| Up In the Air |
[Feb. 8th, 2010|01:18 am] |
This was an excellent movie, and I can see why it was nominated for so many academy awards. I'm very glad I saw it, and I recommend it to everyone, especially those of us who are "thirty-somethings".
S-A-T-9:
3,2,2,1 = 8 |
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| Another Birthday Come and Gone |
[Jan. 16th, 2010|02:05 pm] |
Well, yesterday, the 15th was my birthday, and now I'm officially 34 years old.
"I'm older than I once was, but I'm younger than I'll be. That's not unusual." -Paul Simon
It was a boring day, as I spent most of it alone at home, but I did get taken out for dinner by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) mexwerewolf to a fondue restaurant here (no Melting Pot, but good nonetheless) and it was fun and we had a good time. On Sunday we will have a lunch party at my favorite restaurant with his family. We will get a cake from OK Pastelería (they have this triple chocolate cake that I absolutely adore) and that will be fun, too.
Thanks to all who wished me well - I appreciate it! :3 |
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| In KC |
[Dec. 29th, 2009|02:47 pm] |
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I'm now in KC staying with my "second family", Gecko's family. It's wonderful to be home. :) If people want to get together drop me a line and let me know. I don't know what my transportation situation will be, though. I'll be here until the 2nd. |
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| In Madison |
[Dec. 19th, 2009|08:27 pm] |
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So far I'm having a wonderful time in Madison with my old friends. We've been hanging out and playing games, and tonight we're seeing Avatar. :) YAY SOCIAL INTERACTION!!!!!!! |
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| Tomorrow Startss My Holiday Vacation |
[Dec. 17th, 2009|10:31 pm] |
Tomorrow I will fly from Guadalajara to Chicago to start my holiday vacation. I'm very excited, but today was a very stressful day getting ready to go. One of the main reasons is because in the last few days I lost both my ATM card and my debit card that go to my bank account in the U.S. in various cash machines. This caused a lot of phone calls, running around, moving money, borrowing it from other people and sending it back via PayPal, etc.
First stop - Madison, Wisconsin to see friends whom I haven't seen in quite some time. I haven't even been back to Madison since I moved away from there. I still can't decide whether or not to drive by my old house. I wonder if someone is living there.
Next stop - My parents' place in northwestern Illinois in the middle of nowhere for the Christmas holiday. No, they didn't want to be at their place in Chicago, so consequently there will be nothing to do. Thank god mexwerewolf agreed to join me so I can attempt to keep some form of sanity. Even though I feel like visiting for the holiday when my sister and her family won't be there is a waste (it's not much of a family gathering with just me and my parents), I also feel that I'll probably be more comfortable while I'm there without them. Being the black sheep of the family, I learned quite some time ago that It's not good for me to be there without a friend with me. I need someone I can relate to.
Last stop - Kansas City to see my 2nd family, whom I'm really close to, and my friends. It's always good to see them. I will get a feeling of family, social interaction (which I am deprived of) and we will celebrate the new year. Also, while I'm here, I'll be able to get new bank cards!
I return home on the 2nd, get to relax on the 3rd, and then it is back to life as usual on Monday the 4th... |
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| FA? |
[Dec. 1st, 2009|03:22 pm] |
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Does anyone know if FA is down? I can't seem to bring it up in my browser... |
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| Why Can't I Have Both? |
[Nov. 23rd, 2009|01:32 am] |
There are a lot of things I miss about living in Kansas City - OK, not really "things" but people. I had a few wonderful, close friends (who are still wonderful friends, but just at a great distance) a number of acquaintences (some of whom I thought were friends, but it turns out were just acquaintences), and great roommates. I even had a family that I fit in with - sisters, brothers, and a mother (a very occasional father too, even). (They still feel like family to me, but again, at a great distance.)
There are lots of things I DON'T miss about living in the U.S. - the cost is too great and it is impossible to save any money to do things I want to do, like travel. I don't really need to list the individual costs of everything, but It was hard enough to live there making twice the amount of money I do now, so it would be virtually impossible to live there making what I currently make.
