random rambles.

1.  by the time most of you read this, I will be on my way to Little Rock with most of my worldly possessions [including my hog head, of course] packed into mine and my mother's cars.  my next blog post will be from my new room in my new house in my new city.

2.  I still need to upload my pictures from my second cooking lesson [chicken curry!] as well as from Charleston, so hopefully those will be up at some point next week.

3.  this week I purged my room of most of its junk.  all those issues of Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine from 2004?  gone.

4.  in case you missed it in my previous post and still haven't read it, go out right now, buy a copy of The Help, and read it immediately.

5.  when you finish it and have a newfound faith in my book recommendations, go out and buy yourself a copy of Little Bee.

6.  because of the two books mentioned previously - as well as the cleaning of the room - my grad school reading has taken a backseat this week.  got to get back on that train once I'm moved in next week.

7.  Prakash-a found a house and is also moving this weekend!  next step: a passport.  he's growing up.

8.  at this time last year, I was on my way to Istanbul for the World Youth Congress.  hard to believe it's been a year already.

9.  I still haven't seen the latest Harry Potter.  you have my permission to send me in front of a firing squad immediately.  in fact, if I don't see it by next weekend, I might just send myself.

10.  Charleston was a blast.  so good to see the best friend, had a nice lunch with Ashley, and managed to fit in a touristy visit to Fort Sumter after the brunch mimosas.  all in all, I'd say it was a success.

11.  one month until Haygood comes to visit!  we're spending Labor Day weekend playing tourist in Memphis.

12.  I'm still not in support of TBS showing NONE of the Braves games.  I knew that they no longer showed all of them, and I had prepared myself for as much, but for them to not show any of them is, for me, unforgivable.  that's how I became a Braves fan in the first place.

13.  I introduced my brother to words with friends this morning, and we spent most of the day sitting in the same room playing against each other.  and it was spectacular.

14.  we finished Season 2 of 24 tonight, and I already envision many hours spent streaming the following seasons, as well as the latest seasons of Parks & Recreation and 30 Rock, on my computer in the coming weeks.

15.  apparently this medical school is going to start assessing their applicants' people skills when determining whether or not to give them a place in their class.  I found it intriguing.

16.  I was talking to Borg last night about Mukesh Ambani's house, and I found this slideshow of what the interiors are going to look like.  I find it ridiculous, but you are free to draw your own conclusions.

17.  while cleaning, I also found a printout of one of those emails with a gazillion stupid and random facts, which I of course have kept to pass on to friends and foes whenever I need a laugh.  for example, did you know that rubber bands last longer when refrigerated?  I'm going to try it out; I'll let you know if it's actually true.

18.  apparently I had a lot to say tonight.

19.  but now I'm going to read and get some sleep.  long day tomorrow.

20.  goodnight!

xx

the books, #16-20.

Raise your hands if you're ready for the next 5 books on my list:

16. The Help [Kathryn Stockett].  I have been hearing and reading reviews about this book since sometime last year, but I had to put myself on a book-buying hold because I had too many books in India that needed to be finished before I moved back.  So what did I do almost immediately upon my return from Bangalore?  I went to Barnes & Noble and purchased this book.  And it was fantastic.  Even though it was excruciating to put it down, I made myself read the last 50 pages really sloooooowly, simply because I did not want it to end.  I had never read a book set in 1960s Mississippi, so I was fascinated from the first page.  I'm glad also that I finished it now, a few months before the movie comes out, so that while it will still be fresh in my mind, I won't nit-pick [too much] over things that are changed.  I also waited until I finished the book before I read who was cast in which roles, so that any prior knowledge of those actors wouldn't overshadow the characters I was reading about.  And now I can't wait for the movie.  This will be one of those that I re-read every few years.

17. The Commitments [Roddy Doyle].  When I first read A Star Called Henry, also by Roddy Doyle, I fell in love with his writing style.  It's not for everyone - anyone I've spoken to who has also read him either loves him or hates him.  It's partly the writing style and partly the Irish humour.  I am one of the ones who loves both.  And reading his story of a ragtag bunch who are trying to start a soul band in Dublin was downright hilarious.  This was made into a movie a while back, and I've just never gotten a chance to see it.  Netflix streaming, here we come!

