Feliz navidad de Mexico

My busy schedule of sleeping and eating has prevented me from writing for a while. Sorry about that! I'm waiting for Christmas dinner and I thought I'd write a little something. I am currently in La Paz and it is quite nice. Not too hot, not too cold. Some tourists but not too many. And I am armed with my two "must haves" for Mexico: Pepto tablets and Dramamine. Those are my secrets to happiness. Time to be social. Happy holidays!

Update while I procrastinate

Well, folks, it's that time again... my favorite time of the quarter: exam time! Last exam period, I procrastinated and I worried and I mentally prepared myself for potential failure. Then I got my grades back and they were actually pretty good. :) This time, I'm doing the same song and dance but I worry that the same outcome is not in my future. We shall see.

In the meantime, a quick update on my life. Last weekend I went to prom. That's right... prom! Long time readers know that I went to my first prom last year. This year's prom was another first because it was a school prom. Last year's prom was a classy work prom with a little bit of liquor and people who were trying to behave. This year's prom was a business school prom with a lot of free liquor and a lot of craziness. Both were quite fun but for completely different reasons. All I can say is, yay for prom! I'm totally going again next year.

Additionally, I am heading off to Mexico again. This time I'm going to La Paz on the Baja with the fam. New place, same faces.* I'll be there from December 20 - January 1. Should be good times.

And now it's time to get to work. Wish me luck!

*Previous Mexico visits with the fam: Guanajuato, Tulum, Zihuatanejo, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta
This year's attendees: my immediate family, my grandparents, my uncle, my cousin.

Who says I can't reuse posts?

I am on Skype chatting about relationships with lovely Laura from Mexico. I just forwarded her a post from this very blog. It is so good that I am going to do something that may not be so kosher in blog land... I am reposting!

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Right before I moved to Mexico in September of 2002 I was e-mailing some guy I met through Spring Street Network. He asked me if i was going to hook up with men the second I got to Mexico. Here's an edited version of what I wrote:

From: Elise
Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2002 1:14 PM
To: Eric
Subject: On dating...

Eric,

...As for me 'hooking up as soon as [I] get to Mexico,' are you asking if I'm going to find me some men immediately? The answer is no. First off, that's not what I do; I'm not a woman on the prowl. Second, I'm not trying to add to the stereotype that American women are easy.

I'm not pressed at all and rarely feel the need to have a guy in my life. Sure, I want one but I want the right one. At the end of Say Anything, Ione Skye tells John Cusack that she needs him. Cusack responds, "Tell me something... Do you just need someone or do you need me?" I don't want someone to be seeing me just because he has a fear of being alone and I don't want to be seeing someone just so that I can say that I'm seeing someone. It seems like a waste of time to me. I'm not a serial dater. I'm patiently meeting people and waiting until someone interests me...

~Elise
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Interesting how my view of relationships hasn't changed in four years.

How to pick a mate

Since my blog seems to have turned into a relationship blog without a relationship, why not continue? Here's one reason to read Dodging Biscuits Sounds Awesome on Aventuras en Mexico:
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Why Marry, Anyhow?

"Psychiatrists agree that except in exceptional cases women who live alone will become neurotic and frustrated."
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Believe it or not, they only get better. Un. friggin'. believable.

The name game

Though I can't remember how it happened, last Thursday, my uncle and I got into a conversation about my blog. It went something like this (and I am embellishing a little):

Elise's uncle: "Ramblings of a girl with nowhere to go but up." That implies you're at the bottom, but you're not really.
Elise: Yeah, well, I made up the title in July of 2003 when I had just come back to DC from Mexico. I had no job, no money, no friends in DC, and I had just left a guy I really cared about.
Elise's uncle: So, don't you think you should change the name?
Elise: But I really like that title...

Things have changed a lot since I started this blog. Since then, I've had two jobs, made some money, connected with dozens of wonderful people in DC, gotten over that guy in Mexico, and started business school. My uncle's suggestion is a good one. So, from now on my tag line will be, "Ramblings of a girl who's moving on up." That's more fitting, right?

Final thoughts from my European tour

I started writing this post on August 11 and then got crazy busy. Even though I never got to finish telling you about my fabulous Swiss and Italian experiences, I feel I should bring some closure to this topic. So, real quick, here are my highlights and lessons learned (If you are viewing this post alone, click here to see the accompanying photos. Those who have visited my main site can just scroll down.).