I love living in Mexico - I like being surrounded by Spanish (though I don't practice like I should) and I love the job that I have. It is ideal for me. The climate is perfect, the people are good, I can easily take a quick vacation to the beach, and I can save money for more extensive trips, such as going to Europe next summer.
What I don't have is people. I have one friend. That friend works about 80 hours per week. I'm lucky if we get to hang out for 8 hours each week - 4 on Saturday, and 4 on Sunday. I have maybe 2 acquaintences that I don't really have anything in common with. There isn't anyone to play games with, and the furry group here is all 18-22 years old or so. They all live with their parents and it just doesn't work for me. They're a little different than the furs I'm used to. It's the culture, I guess. People my age don't do anything because they are all married and have children. Plus, I don't know how to meet anyone.
So, I either get a job I love, and can be financially strong, or I can have friends, a job I hate (if I'm lucky enough to find one) and a life of financial hardship. I can have the ability to travel, which is my dream, or I can give it up just to have friends close to me.
Why can't I have both at the same time? Can't I recruit any of you who might be reading this to come and live in Guadalajara with me? It really is a great place! The only job I know of that you can get (unless you're fluent in Spanish) is teaching English, and I think it's fun. Can't I at least get any of you to come and visit? |
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| Unbelievable! |
[Nov. 20th, 2009|01:47 pm] |
I just learned from one of my students from St. Petersburg Russia that a Big Mac meal at their McDonald's costs the equivalent of $12 USD. WOW! I can't even IMAGINE that! But, he says, Russia is an expensive country to live in, and food is one of the most expensive things. From students living in Moscow, I have heard that a tiny 1 bedroom condo in Moscow costs the equivalent of over $750,000 USD!
I like living in Mexico where everything is cheap! :) |
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| Americans are SO Ignorant! |
[Nov. 16th, 2009|01:42 pm] |
It irks me to NO END how ignorant Americans are! At least President Obama isn't as ignorant as the people commenting in this article.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091116/pl_afp/japanusdiplomacyasiaobama
OF COURSE he should bow to the Emperor of Japan. That is how Japanese greet each other - they bow! "When in Rome..."
Hello, America! There's a whole world of different cultures out there that are JUST AS VALID as the U.S.
Notice how the people complaining are conservative Republicans! They are such arrogant, ignorant, assholes! They actually think that by bowing Obama was defering to them.
*rants* |
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| Pseudoephederine Hydrochloride |
[Nov. 12th, 2009|03:41 pm] |
(Known in the U.S. as Sudafed - I mean the real stuff, not the fake stuff they have in front of the counter)
You know, just because some idiots use this nasal decongestion wonder drug to make crystal meth doesn't mean it should be taken away from the rest of us - especially when we need it!!! :( It has been banned in Mexico. At least in the U.S. you could still get it with ID and a signature. I'll have to see if I can get some when I'm in the U.S. next.
Well, I got some stuff that says it works for nasal decongestion, headache, and runny nose (which I have) cough, and fever (which I don't have). It also says it works for "cuerpo cortado" which translates to "cut body" but I don't see how that makes any sense. The lady at the pharmacy said it shouldn't make me tired because it says "active" on it and they also have one for nighttime. *goes to Wikipedia to look up the drug names listed on the back*
Ok, so it's paracetamol (another name for acetomenaphin which is Tylenol), Phenylephrine which according to Wikipedia says that recent studies say it is no more effective than a placebo as a nasal decongestant, Dextromethorphan which is a cough suppressant (I don't have a cough), and chlorpheniramine which is an antihistamine (for allergies, which I don't have). This pill with these drugs may help a little, but it is nothing compared to real pseudoephederine hydrochloride.
So again, why do just a few idiots have to ruin it for the rest of us??? GRRRRR!!! |
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| FURRY MOVIE |
[Nov. 8th, 2009|05:36 pm] |
If this isn't a furry movie, I don't know what is!!!