18. The Lovely Bones [Alice Sebold].  Upon the recommendation of my dear friend Rob, I picked up this book after my first stint in Bangalore.  Most people will know it, as it was also made into a movie a few years ago.  I heard mixed reviews of the movie, but I honestly didn't have much of a desire to see it, because I didn't want a movie to ruin how I had already pictured the scenes in my mind.  This was one of those books that ran the gamut of emotions: at times it made me cry, at times it made me question humanity, and at times it made me laugh out loud.  I remember my parents being out of town one weekend - and the power went out because of a bad storm - so I spent all of Saturday evening and night reading this book by candlelight because I could not put it down.

19. 700 Sundays [Billy Crystal].  Billy Crystal has long been one of my favourite actors / comedians [who can forget him in The Princess Bride], so when I heard that he had written a book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.  I didn't even care what it was about, because I just knew it would be fabulous.  And boy, was I in for a surprise.  It was definitely funny, but it was also surprisingly sweet.  It's an ode to his father, to the approximately 700 Sundays they spent together before his father passed away.  I have to be honest, it brought me to tears at a few points, and contrary to what you might guess from all these books almost making me cry, I actually don't cry all that often.  I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into this part of Crystal's life, including stories of when he was a small boy.  It made me appreciate my father in a new light.

20. Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found [Suketu Mehta].  Come on, you knew there had to be at least one India book mentioned in this week's list.  This one was actually a recommendation from Aja when we were working at Barnes & Noble; as soon as I met her, my first day at the store, she asked me if I had read this book.  So obviously I picked it up on my way out that day.  I enjoyed it because it wasn't just a collection of short stories set in Bombay [never Mumbai, always Bombay for me].  There were a few of those, but there were also stories outlining the history - including the political history - of Bombay, as well as general travel stories about the city and memoirs from Mehta about returning to live in Bombay after spending something like 15 years in the US.  It's complex, but then again, so is Bombay, and no book set there or about the city can be simple.  I have been fascinated by Bombay since I was a child, the same way many people are fascinated by New York City.  There are just so many aspects to Bombay, and I loved that Mehta included as many as he could, emphasizing that it is a city that can and never will be simplified.

p.s  I just found out - via my brother's latest copy of US weekly - that Sarah's Key has been made into a movie!  I'm curious, but also a bit apprehensive.  To anyone else who has read the book, what are your thoughts?

about to start reading: Little Bee [Chris Cleave].  I have been intrigued by this book ever since I read Caroline's review last year, so naturally I picked it up at the same time as The Help.  I'm starting it tonight and hope to have it finished before grad school starts and my time for reading for pleasure is slashed.  From the way Caroline put it, and judging from the size of the book, I'm hoping that won't be a problem.  Grad school reading can wait until next week...
xx

hampi and coorg, in pictures.

I don't know how I forgot to post these pictures.  Let the delay end here and now.

Happy Place #1: Hampi [of which there are many more pictures than Coorg.  it's difficult to stop and take pictures when you're sliding down a trail and trying your best not to fall off the edge]

[cannon outside the police station. I told the group that if you forget to register at the station, they shoot you with the cannon. probably cruel, but it was amusing to see their faces]

[ruins atop the Ganesha hill]

[atop the Ganesha hill. possibly an old mantap]

[Krishna temple]

[Kat taking a picture of the Krishna temple. behind her is the entrance]

[prostitutes bazaar]

[prostitutes bazaar]

[prostitutes bazaar. at least, that's what we call it]

[meditation place overlooking the river]

[our trusty boat]

[last shot of that beautiful sight for a few years]

[over the years I've gotten to see this tree grow from a tiny little thing up to this. I like to say I've also grown a lot in those years]

[shot of the Hanuman temple from the boulders]

[steps down to the Tungabhadra River]

And now on to Happy Place #2: Coorg [I took fewer pictures, partly because I was trying my best not to fall of the edge of the trail, but also because I wanted to steal Jane's pictures from her super awesome camera, and I have not yet been able to do so.  so here are the few I took]

[that waterfall you see in the distance? that's Kerala. we practically walked there]

[Morgan surveying the scene]

[beginning our descent]

[on the way back down]

I'm sad I don't have a lot of pictures of the trek, and I would have liked a few of the waterfall, but I was too busy splashing around.  But I'll be back, and I'll get pictures then.

That's what I keep telling myself: I'll be back.
xx

fare thee well, bangalore.

