awwwwww it's Mikey's Baby Girl

Got to show off this bebe, she's tooooooooo cute! What was that quote Kristina? "Altea's the kind of cute that gives other kids complexes and eating disorders." Or something to that effect. :)



She got her very first pair of shoes the other day and I'll bet in no time she'll be a terrorizing, toddling toddler. Again, the face says "Ohhh I am soooo innocent!" but I don't trust them when they're this small... I'll be keeping my eye on this one.

five5days -5 -5days -5 -five5 - 5- -days5days - 5-5 five 5days-days5 -5 days-5-five-days-five 5-5 - days

No, I'm not freakin' out, really. I mean... well... yeah... am I? I'm not sure, but if I am it's really just because all I see ahead of me is a thick haze. The 31st is like a giant full stop at the end of the page of my life and I have no idea what's gonna happen when it gets turned. From your vanatge point, when you step back and look at my life it really looks thus far rather tame and even a little bit quaint. I have got to tell you kiddos one thing, being the star of this novel has made me realize this is no peaches 'n' cream story book, it's a friggin suspense thriller!! Owww... my brain hurts - I've wracked it to pieces and it hasn't been kind to me in return. I've been nice to it too! Utilizing it in a way that should make it proud to be called mine - I mean come on, I'm eating lots of tuna, been doing stuff like THINKING (brains like that no?) and some serious brain cardio - trying to make intelligent and rational decisions, being practical. that should totally earn me extra points. That takes a lot out of you! But does it reward me? Hell no! In fact it takes revenge and says "Well tut tut and congratulations! You've just earned yourself a thick cloud of... yep you guessed it HAAAAZE!" Puah! Thanks alot brain, a lot of good you are. I could just as well donate you, I wouldn't miss you - really I wouldn't. We've never really seen eye to eye on much, maybe you're just spiteful that I don't use you as much as I do other organs, well I'm sorry! You tend to be boring a lot of the time and then when I do attempt to spend quality time with you all you can do is daydream and space out. It hurts, it really does.

...

sooo, 5 days....... then what? ya veremos.

Sweet Innocence

wahahahaha, yeah right! Parents take pictures like these to try and convince themselves, and I suppose us too, that their kids are indeed little angels! I think the kids play it up too, I mean look at those eyes!! They're all big and blue and hypnotizing... careful don't look into them for too long!! Loooord have mercy! But you know, inspite of their wickedness, they really are adorable and angelic in their own way.......... from a distance anyway.

no more bucks for starbucks suckaaaas

Nothing quite like waking up in the morning, a cool breeze blowing and having a nice cup of coffee... mmmm it's really one of those things that makes life just that much more special. I love the taste, the aroma, it makes me feel all happy inside and I smile more when I drink it. Little things like that get me excited and keep me amused. Now just missing a little lovin early in the morning. ;)

Oh yeah, I totally figured out how to not let starbucks rip me off anymore!! Now if you just want a cup of coffee and not some freaky overpriced milkshake you'd most likely order an ordinary latte or something, but you'll still end up paying like what $2.50 or so? That's just lame, don't ever pay that again! So what I do is usually order just a single espresso shot and ask them if they don't mind steaming some half n half, milk or soy on the side. The trick is to make it sound like you really just want a few drops to add yourself (you don't want to leave any room for them to realise that they are actually about to serve you a regular short latte) they'll usually just end up steaming a good 2/3 of a cup of whatever it is you want which is usually more than enough for me anyway, I like it strrrrong. It get's really good right about now as when you are about to dig into your wallet to pay you'll see the nicest little numbers flash in green on the cash register and will not be able to hold back the biggest smile as the cashier says "That'll be 65 cents please."!!!!!! What did I tell you? Little things keep me amused!

Thy name is Irony

A bunch of idealistic teenage rambling...Never settle down? -- even the most veteren non - conformist will tell you, you need stability & some form of consistency to accomplish anything worthwhile.. including raising kids.

- anonymous

I am thinking I should introduce "anonymous" to a 'veteran non-conformist' - my mother. I have a feeling that she will have a grand time telling her tales of raising 8 kids in a way that society would oh so frown upon.