Switzerland

• Nothing beats hanging out with a group of Swiss people at a traditional Swiss farm on Swiss National Day (August 1).
• I swam in the Aare River and didn't drown!
• Fabi has the greatest apartment I've ever seen.
• Who knew that glaciers could be so cool, and not so cold temperature wise, in the summer?

Italy

• Cinque Terre is beautiful and some of the five towns that comprise Cinque Terre look like Guanajuato.*
• I got to see Tuscany!!! To relive the experience, I watched Stealing Beauty a few weeks ago.
• Verona is a whole lot bigger than I was expecting but fully worth the visit. Especially worth visiting because Fabi and I met a wonderful globe-spanning trio (a girl from Verona, a guy from South Africa, and a guy from... Mexico!) and had an awesome dinner of pizza and salad to honor my grandmother (some of the money that I used for my trip came from her).

Lessons Learned

• Swiss people are quite good looking... maybe even too good looking.
• Fanny packs and acid wash jeans are making a comeback. Noooooo!!!
• Touching things in Italy could get you killed.**

My European tour was amazing. Practically everyday was perfect and the few things that got us down a bit didn't keep us down for long. I am so glad that I got to visit Lana and Fabi in their home countries. I am so glad that I got to see another part of the world. Now I just have to find a job that will let me take trips like this one more often. :)

*Guanajuato is the town I lived in when I was in Mexico in 2002-2003.
**I touched a bed because I wanted to check for bed bugs at one hotel and the lady told me not to touch. I didn't understand her so I didn't stop and then she yelled at me. A day later, I was touching fruit in a market to find the best one. This is very normal in the U.S. but in Italy it results in looks of death. Luckily, Fabi was there to keep me in line.

24 hours in Switzerland

I have been in Switzerland for about a day now but I have yet to do any sightseeing. Instead, I have been hanging out with Fabi* in Bern. Last night we went to a birthday party and spoke almost entirely in Spanish. Who knew I would be in Switzerland speaking Spanish? The birthday girl was Peruvian and the guests were either from Latin American countries or were Swiss people who had lived in Spanish-speaking countries. It was great! Afterwards, we went out with Fabi's boyfriend and another friend and talked until 3 in the morning.

Today we have yet to leave Fabi's apartment even though it is nearly 4 pm. Really, I don't mind at all because the weather is not great and Fabi has the coolest apartment I have ever seen. It used to be a dormitory for a group of nurses but Fabi has made it into a 2 bedroom apartment complete with a hammock in the center of the living room. This morning a group of Swiss guys and Fabi's brother came over and we had a Swiss brunch. It was great!

Before I travel I always worry that my trip will never meet up to my expectations. I start to wonder if I really like traveling or just the idea of traveling. Well, I tell you now, I LOVE TRAVELING. Sure, sometimes it can be a drag but, with the right attitude, even a rainy day in Bern can be wonderful.


*I met Fabienne, who is from Bern, while I was living in Mexico. This is the first time we have seen each other in three years but it is like no time has passed. The sign of a great friendship, I think!

Has it been a week already?

I guess time flies when you are freaking out. Seriously, though, Mexico has had a crazy effect on me. I can't seem to think straight and everything feels weird. Last night, I said to my stepmom, "I can't believe I lived here." Her response was something to the effect of, "We can't believe it either." How did I survive in a place that's so different? How did I survive in a place with so many scary-looking scorpions? It is blowing my mind. Of course, the restless sleep might also be causing the mind blowing.

Regardless, I suppose I am glad I came. My friends here are wonderful people. Even though it's been three years since I lived here, it feels like I've only been gone a week. It just goes to show that good people are good people no matter where they are from.

And now, maybe I'll do the work I am supposed to be doing for business school. Arghhhh. Ta ta for now.

Hola de Mexico

I get to Mexico, enter an Internet cafe, and type in the wrong address for my blog. Brilliant. I got it after some thinking but it just goes to show that my brain has completely turned off. Perhaps getting some sleep might help. I am out for now but I will write if anything exciting happens.

¡Viva Mexico!

Tough stuff

Sorry I've been incomunicado (or however you write that... I'm too tired to look it up). Planning for the future and preparing for two trips is tough stuff. I didn't make it to We Are Scientists tonight because my to-do list is still not completed and my packing for Thursday's trip to Mexico has hardly begun. Probably better off not going to the show anyway since these torrential (sp?) rains are causing serious havoc in the DC area. I heard a rumor that Georgetown might be flooded on Wednesday. A little part of me hopes it does flood just so that I can work from home and take packing breaks.