Sorry for being AWOL for a while - I spent the weekend causing havoc in Charleston SC with the best friend [update on that coming at some point this week] and was too distracted by seeing her for the first time in 3 months that I didn't have time to get around to writing any posts.

And then I realized last night that I never got around to posting pictures of my last few weeks in Bangalore, including my birthday and sendoff.  So, without further ado, my final ode to Bangalore:

[with Shon and Do on my last visit to Pecos]

[cutting birthday cake #2]

[last lunch at Nandini.  yum]

[Manju went all out with the colour lights for the party]

[jagerbombs!]

[birthday cake #3]

[the Peace Child gang together one last time]

[this might be the most decent picture we have together]

[they like to make fun of me]

[she made me a mug with our faces on it!]

[you can't tell in the picture, but he loves me]

So there you have it, my last few days in Bangalore.
But I just realized I never got around to putting up my pictures from Hampi and Coorg, either.  Those will come tomorrow.  Veena-promise.
xx

cleaning out my closet.

One of my projects since returning to Memphis has been to clean out my closet.  Last week I went through and threw out almost all of what was hanging in it.  Lots of stuff from back when I worked at Barnes & Noble that were fading, and some old salwars that I hadn't worn in years.  I'd been slowly doing it during visits home these past years, but I purged nearly everything this time.

But more important than that, I wanted to clean off the shelves and the floor.  My old laundry basket from college was on the floor and had accumulated a pile of junk in it that I had just not had enough time to get around to over the years.  So today I pulled everything out and sorted it into donations, trash, and stuff that I had forgotten I had and wanted to keep.  I also came across a few other treasures in the process, including:

• a fruit roll-up of unknown age.
• a new pair of jeans from Old Navy.  with the tags still on.
• a travel pillow that is most definitely not mine.  finders keepers.
• my brother's putting green.  why was it in my closet?  who knows.
• things I had brought back from India to give away as gifts.  approximately 7 or 8 years ago.  oops.
• shoulder straps for LL Bean duffel bags.  2 of 'em.  don't know which bags they go to.
• gift certificates to a paintball place in Memphis that closed about 5 years ago.  I had won them at some Intramural / Rec Services event when I was in my second year at Rhodes.
• a Grizzlies practice jersey that I parents and I had bought to give to my brother about 5 years ago.  guess I dropped the ball on that one.
• a picture frame that someone very generously gave me for my graduation.  from high school.  I know this because it says Class of 2000 on it.
• a Louis Vuitton watch.  I have no recollection of ever having received it.  although to be fair, even if I had been given it as a gift more than 5 years ago, chances are I wouldn't have known who Louis Vuitton was.
• boxes of Nerds from my first St Patty's Day parade in Baton Rouge.  which I attended in 2007.
• a stack of football trading cards.  including a Sterling Sharpe rookie card.  Christmas came early for my brother this year.

And those were just the things worth noting.

I also found my old shoebox where I keep letters and cards and other mementos from my college years.  It was very entertaining to go through it and re-read postcards from Thara while she was in Spain, from various people studying abroad, and one from Caitlin that she sent from Bass Lake.  I also found one of my old Jamaica bracelets, a ribbon someone gave me for achieving something, and loads of little pins and other trinkets.  It was a nice trip down memory lane.

Now that my closet is sorted, I have to work on cleaning the rest of my room before I move.  Wish me luck.
xx

fun things on the horizon.

At the moment there aren't a whole lot of things to talk about.  I mostly spend my days reading my required stuff for the fall semester and running an errand or two, picking up various things I'll need for my house, as well as books I'll not have time to read for at least a few more months.

There are, however, many exciting things to look forward to, such as...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2.  there are 2 reasons I did not go for the midnight premiere: 1 [and most important] is that it is summer, and I did not feel like dealing with a lot of annoying teenagers, and 2 is that I told my brother I would see it with him, and I told Anna Ivey that I would see it with her, so that already covers my normal 2 viewings.

visiting Mindy!  I haven't seen the best friend in about 3 and a half years, back when she was living in Denver, so we're long overdue for a reunion.  she is living in Charleston, South Carolina, and I figured this was a good time for a first visit to Charleston.  plus Ashley is living there as well, so I can see her, too.  I always love those win-win situations.

moving to Little Rock.  it's official, I have found a house, and I will be moving sometime in the next 3 weeks.  there are still a lot of things I need to get taken care of, such as purchasing a bed, but I'm excited about getting there and getting settled in.  there are lots of folks from Helena and from Rhodes who are living there, and I'm looking forward to catching up with all of them.  plus the fact that there will be a few Arkansas games to attend makes me super-excited.

a super-secret trip.  I cannot currently divulge the details of this trip, because I do not know if the recipient of the surprise trip is a reader of this blog.  for now, I will remain quiet, but once the trip happens, I will let you know.