MOM!! How could you go against convention like that!?! Don't you know that the most veteren non - conformist will tell you, you need stability and some form of consistincy to accomplish anything worthwhile.. including raising kids!?! Aish mother mother, I shake my head in dismay. Not only did you decide to give birth in SIX different countries and then travel the world with us, you freakin' never settled down and NEVER had a real job... what's up with that? I think you're just trying to be different for the sake of being different and have no real purpose in life, just low self-esteem and a rebellious attitude problem, you should really work on that. I mean fine, you're fluent in French, Italian and Spanish, you're a semi-professional flautist, you've met Sir James Galway, President Mugabe, Ian Smith, Pope John Paul II, Prince Charles, Rajeev Ghandi, Castro, Yasser Arafat, you did French to English translations for the Conference of nonaligned Countries and various conferences over the years, you've lived in 12 countries... yet you're obviously a very confused and unaccomplished individual. Someone like you can't raise kids!! I mean look how we turned out!!! ......... oh wait, yeah look how we turned out... hmmmm... we're all strangely independent, self sufficient, got a head on our shoulders, emotionally and intellectually mature, personable and nice, able to relate well to just about anybody, any class of society, IDEALISTIC... ETCETERA ETCETERA. Well, I do admit that most of the brilliant genes did go to the rest of my siblings, I got more of the shallow end of the gene pool, good job guys! You make me proud! Yes, boy and girls, despite our seeming "dysfunctional" unbringing we sure did come out alright. Thanks mom! Inspite of the fact that you... I mean, if it wasn't for your incessant... ummm, hmmmm did you REALLY have to... oh nevermind, I could start listing all your faults and what I think you could have done better but you know, it's not important and I LOVERS YOU anyway.

hee hee, lucky for me my mom doesn't even know what a blog is. wooot!

And how many more have a similar story?!? Tell tell tell, stand tall and be proud of your kooky upbringing! :D

Ok ya, I think I've given my life's supply of knowledge on this subject - think we'll move on to the rest of life's trivialities soon.

Genius. What's the formula?

When I grow up, I want to be a genius!

I've always associated genius with 'superior intellect' and 'vast knowledge'. Something waaaay out there, completely unattainable, something reserved soley for a few 'chosen ones' - one of them certainly not being me, that's for sure. But then I was thinking about how any genius came to be and what exactly it means to be one. Did they really wake up in the morning and nonchalantly decided they must be one of these 'chosen ones'? Did they have everything in life given to them on a silver platter and barely have to lift a finger to achieve what they did? I know we all know the answer to that! Most of them had difficult childhoods, were poor, a little eccentric perhaps, definitely not mainstream and maybe weren't even given the genius title till after they were long gone and dead, their works only discovered then. They fought and persevered, they didn't give up, they had a dream and come hell or high water they were going to do everything in their power to get as close as they could, they would die trying.

Obviously most of these guys who the world pretty much idolize today had to be born with special gifts or talents, but is it possible that elements of genius are there in all of us? Maybe it's in there, laying dormant, just waiting for us to tap into it. Sadly, it seems that the majority of mankind thinks they have nothing to give, or maybe they know it but the price is just too high and they aren't willing to pay it. Maybe they're scared? Scared to fail, scared of the opinions of others? Can't really put your finger on just what it is, but evidence shows that the average person is just living an average life, achieving average goals, just trying to keep up with the Jones'. But that's them, what about you? Actually, what about me? My problem is that I don't KNOW just yet what my dream is. It might not be anything grandiose or maginifcent, but I have something! I must have something. I need to find out what it is and then.............. begin. boldly.

My posts seem to sound so idealistic and almost farfetched! Ecchhh. To me it's real and realsitic - I have high hopes I guess, high hopes for myself. I want to grow up, but I want carry the spirit of childhood into maturity.

To the dreamers - I salute you - I hope find mine soon

A poor start in life can be the gift of brilliance. (The Sunday Times) What does it take to become a creative genius? How do people come to have breakthroughs that change the direction of science, art and history? One way to find out is to re-examine the careers of undeniably great artists, writers, scientists and thinkers, to see if they have anything in common. Psychologists have come up with some surprising findings.

For a start, geniuses do not always come from stable, happy, affluent backgrounds. One study of important creators found that a fifth of them had lost one or both parents in childhood. Tolstoy, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bach, Wagner and Chaplin are among the many who lost parents before they were 10 years old. Creative greats are more than three times more likely to have suffered this misfortune than their contemporaries in the general population.

Another study of great creators by psychologist Victor Goetzels found that three-quarters of them came from families marred not just by untimely deaths, but also by poverty, divorce, abuse, alcoholism or bankruptcy.

Whatever their motives, the thing that puts creative greats in a class apart is their terrifying productivity. Picasso had 20,000 works to his name by the time he died. Edison had 1,093 patents. But the output of a creative great is rarely even. Psychologist Dean Keith Simonton has found that the most successful creators in western culture are also the ones who have the most failures to their names. What makes them different is that they refuse to be put off by these failures, and use them instead to fuel their biggest successes.

