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September 2009


How to Fix Things
Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Miracle of miracles the radio in the Jeep is fixed now which allows me to actually listen to the satellite radio I pay a pretty penny for every month. I usually only listen to one channel, Bluegrass, but for me it's worth it just to regularly hear people converse in English. The people I drive to church like listening to it as well and it gives me an excuse not to talk. I took it down to 'The World of Stereos' downtown on Saturday and they took it, fixed it up like new, gave me a month's warranty and gave it back all for 275 pesos which comes out to a little under $20. Not bad considering my other option was to pay the guys at Cheto's Car Audio for a broken one (that would receive radio signals but not play tapes) for about the same price. Uh..yeah, no.

We're starting a kid's club up in Miravalle this afternoon. Today's plans are to just go visiting house to house and let people know what we're going to do. I've been working in Miravalle for about three years now so I know most of the people there but not a whole lot of them come to church. Hopefully this ministry will start to bring more people out, especially the kids who used to go to church but aren't going any longer. I might put pictures up next week if I think to bring my camera.

The book is up to almost 15,000 words! I've got the basic outline mapped out finally and so can start on the most exciting part. I really think I'll get it done fairly quickly. The first draft anyways. Not even going to think about the second, third, fourth and fifth drafts yet. XD

If you see that the ShoutBox is down, yes I realize it's down. I don't know what's wrong with it. I'll give it some time and if it doesn't come up soon I'll work on finding another one.

Take care!


Too Tired for Titles
Monday, September 28, 2009

Staying up until 12:30 last night was not a good idea. It didn't feel like a bad idea at the time but I'm paying for it now. Anyways, I have my coffee and I've got internet. I've even got money which is a step in the right direction. It's American but everyone loves the almighty dollar.

Going beyond all that, here is a website for your computer desktop better-ization: Dr. Who Desktop Wallpaper! Use it!


How to be a Vagabond
Sunday, September 27, 2009

Tonight I am at Jenny's house because her car broke and she needs someone to drive her to work tomorrow morning. So I get free internet in exchange for gas. She also gave me a strawberry popsicle which, I must say, was very tasty. Hey, the fact that she has warm running water and a working bathroom didn't make the decision all that difficult either. So when she asked me to stay at her house this evening I immediately threw a days worth of stuff along with my laptop into my backpack and hit the road. The ability to be able to do that is a gift. You just have to be willing to be a little bit grungy the next day. I live in Mexico. I'm grungy every day. No problem.

Since I have to be out of the house tomorrow by 7:15 I've got plans to stop by a place for some coffee and do my devotions there. I haven't had coffee or coke in awhile since I don't want to get addicted to caffeine again but just the thought of drinking hot black coffee by myself early in the morning stirs up some sort of romantic feeling inside that I'm simply having a rough time denying. After that I have a full days worth of work to catch up on including homework which I've been procrastinating about.

As you can see the book is going well. I've written at least 5,000 words since yesterday putting me up near the 10,000 word mark. Unfortunately the average length of the type of book I'm trying to write is 80,000 words (usually more). If I do at least 10,000 words a week I'll be done with the first draft in eight weeks. If I do at least 5,000 words a day I'll be done in two weeks. I'm betting I'll be done in nine weeks or something. Then Brittany is going to read it and absolutely tear it apart at which point I'll begin again.

Cheers!!

p.s. I know people are visiting because I see the numbers on the bottom of the screen rising. Why don't y'all leave a message or something in the shout box? That's what its there for!


How to Make Money
Saturday, September 26, 2009

It occurred to me a few days ago that I couldn't afford to rashly go out and buy all the seasons of Dr. Who on DVD from Amazon. While this would not run me out of money it would make me end up having to go back to Maryland before I graduated, something that just isn't going to happen. So how, I asked myself, does one legally gain more money in a country where one cannot work? One could type for people but I don't know at all where to find that sort of work. One could invent something but I am not the inventing type. One could sell small handmade items on the internet but shipping things from Mexico costs a leg and a head. One could beg from their parents but I am too prideful (and they know better than to just throw money at me). Ultimately I stumbled upon the perfect idea. I decided to write a book.