Bedtime!

Gift giving...

As I've been planning for my trips to Mexico and parts of Europe, I've been trying to think of gifts to bring my friends, particularly my Swiss host. What can one give that is "American" and not found in other countries? I certainly can't bring a Swiss person Hershey's chocolate and most other American things can be bought anywhere. So, if anyone can help me out with some ideas, I'd really appreciate it.

Triumph at the opening of Star Wars: Episode 2

Since everyone enjoyed the Ali G interview so much, I thought I'd also share this. While not as funny as Ali G interviewing Posh and Beckham, this Triumph the Insult Comic Dog* segment is definitely worth watching. I enjoy Star Wars movies (the old ones, at least) but these people are out of control.

If the video below doesn't work for you, try this.



*Triumph the Insult Comic Dog does (did?) "reporting" for Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

6.15.06 Note: I just watched this video for the first time since 2003, when I saw it in Mexico on someone's laptop. It's definitely not as good as I remembered. Parts of it still make me laugh but I forgot how mean spirited it is. Oh well.

We're falling apart to half time

My upper back is tense and I'm trying not to cry right now. Why does moving have to be so hard? Technically, I don't have to move until August but I'll be gone for a lot of the summer.* By the time I get back, I'll have just three full days until pre-matriculation courses start.** Currently, I have no furniture and no good means of transporting furniture. I've been searching Craigslist, but it's time consuming and everything I like goes quickly. Arghhh!

And now it's time to look on the bright side. I have found a place to live as well as two roommates who seem cool. That's good, right?


* June 28 - July 9 Mexico, July 11 - 14 Missouri (Kansas City, baby! It's for work.), July 19 - August 10 Europe (stop over in London, Croatia, Budapest, Switzerland, Northern Italy)
** This is assuming I go to UVA-Darden (finally feel like doing some naming) and take the pre-mat programs, both of which are likely. As you can imagine, my inability to commit to a school is only adding to my stress.

Jose Cuervo loves you

Tonight I'm staying home in protest* because Cinco de Mayo is the equivalent of a Hallmark holiday for Jose Cuervo and Corona. In Mexico, nobody cares about Cinco de Mayo. There the real party happens on 16 de septiembre, also known as el dia de la independencia. As my friend** says, "It's like the U.S. celebrating Bunker Hill." It was an historic battle but it didn't win us the war. So, put down that crappy tequila and read what today is really about. Here's an excerpt:

On May 5th, 1862, cannons boomed and rifle shots rang out as the French soldiers attacked the two forts. Before the day was over, one fort was in ruins and more than a thousand French soldiers were dead. The Mexicans had won the battle, but not the war. Yet, this date was established as symbolic of the Mexicans' courage against a formidable army.

* Really, I'm just tired and wanted to catch up on some shows I taped this week, but protesting always makes for a better post.
** Was it you, Laura?

Chef Elise

I just cooked chicken for the first time ever! It's not for me to eat (I made it for a friend who just lost his mom) but I'm still very excited.

I've never been much of a cook. In high school, I tried making these yummy Quaker Oatmeal cookies from scratch (there was a recipe on the side of the box) and I forgot the flour both times I made the recipe (In my defense, I figured out the mistake much quicker the second time).* In college, I made lots of burritos (I do make awesome burritos), pasta, and mini pizzas on crackers. When I lived in Mexico, I made lots of tortilla sandwiches (having a fresh produce guy around the corner was awesome). These days, I pretty much subsist off of yogurt, cereal, granola bars, fruit leather, frozen meals (primarily Amy's brand), food that other people cook, and restaurant food.

I've always said that I need to either marry a man who cooks or get rich enough so that I can hire a personal chef. Now that I've gotten to the age (nearly 27!) where get togethers are often dinner parties and potlucks, perhaps my habits will change. At the beginning of February I cooked my first-ever lasagna for my potluck (you may have read about that in my pinata post). Two real meals cooked in two consecutive months. Maybe I will finally learn how to cook!


* For the first time since high school, I made these cookies (Choc-Oat Chip Celebration Cookies) again this January and brought them to work to celebrate the end of my business school applications. People loved them. The day after I brought them, a co-worker stopped by to check if I had anymore (I didn't). Over a month after I made them, another co-worker mentioned how great my cookies were. In a way, that's three real cooking experiences in three consecutive months. Whoa!

