest drivers I have ever encountered. There aren´t so many rules that need to be followed. People honk a lot and that is their way of saying "Get out of my way, because I am getting into your lane wether you like it or not". There were a few times where we literally drove between two lanes, squeezing in between cars on either side.

The food here is amazing and for some reason, we´ve taken ALOT of pictures of our meals and drinks.







We are staying in the suite at the Bella Vista hotel in Mira Flores and it is the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in, and for only $40 a night. I will try to upload some pictures later. The only problem is, our balcony shares a glass wall with the gym that is downstairs. So, we are woken up every morning around 6 when the cycling class starts and they blast the music. They have a really nice outdoor cafe/bar downstairs as well.

The first day we got ready and started walking towards the big mall that is on the beach. We stopped constantly to shop in the little stores along the streets. They have tons of shoe stores around and I am still contemplating a really cute pair. We stopped for drink at Mezze, a really cute restaurant with even cuter waiters. There are some very good looking men down here and they are all very nice. I might have to bring one back with me. Anyhoo, we finally made it to the beach and mall around 6 at night, meaning it took us 6 hours to make a 10 minute walk to the beach. They have some great stores at the mall and it is set right against the beach. We plan to spend a whole day at the beach tomorrow or the next day, but we got some nice pictures of it.

There is so much more to tell and pictures to show, but we really want to get out of here and start our day. This computer is really slow at uploading pictures, so I got as many in as I could. I will upload more soon. Today we are going in to downtown Lima to see the Cathedral, catacombs, etc. Talk to all of you soon!

The Master of the Universe

I presented my Master's thesis this week and I don't think I have been so nervous in my entire life. I am such a procrastinator, and every semester, every new project, I think, I am going to get started early this time and finish well in advance. Yeeeeah, right. I did everything last minute, which isn't to say I didn't work hard. I would guess I put in at least 50 hours worth of work, but it was 50 hours within a two week time span instead of four. And then I had two weeks where I had nothing to do but wait, because my committee needed to look over my materials. I planned to write out what I wanted to say word for word, podcast it and listen to every day. And I did. But I did it two days before my presentation. So, naturally my heart was pounding come Tuesday. I got to the U an hour and a half before my presentation and sat in the student lounge rehearsing my lines. (My presentation had to be at least an hour long). I felt confident with the material, but was terrified I would forget what I wanted to say and have to look at my notes. I took 15 kava pills within a 2 hour time span before the presentation and they always work, but not today. So, I ended up taking a quarter of a xanax 30 minutes before my presentation.

All went well. I didn't need to look at my notes and I felt a rush of emotions when after being ushered out so my committee could discuss, John opened the door and reached out his hand with a smile on his face and said "Congratulations!". It felt so wonderful. I woke up on Wednesday morning with the most wonderful feeling. Nothing. I had nothing to worry about that day. Nothing that had to get done. Freedom. And now, my room is finally clean-ish. I have too much and need to go through everything and just get rid of a lot of it. I've also spent a bit of time at school getting stuff ready for next school year.

I leave for Peru on July 6. I am beyond excited. Ecstatic maybe? Visiting Macchu Picchu has been on my top 3 list since I was 17 years old. I just hope I can soak everything up. I am not nervous or scared, only that I might forget to see something. After Peru, a trip to Vegas with the gals. And then Monterey, California to hang out with Summer and Rich until I absolutely have to be back.

I sound falsely upbeat, like maybe I am trying to hard to be happy. But I'm pretty sure I'm sincerely this happy right now. Either that, or I am such a good liar, I have even tricked myself.

Happy International Moment of Laughter Day

I use Mystery Motivators with my kids as an independent group contingency reinforcement system. Essentially, they get the chance to earn 5 stars throughout the day by following class rules. If they earn all 5, they get a Mystery Motivator at the end of the day. At some point in the year, the kids got pretty bored of my 10 recycled activities (free time, shaving cream, play dough, bubbles, movie, etc.). I stumbled on a National Holiday website that, as the name would imply, lists the national holidays from day to day. I have started incorporating them into my Mystery Motivators. For example, March 10 was national "Learn what your name means day". Everyone who earned all their stars sat around my computer and we looked up the meaning of their names and read them aloud to the class. The kids loved it! I printed it out for them to take home as well.

Now I have the habit of checking http://www.holidays.net/dailys.htm#LastWeek on a weekly basis to see what holidays are coming up. Today is International Moment of Laughter Day. It is also

Anniversary - President Lincoln's Assassination
Dia De Las Alericas (Honduras)
Children With Alopecia Day
Pan-American Day

So, in honor of laughter, here are some of the things I find hilarious:



JohnJay and Rich. The premise of this segment is not funny, but they say some hilarious things. I listen to them every morning and listen to their podcasts at least once a day. They may be the funniest people on the planet.



Flight of the Conchords



Jim Gaffigan. Hot pockets...