Haygood is coming to visit!  he's another one I haven't seen in years - 4 in his case - so he is coming back down South over Labor Day weekend.  at the moment we are planning on playing tourist in Memphis: going to Graceland; having a picnic on the river; lounging on Beale Street; visiting the Civil Rights Museum; etc.  it's something I've been wanting to do for a few months now, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather do it with.

I think I'm pretty well set for the next few months.  oh yeah, and I have to attend grad school somewhere in there...
xx

first cooking lesson with the big b.

Tonight I had my first proper cooking lesson with my mother. I have been helping her in the kitchen for as long as I can remember, but I had never before cooked an entire meal for the four of us. I figured since I'm moving in a few weeks and will mostly be responsible for my own meals, now is as good a time as any to learn.

My mother and I decided I would learn "mommy mush" - a dish so named by Maggie Goodman because, well, it looks like a big pile of mush once it's all finished. We bought everything we needed yesterday, and today we went into the lesson with only one rule, imposed by me: my mother was only allowed to supervise. I realised that if it was just me helping and her doing everything - as it has been all these years - I would never properly learn.

First order of business? Well, my mother was taking a much-deserved mini nap on the couch, so I gave her an extra few minutes, gathered all the ingredients, and sliced my thumb on one of the can lids in the process. Typical walking disaster. But my mother says it's a sign of a good cook, and you should never argue with mother.

Then came the chopping of stuff. This is something I have a lot of experience in, and I say I did a pretty decent job. Judge for yourselves:








Come on, you couldn't expect me to not go crazy with the chillies. Who do you take me for? While all this was happening, the meat was browning and the rice was cooking, so once that was finished, I browned some onions and then tossed everything into the pot. This is what it looked like before I added the cheese:





Now, I forgot to get a picture of the final product, but just picture this with a whole load of melted Velveeta cheese, and you get the idea.

Overall, everything went smoothly. My father approved, and I got a double stamp of approval from the brother. And my mother loved it. Which is more than enough for me.

So concludes our first cooking lesson. Here's hoping we can squeeze a few more in before I move.
xx

baylor magazine feature.

A few months ago, one of the editors of the Baylor Magazine emailed me to say that they wanted to feature me as one of the Alumni Profiles in this summer's issue.  We Skyped about how my experiences at Baylor led to my eventually working in India, and the article is now up on the website for all to read.

Enjoy!
xx

books, #11-15.

Apologies for not having a book update in a while.  Moving across the world apparently takes up more time than I had originally anticipated.  But without further ado:

11. In Spite of the Gods [Edward Luce].  This book came out about 4 or 5 years ago when there was a sudden influx of books about India flooding bookstores.  At one point we had at least 5 at any given time on the front display at B&N.  They explored India's rise as a superpower - the factors causing India to rise as well as the factors holding it back - and how the rest of the world depends on India's success or failure as a superpower.  All of these came out just after my first stint in Bangalore, when I was just beginning to discover and understand all the complexities of India, so I was curious each time a new title appeared.  This one, however, was the one that caught my interest the most.  I don't know why - maybe it was the cover, maybe it was the blurb on the back of the book, maybe it was just the mood I was in when it arrived in the store - but whatever the reason, I eventually picked it up and read through it.  While there were certainly parts I didn't fully understand [it's been a long time since I took Econ 101, and my grades weren't exactly stellar], it was definitely a book that kept me interested.  I learned a lot about the modern Indian political system - overly confusing at the best of times - that I did not previously know, and it answered a lot of questions about India's history as a nation for me.  I'm sure that each of those books about India have their own positive attributes, but I for one am glad that I decided to read this one.