V-day

My boyfriend, who loyal readers will know sometimes posts comments as Mr. Trash, told me back in January that he was going to send flowers to my office for Valentine's Day. Understandably, I got mad. After all, that's supposed to be a surprise! Around February 1, I got a huge Valentine's Day card at work from Mr. Trash. Then, yesterday, he sent me an e-Valentine before emailing me all of these excuses for why he was early on Valentine's gifts and wasn't going to be able to do anything on the actual Valentine's day. Again, I got understandably mad.

Skip to this morning, I glance at the clock at 7:21. Nine more minutes to sleep... 7:43 rolls around and I open my eyes. Why didn't my alarm go off? I look at my phone and see that Mr. Trash rang at 7:23 (My cell phone doubles as my alarm clock. Whenever someone calls after I've gone to bed, my alarm doesn't work. Stupid Motorola!). Groggily, I call him back and am asked, "Are you going to be at work on time today? I wanted this to be a surprise, but I don't know if you'll be on time. I want to stop by on my way to the airport." (Mr. Trash had to go to New Mexico for work today.)

Skip to 9:24. I'm at work and Mr. Trash calls. "Meet me outside in 5 minutes." I obediently walk to the curb. My boyfriend steps out of a taxi with a dozen, beautiful pink roses (and some purple flowers and some baby's breath) and an 8x11 inch envelope. I kiss him good-bye and wish him a good flight.

Skip to 11:11. I've been too lazy to follow the flowers' instructions and they're starting to look a little sad. I find someone in the catering department and ask to borrow a knife to cut some stems. Cutting said stems takes longer than expected. When I return to my office, there is a yellow DHL bag on my chair. I open the package and get my first real Valentine's Day surprise: a red gift bag containing chocolates (No trans fat!), a little red teddy bear with a rose, a half dozen red fruit leathers (Mr. Trash knows the way to my heart.), and the Terminator 2 DVD (Nothing says "I love you" like Terminator 2.)!

Now it's 2 something. A co-worker comes in to admire my flowers. "I saw you getting pretty friendly with the flower delivery man," she comments. I blush. "That was my boyfriend." She smiles and says, "I figured." Then I offer her some trans-fat free chocolates and gush over her flowers (She got two bouquets: one from her fiance and one from her dad, who has always come through on V-day.).

For my first ever Valentine's Day while actually dating someone, I have to admit that this one wasn't half bad. Mr. Trash, you done good. There are some things I must remember though. Really, there is just one thing: flowers may look pretty and be fun to get, but man do they smell. Baby's breath, in particular, is quite fragrant. Around 10 a.m., I removed the baby's breath from my flower arrangement and threw it in a trash can by the copier.*


*Two people, upon learning that the little white flowers were mine, told me that they had wondered why the flowers were in the trash. One mused that maybe the person who received the flowers was angry with the sender. Another thought that the receiver must have gotten too many flowers. Rest assured, I am not angry at the sender and I did not receive too many flowers. I got the perfect amount of beautiful flowers. I'm just a girl who is so scent-averse that she does not wear perfume or light scented candles.

50 Ways to Live Large

#33. Buy a one-way ticket* to a country** where you don't speak the language***--and stay until you learn it.

~From the January 2006 Outside magazine^


* I actually bought a round-trip ticket, but my return was 6 months later. Better to buy the ticket while you still have money unless you want to get stuck somewhere.
** Mexico
*** Does "Yo quiero Taco Bell" count?
^ Thanks to the Polar Bear King for bringing this to my attention. Don't ask me why a 12-year-old boy was reading Outside. He's standing next to me watching me type this. He says, "I was bored."

Pleasantly surprised

I've known Max Davies since he was eleven and I was thirteen. Over the years, I've watched Max grow into a fine young man. The last time I saw him, I had just graduated college. Even though I had known Max forever, I don't think I'd heard his music until that summer. While I saw potential in the songs he played for me, I wasn't a big fan of his lyrics; they just didn't sound like him. Now, I'm sure there are plenty of 20-year-olds out there who are making amazing music, but most of them haven't quite figured out who they are yet. I think that knowing who you are, or at least accepting how you are, is instrumental to writing good lyrics.

Fast forward four years. Max sends out an email announcing his first cd. "Of course, I want one," I respond. "I'll even pay!" Once I manage to send him a check, he ships out my cd. With my check, I send him a silly note about how I want to support the arts. With his cd, he sends a touching note of thanks.