Childhood or childishness played an important part in their outlook. Einstein often pointed out that all children asked the sort of questions that had led him to his most important discoveries. What made him different from other adults is that he had never stopped.

le produit final

Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL

it's like another musical dimension

so perfectly talented

On a scale of 1 to 10 what would you give this? (1 being the ugliest thing you've seen and 10 being the most incredible work of art - eva!) and why.

Here's another task for you: Go here and look around. Paste the link to the poster you like best in the comments section. (for the less savvy please bear in mind that this is abstract art) Just for fun!! I wanna see people's different tastes.

for whom the bell tolls

I had a conversation with my bro along the lines of giving which inspired this post. Is it possible that you could be wrong by giving too much? Is complete selflessness really the goal? Can it end up hurting you more than it helps someone else? I'm a little confused.

Well we all know: "love suffers long and is kind, love doesn't envy or vaunt, is not puffed up, does not behave unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easliy provoked, it thinks no evil - love never fails, let everything be done in love." - Maybe that's just like the goal for humanity, something we should all strive for but we won't all attain. Are some people naturally more capable of giving more than others so THEY might run the risk of giving too much and thus hurting themselves in the long run? Is being overly selfless selfish in a way, does it deny someone else the privilege of knowing the true satisfaction found in giving? Hmmmm.

I guess I just don't see a balance really. I don't know how to ask for what I need because I don't know WHAT I need, as I don't really think I need much. I feel like I have so much already, ok so maybe not sooooo much materially (NOTE: cool gifts are always welcome :D) but 'spiritually' or shall we say immaterially I don't lack for much. I am a fairly happy and optimistic individual, I was never emotionally traumatised, I had a healthy upbringing, I don't feel alone in the world, isolated, I don't carry heavy bitternesses, or memories that plague me, I am personable, friendly, generally liked, my company enjoyed, I don't suffer from any serious phobias, worries, battle depression, insomnia or any other mental disorders (I know some might interject here... hee hee) I feel lucky, but I know that not everyone is. The world can be cruel to people and leave awful scars that time may or may not heal. It's not their fault and shouldn't be treated as such. People who endured emotional abuse, exclusion, were teased, ridiculed and made to feel worthless as children will probably grow up somewhat insecure, shy, introverted, lack confidence, skeptical of others motives, maybe hopeless etc etc. And then I think that many people NEEDLESSLY suffer due to mans selfishness or maybe just a fear we have of imposing ourselves on others. Sometimes it's those things that we take for granted that mean the world to others.

I see it as our duty to humanity to inspire happiness, brotherhood, harmony, love, encourage each other etc. and if that means losing out a little personally, hurting a little because that's what it means to give sometimes, isn't it still worth it? Even if it just makes a difference to one person, gives them the edge they need to change their own life in some way (and I didn't say try and change their life for them, that's a personal decision) what if all they needed was someone to believe in them, have faith in them or to truly care about them? What if it was just one phrase or just one word, the right word spoken at just the right time, one touch, one smile that struck a chord in them and gave them just a bit more dermination, a little more of the upper hand at succeeding at their goals or just accepting themselves for who they are? It may seem unlikely to make any difference, but what if does? I may not be getting anything out of it directly, but I am gonna love seeing them happy. We can't always know the effect we have on others, but what if we just tried anyway?

I am reminded of a comment on Luchi's blog by her mom and then this "There’s that song by U2 “if God would send his angels”… We should hope to be one, no matter where or who we are." If we don't... who will?

...No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee...

ONE thing I am proud not to be...

the typical American girl's dream quest ... the search for the perrrfect man who will make our dreams come true, for HIM is the only reason I live and breath! I want his babies and a house in suburbia, 500 pairs of shoes and fake boobies, A HUMMER for me and a HUMMER for thee - there's nothing, nothing, nothing else to live for.

10 things I love about ME...and you

1. My eyes. They are green, though sometimes they look blue, depends on what I am wearing, plus I have long lashes. People have commented that they look false, I take that as a compliment(?). Strangers will sometimes walk up to me just to tell me I have pretty eyes. shweeeet.

2. Affection. I love to be touched and to touch just the same. From looong cuddles that could take up the better part of the day to just a light stroke on my little finger during a movie. Touch me and you don't have to say a word.

3. To give. I love buying things for people when I know it's something they would really like. If you need to talk 'cuz you had a bad day instead of going off and doing something I want to do I would rather stay with you. If you're sad I'll go out of my way to do something that will make you happy.