And look at the cast!
Fantastic Mr. Fox
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| 9's |
[Oct. 31st, 2009|11:33 pm] |
I finally saw the 9 movie - Tim Burton. I enjoyed it, though it was simple. I think the best part of it was the technical and animation. Also, Danny Elfman kicked ass on the music as always! :) The cast was also pretty impressive.
S = 2, A = 2, T = 3 +1 = 8
Last week I saw District 9 - It finally came to Mexico! It was very interesting. The best part about it for me was that humans were the bad guys! I think it is one of those you either love it or you hate it kind of movies. I liked it a lot. I don't know about "love" though...
S = 3, A = 2, T = 2 +1 = 8 |
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| Movie: "The Soloist" |
[Oct. 20th, 2009|05:45 pm] |
I liked this movie, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. It was different than I expected, mainly because for me, the trailers gave nothing away about his mental illness. The thing that intrigued me about the movie was the same thing that intrigued the reporter in the movie - how could this guy end up going from Juliard to the streets? I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't yet seen it and want to. I would still recommend it, but I only give it an SAT-9 score of 7 out of 10 (no extra point).
For those of you who don't know the SAT-9 scale of rating movies invented by my best friend John Sams from Wisconsin, it goes like this:
S = story, A = Acting, T = Technical. A posibility of 3 points for each category making the total come to a posible 9 points. The extra point is something you either give a movie or not based on your own opinions and anything not covered, and its entertainment value.
So, for this movie,
S = 2 (nothing special but it didn't suck)
A = 2 (nothing special but it didn't suck)
T = 3 (Very interesting choices made here that I think were beneficial.)
I didn't give it the extra point because I didn't feel it quite really deserved it. All it all, it was nothing special, and not as entertaining as I had hoped. |
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| Random Thoughts? |
[Sep. 30th, 2009|01:41 am] |
As I sit here with insomnia (as was predicted, and I even took my Benadryl) I feel the need to post some random thoughts. For those of you who are not interested, sorry there's no cut, but I just can't remember how to do it, because I so rarely have the need to use it.
1. I had a dream about my ex-wife last night. I haven't spoken to her or heard from her in quite some time.
2. I will never be able to move back to the U.S. and be self-employed as I am due to not being able to get any of my regular maintenance medications. If I were to move back, I would have to give up online teaching and get a job at a company that offered health insurance. Interesting thing - According to one of my students from Russia, who is a doctor, you don't need prescriptions in Russia to get most drugs, just like here in Mexico. You go to the pharmacy and ask for what you need. Also like in Mexico, drugs are cheap. She said that Russia was going to try to impliment a law regarding perscriptions like the U.S. has but it didn't go because then sales would plummet. I think that is the main reason drugs are so expensive in the U.S. that we can't afford them without insurance - because of the prescription law. If people didn't need perscriptionis, sales would skyrocket allowing pharmacutical companies to sell them to make at prices affordable for consumers.
The approximate cost of my drugs per month in the U.S. = $800 USD
The approximate cost of my drugs per month in Mexico = $80 USD
The approximate cost of my drugs per month in the U.S. WITH insurance = $100 USD (This does NOT include the cost of the insurance.)
Anyone else see a problem here?
3. I am happy in my job, but unhappy in my social life. In the U.S. I was unhappy in my job and happy (for the most part) in my social life. I don't know where I can go to have both. Or, I don't know how to meet people, so wherever I go I will be alone unless I go back to Kansas City. If I do that, I have to give up my job and my company. (See number 1.) Yeah, yeah, go places, meet people, get a hobby, whatever. Going to bars and sitting by myself or going to clubs and standing by myself, going to the movies by myself, or going to sit at Starbucks by myself does not help me to meet people or make friends. Trying to meet people online doesn't help either. So, I don't know what to do. The one person I did meet doesn't do much of anything... Its kind of weird in Mexico - its like people don't have friends - they just have the people they work or worked with or went to school with. They only see each other at special occasions, like weddings, huge-ass birthday parties (were a bunch of people you don't know sit around at tables and talk) and baptisms of their children. Other than that, they just spend time with their families or at work. Then why do we see them out and about? They are couples or families or college age kids. Apparently single 30-somethings are out of luck. They live with their families anyway. Heaven forbid anyone move out and be independent!