Rewind to one hour ago. I put the cd into my computer, praying that it won't be bad. The first song, Emissary for a Future Self, comes on. Not bad. Song after song plays and I am pleasantly surprised. Sometimes I even forget that the unfamiliar voice is Max. He sounds like a mixture of Robert Plant, Jim Morrison, Mike Patton, and Billy Idol. Mmmmmm... Billy Idol. I hate to admit it to myself, but in the immortal words of Paris Hilton, "That's hot." The melodies are catchy, the instruments all mesh together, and I decide that I'll definitely be listening to the album some more. After all, I've been instant messaging with a friend from Mexico so I haven't been able to pay close attention to the lyrics. My cursory listen, however, convinces me that Max, who is now 25, has matured. I am very impressed.

Listen here: Max Davies' Fear in the Backseat
Best songs to listen to: Fear in the Backseat, Doors

P.S. If you have additions to the "Max sounds like..." list, please leave a comment or write me. I feel like there's a singer that Max sounds a lot like, but I can't think of who and it's driving me crazy.

Hi5

Ever heard of Hi5? Well, I hadn't until I received an invite from a Mexican friend. It turns out that Hi5 is an extremely popular social networking service in Mexico. So, while the kids (and adults, if you could call us that) in the United States are frequenting Friendster and MySpace, the kids in Mexico are connecting over Hi5.

But now for the real reason I'm writing this. I looked up my friend Salvador on Hi5. He and I haven't spoken in quite some time, but I will always consider him a good friend. Because I'm not in Salvador's "network" I couldn't view his profile, but I was able to see his location... BALTIMORE, MARYLAND!!!!!!! Is it possible that Salvador is just one hour away from me and I don't even know it? Oh my goodness. I have to find out!

Artscape in all its glory

I was all prepared to write a great post about Artscape, Baltimore's annual arts festival. Esthero's performance was so good that I was actually considering seeing her again at the 9:30 Club on Sunday night. There were multiple booths selling unique clothes and home decor. HP, Haagen-Dazs, and Stoneyfield were all giving away free samples...

Cut to Elise feeling not so great. Even though today's weather was cooler than previous days this week, it was still hot as hell. I thought that maybe the heat was getting to me. At just the right moment, my old New Haven neighbors, who have since relocated to Baltimore, appeared and drove me to their house. After an hour indoors, I was still feeling not so fresh. Just a few minutes later, it was obvious that I was sick.

Despite living in Mexico for ten months and experiencing more than my fair share of food poisoning, I am still not an expert on the illness. I have been sick for about five hours now and I have only recently accepted food poisoning as the cause. Last night before bed, I felt a little funny in my tummy. I thought perhaps it was the sushi dinner I had eaten four hours prior. The funny feeling didn't last long and I went to bed, but maybe I could be sick from a meal I ate nearly a day prior to puking. So the sushi is one possibility. And the other possibility, well, I hate to even mention this. I am such a strong advocate for healthy foods, but I think I might have gotten sick from a free sample of Stoneyfield Yobaby Yogurt. The yogurt was being served out of ice buckets, but I have no idea how the yogurt was handled before making it into the buckets, which were largely filled with water by the time I saw them. If it was the yogurt that made me sick, I sincerely hope that no babies partook in any of the contaminated yogurt (Yup. That's right. I was eating baby food.). Really, though, I don't much care why I am sick; I just want to feel normal again.

The worst part of all this is that I'm not in my own home and I'm not alone. My boyfriend, who has been fabulous through all of this, is with me and has mostly been without me in a house full of strangers. I have been huddling under an old war poncho (You would not believe how comfortable it is) in the guest room wishing that my step-mommy was around to take care of me. Around 8:30, we all decided that it was best I stay put so my boyfriend and my old neighbor went off to retrieve my car. My boyfriend has not driven in years so I tried not to think very much while they were gone. Now they're back, the car is fine. They're eating a real dinner while I'm writing this and trying to avoid the smell of food. My body has rid itself of pretty much all food that was in my system and I'm actually feeling pretty good. I hope that this feeling continues because I have a conference to help with starting on Sunday at three.

In conclusion, Artscape was great but food poisoning is no fun at all. Oh, and if you live in the DC area and want to see a great show, head over to the 9:30 Club tomorrow to watch Esthero.