12. The Glass Castle [Jeannette Walls].  This book remains one of the most interesting books I've read.  It is a memoir describing Walls' childhood growing up in the definition of a dysfunctional family, but one that never dwells on the bad parts of her childhood.  She and her siblings never realized that their childhoods were not normal and  somehow managed to come out of their upbringing unscathed and without a myriad of psychological problems.  One of the things I really liked about the book is that Walls never portrays herself as a victim - she does not expect sympathy for what she has to say, nor does she have any regrets for having grown up the way she did.  Instead, she just matter-of-factly portrays her household.  It's one of the most honest books I've read.

13. Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time [Rob Sheffield].  I liked this book for 2 main reasons: 1) it was well-written, humorous, heartbreaking, hopeful, and witty; and 2) it provided me with a whole heap of new songs to listen to.  Each chapter began with a playlist from a mix tape that Rob had made for his wife when they were dating / just married.  They were collections of classic songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s, some of which I knew but many of which were new to me.  I went on a bit of a downloading frenzy after I finished reading the book.  But even before I got to that point, I enjoyed the book, journeying with Rob through meeting his wife, wooing her, marrying her, and taking care of her through her illness that tragically cut short her life.  A great read.

14. Jesus Land [Julia Scheeres].  I briefly mentioned this book months ago at the end of a post about I-don't-even-know-what, but I decided it deserves its own special mention on this list.  It's a memoir about growing up in rural America in the 70s and 80s in a fundamentalist Christian family.  The author, Scheeres, has an adopted black brother who is the same age as she, and the book traces their journey together from a high school where her brother is the only black student to a Christian reform school in the Dominican Republic.  It's a fascinating read, at times hilarious and appalling.  I was unable to put it down, racing through it in about 3 days.  After reading this, you'll vow never to raise your children how Scheeres and her siblings were raised.

15. Me Talk Pretty One Day [David Sedaris].  Over the years I have read nearly all of David Sedaris' books.  I've enjoyed all of them in different ways, but this was the first one of his that I read, so this is therefore the one that I remember most fondly.  He was probably the first short-story writer who made me laugh out loud while reading his books, which definitely made for some funny looks while riding along on Bangalore buses.  He has kept me entertained for hours with his reminiscences of his crazy childhood, his eccentric family members, and the shenanigans he managed to get himself in to.  I always look forward to new releases of his, but I will always remember that this was the one that started my obsession.

So there you have it, this week's installment.  Hopefully now that I'm back I'll be able to update regularly again.
xx

[mis]adventures in travel-land.

What a trip.

After nearly 48 hours of traveling, my mother and I finally made it back to Memphis.  We had a 2-hour delay leaving Dubai, an hour and a half wait for our bags in New York, a canceled flight, an hour and a half wait in line to re-book our flights, an overnight stay in New York, and finally a flight today morning from New York down to Memphis.

My shoulders hurt, my arms hurt, and I'm pretty sure I smell a bit ripe, but I'm home.

One highlight of the trip was the Dubai airport.  I saw: my first pair of Daisy Dukes since 1994; an Australian teenager walking around in his towel after having a shower; an Irish sandwich bar; and a set of grandparents making their 5-year-old granddaughter drag around a bag twice her size while they strolled ahead.  It's a bit busy there, but it certainly does provide ample opportunity to people-watch.

One good thing about the trip back being so busy is that I never got the chance to dwell on the fact that I finally left, so therefore I didn't cry.  I was a bit worried that the waterworks were going to be fierce, but I managed to have them not even start.

Next on the agenda: purchase a phone; purchase a car; figure out my housing for Little Rock; figure out my road-trip plans; unpack my bags [I hope that bottle of Old Monk survived] and sort through everything; get started on my "homework" that arrived while I was gone; purchase the remaining books I need for the fall; get some more clothes for school; and a few other things in between.  No rest for the weary, it seems.

All I know for sure at this point is that I'm not getting on another airplane for as long as possible.

[pictures from the last month - including my sendoff - coming soon]
xx

where I bid adieu to the city of boiled beans.

Dear Bangalore,

It appears that it is time for me to finally leave you and go back to the land of my birth.  It's been nearly 6 years - count them - since I first set foot on your soil and entered a new realm.