4. My life and my experiences. I know I owe who I am today to just that. Even though sometimes I feel weak and incapable I can always rely on an inner strength that over rides my feelings of hopelessness.

I have lived in 9 countries on 3 continents; I was homeschooled; have attended a private British Boarding school as well as an "american style" highschool; I've known different worlds - I grew up in an upper middleclass family environment and never lacked security, emotional support or material comfort yet my family was always worried about money, education, careers. When I was 18 I left home, deciding that normal secular life would never be for me, I became a completely voluntary missionary in The Family, I had no salary, no hope for material gain, no debts, no fincancial worries...again I never lacked security, emotional support or material comfort. (strange how that is) I'm no longer a fulltime member and am currently on the fringes of branching out into a new and totally unknown future, though "normal" life is still not for me - I intend to find my place somewhere, somehow. My experiences in life have caused me to become a happy, somewhat carefree, high spirited individual and though no person can ever claim to have lived an idillic life I count myself fortunate that I have never suffered or had to endure anything above what I am capable of handling. I will use every experience as an oportunity to grow and to improve as a human being.

5. Exercise! I joined the gym not too long ago and it is indeed money well spent. I say if you are serious about trying to get fit and healthy JOIN A GYM! If you have to pay for something you WILL milk it for what it's worth. Upon joining they give a free body fat analysis and measure you up etc when I first started I was at 26% body fat...yeeeck (ideal being below 20%) 2 weeks later I was down to 23%! It's great to have a goal and see results and it's great to feel healthy and energetic.

6. Honesty. I cannot stand mind games!! If you're mad at me, tell me! If you are happy with me, TELL ME! Do you think I am pretty? Then tell me dammit! I am not a mind reader. Don't walk around nonchalant and silent, making me guess if I did something that bugs you, if I did I want to know - TACTFUL straight forwardness and honesty you know? Oh and WORSE yet don't make me guess if you care, that's just unnecessarily stressful on anyone's nerves, mind and heart. That's the way I am "I do unto other as I would have them do to me" Oh and don't EVER start to tell me something and then say "ohhh nevermind!" ARRGHHGHHGHGH

7. Pretty things. HEHE, who'da thunk? Yes that's right, I seem to have passed my tomboy stage in life (23 years was it?) and suddenly I like girly things! It's not entirely GONE by anymeans but it's entirely less than what it was. I like pretty skirts and pretty tops, I like my hair long, I like flowers and nice smelling things (nice smelling boys) But no, no no no noooooo noooooo, there's not an ounce of "Stepford Wife" in me - I have no intenion of getting married and becoming an official wife! I just like to feel pretty sometimes.

8. My sense of humour. I don't think I am a very funny person personally, I don't know any jokes by memory and never have clever comebacks!!!!! "oh yeah?!?! yeah!?!??! well you.....you're just.... ummmm you look like...... like.... like a... you're just.... just like FAT or something!! yeah!!" I am easily amused, easily humoured, quick to laugh again even if I was fuming not too long ago. The littlest things keep me happy and entertained. I don't require a lot of time and heavy concentrated attention, just the tinniest gestures and simplest things spoken will satisfy and appease me. (but hey let's make them a taaaad frequent!;))

9. My ability to forgive and move on. I don't hold grudges. Sometimes I hold on to a little bit of hurt inflicted by someone for a while but in a short amount of time it fades and becomes unimportant to my interaction with the person. Making an effort (forcing myself) to communicate little things to people is my sure instant grudge free formula, sometimes the person was never really aware or maybe they had just as little courage as I did to be the first one to broach the subject. Always be the better man. Strive to be the first to forgive.

10. I don't like to waste time. Everything I do has to have some purpose and meaning and an end result. I don't like to get involved in something if I know it's doomed or likely to fade into oblivion. I have a lot of faith in others and try to see the good in them at all costs, overlooking insignificant human flaws and realising I have my own. I am intense, I am emotional. I am intense when I love and intense as a friend. No need to wonder how my relationship with you is going, I am an open book in that respect.If I start to withdraw my attentions more than I usually give then you might have to worry that something is going on and telling me you've noticed - that would be like backing me into a corner and I'd have no choice but to be honest with you (shucks, now you know my secret!)

I am very imperfect and highly flawed, but I am who I am, with a few streaks of narcissism :D Maybe I will follow this up with a "10 things I hate about me" post. (that's tooooooooo easy!!)

Ugh!

"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."