I know I can do this. It is simply a matter of sitting down for a prescribed amount of time every day and writing. The only problem with my idea is that writing is actually extremely difficult and, although I have read thousands of books in my lifetime and written quite a few short stories, writing does not come to me naturally. Something that is extremely frustrating for me. I have a story idea, I have a good, believable main character. I have a plausible plot and I have good side characters. My only problem is that I don't have them down on paper. Putting them there is going to take months of work. But it can be done!

So I'm going to do it. I'm going to write a book and I'm going to sell it to a publishing house and I'm going to make money off of it. And with that money I am going to buy all the seasons of Dr. Who that have David Tennant in them. Maybe Christopher Eccelston. I don't know. I can't even spell the man's last name.

In other news, when I got to BWI my big suitcase was eleven pounds overweight and I was about to have to pay fifty dollars to get it to Arizona with me but the kind lady behind the counter said she would waive it this time provided I never, ever tried to do it again. Unfortunately she isn't the first person to have waived an overweight suitcase for me and she probably won't be the last. The other bad news is that I left some stuff at home. That's the most frustrating part.

Keep on keepin' on!


How to Fly Solo
Tuesday, September 15, 2009

If there is actually any part about going to Mexico that I dislike it's this part. The night before the flight when I'm going all over the place trying to find things that I procrastinated about. It's also these last minute decisions (take this or leave this?), trying to remember everything (where on EARTH did I put that?), cleaning up, getting organized (lists come in handy) and generally getting my whole life into two blue suitcases. It usually works out in the end, I almost always have to pay for excess baggage, but everything does fit. This time I'll be taking two carry-ons (I've taken three on occasion) one with two laptops, a digital camera and a tablet in it and the other with a satellite radio, two cell phones, Dr. Who on DVD and an iPod. I don't have room in either of the carry-ons for a spare set of clothes so I'm praying that the airline does not lose my luggage. That would be very, very...we won't go there.

It seems that every time my departure draws near I start hearing from people I haven't heard from in ages. My friend Angela from England emailed me this morning, it was good to hear from her, and recently my friend Sara in Cali started talking to me again. The original drift was my fault. Out of sight, out of mind. I'm terrible with communication. Really, really terrible.

People keep asking me what I plan on doing after I graduate. Really, I have no idea. I've got dreams, things I'd like to do, but I'm not sure when they'll work out. I'll probably come back to Maryland and teach here for a year. But we'll see.

It's been a good summer. It's had its ups and downs, can't say I got everything done that I wanted to but I did get a lot done. Can't wait to get back to Mexico. This last year will be my best year. I promise.


Socially Unacceptable
Saturday, September 12, 2009

IT IS SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE TO CARRY A HUNTING KNIFE ON YOUR BELT.

Trust me on this one. Hide your knife.


Final Moments
Thursday, September 10, 2009

So I got all my stuff, one package has been mailed out, I'll mail the next grouping tomorrow morning. Bought Mike and Jillian's wedding present. Folded my clothes back into my suitcases, just need to pack my shoes.

I think as you get older you start not really caring about what people think about you. Or you begin to care less. A lot less. Some people don't get this way, but I've seen a lot of people just kinda let themselves go. And not weight wise or anything, more behaviorally. People's opinions just matter less I suppose. I hope I never get that way.


How to Pack for Mexico
Saturday, September 5th, 2009

Actually, this is a list of stuff I have yet to get done before leaving in a week and a half. Most of my stuff is already down in Mexico (all packed into the back of my Jeep, actually). I'm happily vegging in the house all day because I got my wisdom teeth pulled yesterday (and no, I refused to stick to a liquid diet. I ate pizza three hours after getting my teeth pulled). The pain killers are making me nauseous and, technically, I still can't drive anywhere. The brothers are about to head to Game Stop to buy a game for the Wii so we'll just mess around all night probably. Anyways, onto the list.

The last item on the list is deliberately vague. I don't know how much stuff I'll buy here in Maryland. If I can hit a Wal-mart in AZ it'll cut down on the weight of stuff I have to take with me on the plane. I can't buy deoderant in Mexico because it doesn't work as well as the States stuff does (oddly enough). But I can buy shampoo and conditioner down there. As well as toothpaste. So there's stuff I need to stock up on and stuff I can wait to buy. But the more stuff I buy here the higher the chance my parents will pay for it. lol.


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