In other news...

We went shoe shopping yesterday and we got Nati these shoes in beige. It's really nice when she gets excited about something. Typically Natalia is very shy and reserved about what she wants to do or what she likes. Whenever she gets excited about anything, be it Taylor Swift or really rad shoes, we try to encourage it. I think I might have been too rough on her when she was little and made fun of her when she liked something I didn't like. It's nice to see that she's opening up now, despite my brattiness.

I also went for a walk on the beach today as a sort of farewell. I was feeling a bit sad that I know other people who are traveling to all the places where I would like to go...and I'm going to be in New Haven. I don't regret my choice of staying in New Haven at all--I'm excited for research and living in the "real world"--but I do feel like I should take advantage of relative freedom and travel while I'm young.

I guess on that note I could let you know the exciting event of today. It was originally the fact that Carlos and I were singing Aerosmith and Lady Gaga during our walk on the beach. Even more exciting than that is the fact that David, driving back from Mayaguez, has crashed my car. Yea, my car. He seems to be fine, but the car isn't. My mom is getting ready right now so we can go fish him out of the situation. Apparently the front of the car is all sunken in--it was raining and the car in front of him stopped (or something...) and David hit the other car. My mom is clearly upset but a lot more worried.

Conversation with Mother

Mom: Denise! Did you know there was an earthquake in Puerto Rico? It was a five-point-something!
Me: Yes, Mother. You mean the earthquake you did not feel and that I told you about?
Mom: Oh...that's right. I forgot you were here.

Zombie

Hey Hey. This is a first entry for my maybe-blog this summer. It is still May of 2010 and I still have my normal appetite (the taste for brains hasn't kicked in yet). Come June, however, I'll be facing some new challenges: living in an apartment off campus, cooking for myself, research with a P.I. who has threatened to lock me out of her lab, turning 21, making some new friends, and the sweltering heat of a U.S. summer. I've never been in the U.S. for more than two weeks in the summer months of June, July, and August. Some people go abroad for summer. I think I'd like to experience that fourth season above the Tropic of Cancer.

What is there to look forward to this summer?
1. Research (I must redeem myself!)
2. Not taking classes (sad story behind this)
3. Birthday (Because you reach age of majority twice, but you only turn 21 once)
4. Kitty-sitting (truth! I'm rather frightened)
5. East Rock and other nature-y places
6. Trips to NYC
7. Meeting up with family
8. Sunlight until after 8/9pm (EST)!
9. Cooking :)
10. Cleaning (I don't look forward to this, really, but I like things to be clean and I like knowing that I should have the time to clean)
11. Time to read for pleasure
12. (Nearly) Guiltless gaming (Sims 2, Wii...)
13. Watching summer movies in theaters
14. Other things (zomg like wut? 5uGg3s7i0nz?)

Last year, I was in an almost perpetual winter because I spent half of my summer vacation in Chile's winter. New Haven in the summer should be an interesting change. I won't get the chance to view the center of the galaxy in the midnight desert sky, but I think New England should be charming in summer. We'll see.

Pip pip cheerio!