- I never want to become "normal" and to the best of my ability will never settle down, never compromise, never stop seeking new adventures. With a passion I always want to be different and never be ashamed of who I am and where I came from, I pride myself in knowing I am different even if it means being less popular with the masses - I don't like the masses, I don't care. If I like you, it's because you're probably different too and aren't ashamed to show it. I may not amount to much, but at least I am unique.

Thank you and good day!

M-i-d S-u-n-d-a-y M-i-d S-u-n-d-a-y M-i-d S-u-n-d-a-y

AQUALUNG biznatches!!

A few of muh personal favourites.

*Brighter Than Sunshine
*Breaking my Heart Again
*Strange and Beautiful
*Easier to Lie
*Extraordinary Thing!!

S-u-n-d-a-y S-u-n-d-a-y S-u-n-d-a-y

not like the weekend has much significance to me, since it's when I work the most, but for the all of ya (I love my bad English, really I do), FOR the all of ya who are being lazy today, well Feck You! heehee. Nawwwww, actually I hope you'll kick it back and

enjoy this tune

that is fitting to listen to while you're at it. If you haven't heard of Sufjan Stevens, well now you have and if you listen to enough of his stuff you'll be elligible to enter the ranks of the "TRULY AWESOME" - till then you'll have to contend with your civilian status of the "mediocre and totally not awesome" sorry, it's not my choice. YOU on the other hand CAN CHOOSE! Will you choose to be less of a person than you could be?! Nay, I say! Do not wish such avoidable fate upon yourself.

Makes me completely retarded

that's right, even the guys participated in this one

I was going through some pics today and came across these. Can't remember if there was anyone getting nekkid at THIS particular time, but drunken memories do tell me we had a pretty good time. If I remember correctly (hmmm when there's alcohol involved does is that possible?) we played that card blowing game and if you were the one to blow the remaining cards off the beer bottle you had to take the shot. Being poor that we were, or just insisting to make do with what we had, we had beer shots! complete with penis straw!Whose on earth is that?! And who had those X-Rated playing cards?! Ohhhhhhhhhhh gente de mi pueblo! :) I misses yoooou!

They're doing that blending thing... again

My days that is. One passes, along comes the next and Ta-Daaaa, it's as if it's not even tomorrow! What a trickster! Tomorrow is yesterday, yesterday is today and today is tomorrow yesterday, only the calendar shows a different number, though the clock ticks amazing slow as it did today, or yesterday, or was it tomorrow? I get bored easily I think and living in a non active environment does me no good whatsoever. I think I may have closed myself up into a little shell, my little bubble which protects me from harsh reality - it's like my survival instinct know what I mean? Maybe it's just me. When I have no choice but to endure something I find it all to easy to hide away in my mind, my little world where everyone is frolicking through the meadows, smiling and laughing, it helps me cope and I don't lose my mind entirely. It's not that life is so terrible, just a little horridly unchallenging and I feel more and more anxious to get on with life. I will always have that unconditional love... thing going for my family, BUT I really think the clock has struck and I have squeezed every ounce of usefulness I could possibly have left in me and it is TIME. It has been time for a while now but the shackels of responsibilty I wore needed to be removed slowly so as not to upset the "equilibrium" (riiiiight). So yay, they're gone! Now the anxiousness of what's next is setting in, I am excited yet completely petrified. It is impossible for me to peer into the future like I once thought I was able to do. I wouldn't call myself any kind of soothsayer/prophet of course but I remember always having a clear picture of my life months and sometimes years ahead. Things of course wouldn't always work out just as I thought but I was able to, I guess you could say entertain a fantasy and thus would find comfort in that, somewhat childish I would say. But that ability is gooooone and tis a lil' freakay as I have no crutch. Ahhhhhh, I have no crutch!!! Is that called growing up?? hmmmmmmm HMMMMMMMM. So to further push myself into the realm of the unknown I AM HEADING WEST!! Come end of this month. I always seem to use 'finding crazy ass cheap air tickets' as my sign from the god's and waddayaknow, I found a crazy ass cheap ticket! So, ladies and gentlemen, stay tuned for more frolicking adventures from this wild child who is probably gonna have a string of tales - hopefully more happy than sad. Just 3 more weeks to go here in Denver, 3 more weeks of groundhog's day, let's all say a few extra prayers, cross our fingers and hope for the best.

anyhoo, my blog deserves a face lift. some cheerful polka-dots perhaps. they're all pretty shyte, I think blogger purposely uses poop templates to force us off of our lazy asses. I would get off mine but I don't really know where to go to study the art of HTML. I think it would be a great way to channel my dormant creativity, any help oh world of cyber?