From the time I arrived, I was immediately caught up in the craziness and zaniness that is the Devaraj family.  One of my first memories - other than being scared of Shonali. ha! - is of Anthony Appa setting a full glass of Old Monk in front of me and ordering me to drink.  From that moment on, there was no turning back.  It's been a wonderfully crazy conglomeration of birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, births, christenings, graduations, and parties just because.  I'm so lucky to have been a part of it.  And to have been a part of so many other great families as well.  I never had just one home in Bangalore - I had one in Chamarajpet, in Viveknagar, in Jayanagar, in Ulsoor, and one at Bangalore University for a while.  Between all of those, it's a wonder I ever even stayed in my own house.

From trying my hand at teaching the youngsters at Binny Mills, GKBMS, and Kengeri all those years ago to eventually attempting to restore some order at the Boys' Home, it's been one adventure after another.  Trying to learn Kannada, brushing up on my Hindi, pretending to understand less Tamil than I do, and not even attempting Telugu, and eventually just speaking in a hodge-podge of all of the above with a bit of English and a lot of hand gestures thrown in for good measure.  I'm sure those boys all had themselves some nice entertainment.  As much as he harassed me, I actually think I'm going to miss the crazy face of that crazy superintendent.  I still intend to run the place one day.  Mark my words.

Bangalore, you've been nice enough to share me to other parts of India, too: Hampi, Gokarna, Goa, Mysore, Coorg, Mahaballipuram, Kolkata, Kerala, Rajasthan, Agra...I've been able to cross many places off my list, and each place holds its own unique memories.  There are still more to go: Leh, Manali, Sikkim, the Seven Sisters, Amritsar...I'll be back to see you guys one of these days.

You've fed me well, too.  Chilly pork from Pecos.  Shawarma and tandoor from Empire.  Mini meals and chana bhathura from Shiv Sagar.  Steamed chicken momos from Taste of Tibet.  Chicken ghee roast at Coast to Coast.  And of course biryani and kebabs from Nandhini.  It's amazing I managed to not put on weight until my last week.  I should weigh well more than I currently do at this point.

And you brought me a boy.

The only thing you weren't able to bring me was a completed Metro...

Now I must go so that I can try to make myself a bit smarter.  Once I finish my course, we can chat about my eventual return.

Until then, stay a bit cloudy, a bit crazy, a bit fat, and a bit drunk.  Just the way I like you.

With all of my love,
Veena
[I tried getting it to transliterate that into Kannada, but it wasn't showing up properly. bummer]

xx

i love youtube.

because these are the things you can find on there:

 

these are the movies & quotes morgan and I decided were missing from the clip:

the sandlot  - he's an L-7 weenie!  you're killin' me smalls!  forever, forever, forever...

dead poet's society - carpe diem, seize the day, make your lives extraordinary.

pulp fiction - the entire movie, really.

old school - we're going streaking!  you're my boy, blue!

a league of their own - there's no crying in baseball!

the little rascals - dear darla, i hate your stinkin' guts, you make me vomit, you're the scum between my toes, love, alf-alfa.  i got a dolla, i got a dolla, i gotta dolla, hey hey hey hey.

casablanca - play it again sam.  louie, i think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

the godfather - leave the gun, take the cannoli.

pirates of the caribbean - hello poppet.  but why's the rum gone?!

what do you have to add?

xx

random rambles.

1. tubs of mango, tender coconut and choco almond ice creams from Natural and a chocolate cake from Sweet Chariot combined with some Jack & Coke is the best way to ring in a birthday.
2. my packing process is almost complete.
3. my mother arrives in Bangalore on Sunday morning!
4. I'm almost finished with the 3 mistakes of my life by Chetan Bhagat.  it's alright - a fast read, which is what I needed, but littered with grammatical errors.  you know how I am about those.
5. what book should I take with me on the flight?  my options are the world is flat, one hundred years of solitude, or the argumentative indian.  no light reading for me, apparently.
6. I've recently become obsessed with Lady Gaga's born this way and Adele's version of make you feel my love.
7. I haven't been able to watch as much of Wimbledon as I would have liked, but I'm still putting my money on my boy Rafa.
8. at - roughly - this time next week, I'll be watching Braves games.
9. cannot wait for some taco bell, kwik check, fino's, huey's, lenny's, central bbq, el porton, and gus's action in the next few weeks.
10. I get to see best friend Mindy in 3 weeks!  3 and a half years in between visits is far too long.

Happy weekend, friends!
xx