4. I realized recently that the main thing I have always been missing in my life is a family. I've never really had one. Now, I don't mean the 2-parents-2.5-kids-and-a-dog kind of family. For instance, even as a child I had little to no sense of family. I had a sister who was 6 years older. She moved out when I was about 12. When we lived together we ignored each other or fought. My parents were at work, and when I became a teenager, I started doing my own things. There was never any real connection. Not for me, anyway. I mean, we went on family vacations - mostly to visit grandparents who lived far away - and we had a few things we did. The truth is, I don't remember a lot from my early childhood. I don't remember a lot from before high school. I guess that is also one of the reasons I feel so detached from my immediate family.
The family I'm talking about I had a taste of in KC when BladeStone and RJ and I lived together. We were like family. It worked. However, it wasn't exact as someone never left his room except to go to work when he had a job. I'm in need of about 4-5 family members, close to me in age (furries preferred) to all live together in a house (my cats included). We would have very close relationships and do things together and be a part of each others' lives. (A pride of lions comes to mind - without the cubs, of course...) This would be no "furry-flop-house" either - no couch surfing allowed. This is a group of responsible adults each paying their share, working hard and sharing thier lives. We would live similarly to the way my 4 cats do - I mean the way they see each other as family.
Am I the only one who thinks this way and has the need or desire for this type of family?
Well, I think those are all the thoughts I have been having lately. At least the ones I can remember at 2:20 a.m. DAMN INSOMNIA! *sigh* I might have to find a stronger sleep aid than Benadryl. |
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| MFM Con Report |
[Sep. 11th, 2009|09:25 pm] |
OK, so I'm a little later than usual in writing this, but its been a while since I've been able to go to a con, so I'm out of practice. MFM, being my favorite con will be the only con I think I will continue to go to, and with the new location next year, it will be a good pick!
Thursday:
mexwerewolf and I drove from KC to Memphis with a stop in St. Louis. (We flew from Guadalajara to KC to spend time with friends before the con, we had a rental car, and we flew back to Guadalajara from Memphis.)
That night we got fast food for dinner, met up with a few people and caught a game of Werewolf in the game room.
Friday:
I don't think I slept in. I needed to get a tail so I got down to the Dealer's Den early enough to pay for dook's table in exchange for a comissioned badge. I found the tail, but it needed to be made since I had to order calico colors. It was supposed to be done by the next morning. Opening ceremonies were as expected. It was great to be with someone who had never been to a "real" con before. :) I spent more time in the game room, and then came the highlight of the night - FROZEN OASIS! I had been looking forward to this for a while. I got kissed by a REALLY CUTE GIRL! :D It was the first girl-kiss I'd had in a LONG TIME, and boy have I missed it! I was one of the few who stayed and went to the "Hangover Breakfast" at IHOP with the F.O. crew. I was quite tired.
Saturday:
I slept until at least noon (which was only about 5 hours of sleep) and then went to check on my tail. It wasn't done and wouldn't be done until Sunday because my tail-maker's car was broken into. (If any of you saw police in the parking lot, that was why. (Thank God - Tyger Cowboy - for the new location next year). I spent most of the day in the game room, with trips to the con suite for food. They did pretty well this year, by the way. I liked the rubber duckies. What did I do Saturnday night? I ordered pizza for dinner because I was playing games. Then Werewolf started, and I think I played Werewolf for quite some time in the game room. Did I ever leave the game room you might ask? Very seldom.
