tgcgel . net^blog

I'm breaking my own rules
Becoming someone else
Everybody says I oughtta get over myself
I'm thinking I can't move
If there isn't somewhere else
To go

I've probably made mistakes that I've forgotten
It's all ambiguous now
I'd be willing to take the shape of what you wanted
If I could just figure it out

things are going well enough. yesterday i got schooled in racquetball...that was quite the workout. i went to the YMCA with tahlia to play eric and needless to say that kid plays racquetball too much for his own good or mine...im sore :( it was a good little exercise though. class is going well, and im almost done with the CS class and my probability class. bad news is that im expected to remeber stuff from my clac classes i took like 4 years ago.... :/ looks like ill be bustin' out the old textbooks to brush up on my integration and geometric series formulas. this saturday is supposed to be the last day of rain too....so excited...other than that not much else to write...i like taking walks, going for midnight strolls around dt austin. :)

rolling someone off their good cloud-watching-spot into the grass and taking said spot for yourself is a token of friendship and trust, and one lucky enough to be ousted into the grass should consider themselves blessed indeed...

in other news i had a good chance today to catch up with a good friend. we went to amy's ice cream and had quite the conversations discussing the intracacies, pitfalls, and joys of playing the field...i love good conversations, especially with people who find themselves in similar situations. theres nothing like hearing someone talk about their problems and worries and realizing you are in the same boat. it was a good outing. now its time to study some probability for tomorrow's test...

sometimes it takes getting soaked in the rain on your way to class to remind you how much fun it can be to jump in big puddles of water

I thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

i hate sore throats and throat infections of any kind =(

It's way too late to be this locked inside ourselves
The trouble is that you're in love with someone else
It should be me. Oh, it should be me
Sacred parts, your get aways
You come along on summer days
Tenderly, tastefully

And so may we make time
Try to find somebody else
This place is mine

You said today, you know exactly how I feel
I had my doubts little girl
I'm in love with something real
It could be me that's changing!

Oh, how I love you
And in the evening, when we are sleeping
We are sleeping. Oh, we are sleeping

everyone on campus has a name tag except me! they are all the recently-graduated seniors here for summer orientation, and apparently the higher-ups at UT decided that name tags were needed. im not sure if its supposed to make everyone feel more welcome and accepted or if its some sort of security measure...(like the crazies who can get their hands on explosives and automatic weapons can't print on sticky paper), either way i certainly have been feeling excluded on my daily treks to and from work in the ETC building.

my new love has a face....as well as a price tag

so i havent written much of late...not that there is anything to write. dont worry, im not holding out on ya; plus im cognizant of the fact that probably no one bothers to read this, so no one has missed anything =) ive decided that this will be useful to me someday, in someway. sort of like a digital journal of some sort. anywho, like i said, life is boring these days. im just going to school and working, trying not to let the boredom overwhelm me. i wish the rain would stop. as much as i love the rain it is certainly interfering with my rock climbing plans. this was supposed to be the summer of climbing, but weather and conflicting schedules have turned that into a smoldering dream....with a little luck maybe it can be resurrected. we shall see. not a whole lot else is going on. i try to fill my free time with reading...my old favorite hobby.

1 onion
2kg roma or samarzzano tomatoes
500g lean ground beef
200g pork sausage
200 ml red wine
garlic
basil
salt
carrots
celery
olive oil, extra virgin
tomato paste

peel and remove the seeds from the tomatoes. add grated carrots and celery. dice the onion and celery and add to the other vegtables. add olive oil and a small ammount of water and place on medium heat. let cook for about 15 mins. add the ground beef, uncooked to the mixture. lightly brown the sausage apart and add to the sauce. stir in the tomato paste and 2 cups of water. stir well for 5 minutes on high heat. add the red wine and the rest of the spices. cook for ~30 minutes or until at the desired consistency. salt to taste.

the ragu' was cooking on the stove when the phone rang. it was a dear old friend that i hadnt spoken with in ages. we briefly exchanged greetings and began conversing in italian, her native tongue.

"come va?"
"si tira avanti..."
"be', allora non possiamo lamentarci!"

things were going well with her and then flowed the news i knew was coming, but i dreaded all the same.

nutella is amazing, its the best thing ever. nutella cookies are exactly 3 times better than peanut butter cookies, and nutella sandwiches making scrumptous snacks, especially right before bed. today i realized that i hadn't had nutella since i was last in italy/europe, and it really made me miss italy. i miss the small town, personal feeling i felt, even while living in rome. i miss walking 1 block away to do my grocery shopping. i miss getting fresh produce and meats from the quartiere markets. i miss people shouting "ciao, anziani" at us as we walked down our street. i miss the open arms and doors of the italian people, accepting perfect strangers into their homes to eat, sharing with us the secret of nonna's ragu' and inviting us to sample their homemade pasta. i miss riding the metro, the bus, the tram, the train, the eurostar........i miss italy.....

i found boggle at walmart...boggle is practically my family religion...i love that game, and winning it is huge deal...bragging rights for days around the home. boggle parties will be organized very soon...serious players only!

these days it seems like i get paid to sit around and do nothing. i will remember, with fondness, these days when things get busy again. for now though i think i'll sit and lament my less than wonderful test grade :(

i just finished watching an old jackie chan movie, drunken master. its probably the greatest martial arts movie ever, and in it chan uses this super crazy style called drunken boxing. i hadn't seen the movie in years...actually the last time i probably watched it was in 2003 or 2004, back when eric and i were hooked on martial arts movies. watching it really made me nostalgic...it feels like that was all so long ago, and yet it was only 3 years ago. times, places, people, everything...its all changed. eric stopped in for a moment and was telling lauren how we used to always watch these old martial arts movies...

its funny how the weather a volte reflects our moods