RANDOM MUSINGS BETWEEN DAYS
I'm so game-deprived, see, because here in Guadalajara, I don't have anyone to play with - not even cards. mexwerewolf is always at work, and he's not a gamer anyway. I know one other person, and he's not a gamer either. I've been trying to get in with the furry community here, but they are all so young compared to me (average age is 18) and I keep missing events (there are very few). That reminds me - the average age at the con seemed much higher than I'm used to. I thought that was cool because I didn't feel so OLD! I don't know if it was MFM or just because I'm so used to hanging out with younger furs. The average age at ConFurtiva was probably 21, and that's because mexwerewolf and I raised it so much. :P Without us, it probably would have been about 19.
NOW BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED CON REPORT
Sunday:
I got up at a somewhat reasonable hour. I got food in the con suite and then headed to see if my tail was ready. FINALLY! I HAD A TAIL!!! Then it was off to the game room until closing ceremonies. All I have to say about that is: "T.C. WILL be HUNTED DOWN next year!!!!" Yes, he had me going! GRRRRR For those of you who weren't there, you will have to ask about what he did to us all - I'm not going to write it here. After the closing ceremonies, it was time for dinner. After some organization a number of us went (including dook, khyle, mexwerewolf, jaspian, thegreenarcher) to a Mexican (like I need that) restaurant called Olé or something with Olé in the name. The food was edible, though not Mexican. It was decent for "TexMex". The service, however, was something else entirely. Let's just say that many of us missed some con activities we had been hoping to go to, and if those kids want to learn the meaning of the word "tip" they'll have to try a lot harder. After we finally got back from dinner (though it was nice to chat with people there that I don't get to see often) I hung out with jaspian as he was cleaning up after FO and beginning to pack. He wanted to go to the party that evilrat was having in order to see rozberk but, by the time we got there, it was pretty much over, so he got his drink and we went to play Werewolf. I even got to moderate a game! I had never done that before. After this was over, I said goodbye to the gamers and the werewolf crowd adn went to bed.
Monday:
Woke up early, packed, said goodbyes, got pics and left.
It was a successful and enjoyable con. |
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| Back at MFM!!!!!!! |
[Sep. 4th, 2009|08:43 pm] |
YAY!!! I'm back! I wish I hadn't had to miss last year's con, but this year's has been great so far. Its good to see old friends and to meet new ones.
You can find me in the game room most of the time. :) |
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| DAMN INTERNET!!! |
[Aug. 27th, 2009|12:59 pm] |
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Can anyone tell me WHY my internet connection keeps doing that thing where the computer thinks its connected, but the modem and router need to be turned off and turned back on? I will be in the middle of using the internet (most likely teaching) and my connection will suddenly stop, and in order to get connected again, I have to reset the modem and router. I HATE THAT! |
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| MOVIE - "What Happened Yesterday?" |
[Aug. 26th, 2009|12:02 am] |
This movie is GREAT! Now, I hadn't wanted to see it after trailers, etc, thinking it would be another Dumb and Dumber, Dude Where's my Car? or American Pie. However, I was quite pleasantly surprised. It is a movie that has gotten around by word of mouth because people said to go see it, its MUCH better than you think.
So, those of you, like me, who thought it would be stupid, GO SEE IT!!!! It's HILARIOUS!!!
Brief synopis - no spoilers (I promise)
4 guys in Vegas for a Bachelor Party - they wake up with NO MEMORY of what had happened the night before. In their hotel room is a chicken, a smoldering chair, and a BIG MESS!!! One of them is missing a tooth, one has a hospital band on his wrist, and the hotel valet brings them a police car. Oh, and did I mention there is a TIGER in the bathroom? BUT, the biggest problem is that ONE OF THEM IS MISSING!!! They have to put clues together to find their friend and figure out what happened.
This is a MUST SEE! :) |
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| Visiting KC |
[Aug. 22nd, 2009|11:47 pm] |
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For anyone in KC who wants to see me, I will be there from the 29th - the 2nd. After that its off to MFM! |
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