El gimnasio - The gym

Yesterday I worked out three times! The first time was in the morning before my classes - a little bit in my apartment - push-ups, crunches and jumping jacks. After classes I went to the gym at school for two more hours - I ran, lifted weights, did [more!] push-ups and pull-ups, crunches and I stretched. At night, after my buddy Hector and I saw a movie - ''The Pineapple Express" so funny! - and after eating some cake in a Brazilian bakery, we went dancing at Club Red. It was so much fun and we danced for two or more hours.... I look forward to the next super late night of dancing! And of course, I forgot to mention, there were a few tequila shots in there too, haha :)

¡¡¡Ayer hice ejercisio TRES TIEMPOS!!! La primera vez estaba en la mañana antes de mis clases - un poquito en mi apartamento - flexiónes (de brazos/pechos), abdominales y salto con palmada. Después de mis clases fui al gimnasio en la escuela por dos or mas horas - corrí, levanté las pesas, hice flexiónes [¡más!] y dominadas, abdominales y me estiré. En la noche, después de mi amigo Hector y yo miramos una película - "The Pineapple Express'' ¡que gracioso! - y después de comiendo postres en una panadería brasileña, fuimos a bailar en Cantina Roja. Estaba muy divertido y bailemos por dos o mas horas.... ¡Miro hacia al futuro para la próxima super tarde noche de bailar! Y por su puesto, me olvidé mencionar, también había algunos tragos/chupitos de tequila, jaja :)

Coca-Cola and the corporations...

I'm sitting here in the commuter lounge watching the Coke man refill the machine, and wondering to myself, "How can he be happy with that job?" It's not the mundane task of removing the earned cash or refilling the bottles that I don't understand - it's having a job in which you're selling absolute shit to people, which in the long run is adding towards bad health and poor nutrition. Perhaps it's job security. I doubt that Coca-Cola will ever go out of business (though I wish they would), thus this guy's got it made. I just couldn't ever see myself working for a company that doesn't do anything positive for the health of it's clients.

I have this professor, Sra. Elissondo, who was born in Argentina and is a left-winger. She's absolutely one of the most liberal women I have met in my life. She despises multinational corporations and feels very strongly towards equality rights for all. And, like me, she just doesn't get - or care about - the business world, how it works and all of its money-making schemes. Already, on my second day of class with her, I have developed a deep respect for her and her openness with her opinions of the world in which we live.

Oh yeah, did I mention that I learned all these things in Spanish? :) All my classes are conducted in Spanish and I am learning lots of social and cultural themes that I may not have encountered before in any of my English-speaking classes. What a shame I never took more social-minded classes.

P.S. What a shame about Coca-Cola owning Fanta and it containing heaps of HFCS because I discovered its orangey goodness for the first time when I was in Israel in summer of 1997. Tasty...but I no longer partake in its goodness (or badness?).

Argh.

Today I discovered that the books I bought for my Level II Intermediate Spanish class didn't come with the audio CD as I had hoped...and as it seems like I'll need them to do the exercises in the workbook. Sans CD, the textbook and workbook still cost $159!!! Outrageous, right? Well, just now I looked on Amazon.com just for the heck of it and saw an offer for all three - the textbook, workbook AND audio CD - for $154.15!!!!! How pissed am I?! Yeah, and of course now I can't return my textbook and workbook because they came bound in plastic and I already unwrapped them, argh. I want to get the CD but really don't feel like spending another $20+ on the disc and S&H. Bitch. I just want to yell at the publishing companies for screwing us over all the time!

Ahhh...to be a student again.

El primer dia - The first day

Hoy estuve mi primer día de mis clases del semestre primavera - Today was my first day of spring semester classes. En la primera clase, estuve muy nerviosa y anxiosa - In my first class, I was very nervous and anxious. Hace nuevo años desde mi última clase en que estaba estudiando la gramática de español - It's been nine years since my last class where I was studying Spanish grammar. La clase se llama Español Intermedio, Nivel II - The class is called Intermediate Spanish, Level II. Después de la clase me descansé en el centro de los estudiantes, estudiar y tomar una siesta, jeje - After class I relaxed in the student center, studying and taking a nap, hehe. Los dos mas clases están Conversaciónes I y II y en las estuve mas relajado, con confianza en sí mismo y en mis habilidades - The other two classes are Conversation I and II in which I was more relaxed, with confidence in myself and my skills.

Ahora me voy a leer algunos de mis apuntas y acurrucarse con mi oso de peluche, jajaja - Now I'm going to read some of my notes and cuddle with my teddy bear, hahaha. ¡Estaba un día con mucho estreso y necesito dormir mucho para mañana! - It was a stressful day and I need a lot of sleep for tomorrow!

Hasta luego... See you later...

So many things.

Life has been hectic-ly lovely lately. I finally moved to Worcester, started and finished one winter session course and met some great people. My class started before I had an apt, so I stayed for a week with my new friend Mollie. We met on Craigslist. She has an adorable dog Blucka and a super-cuddly cat Burgle. Then Nart moved in, he's fun. We all have fun teasing each other and joking around. Then I moved out and into my new place a few miles away. Now the three of us bug each other on Facebook and I show up unannounced to visit when I can. It's great!

My winter session course was intense and I loved every moment. Okay, I got sick of memorizing after the first week, but it pays off! It was a great ice-breaker for getting back into a college degree program. I realized, though, that I need to do a LOT of grammar and verb reviewing this semester. I intended to study my verbs this weekend but instead finished unpacking, put away the boxes, did laundry, cleaned the apt and went shopping (grocery and other). They were all tasks that needed to be done. I was about to start nibbling on the counters if I didn't make it to the market, haha.

My Spanish professor thinks I'm a klutz...I think she's right....
I spilled a mug of tea today, all over the floor.
Prior to that I spilled water while I was watering my plants.
A few years ago I sprained both ankles, on two different occasions.
I fell off my bike when I was 8 or 9 and had major stitches.
One time I ran to get the phone and smacked into a pole.
In high school I walked into a screen door (I didn't see it!).
Oh there are so many more, but I can't think of them right now.

Last week Hector (a friend) and I went to dinner at the Boynton for salad and pizza. It was good, but not the best. I will find the best pizza in Worcester...even if I have to eat pizza every weekend for the next three months! Okay, that's not likely, and not in my budget, but I love pizza so much that I'd be okay with it!

Tomorrow night Rich is coming up from Providence and we might have dinner at the Sole Proprietor. If not, we might go somewhere else. The Sole serves a lot of fish, which I normally don't like...but they have sushi and I am happy with that! I guess my last statement could be confusing to some; let me clarify. I love sushi but not [most] cooked fish. I will eat cooked squid, tempura soft-shell crab or shrimp and crab cakes (i.e. fried dough with bits of clam that you can't taste anyway). BUT, I will not eat Salmon in any way, shape or form. Too fishy. Nor scallops. I've downed a few cherrystones with lemon juice and Tabasco in my time, but they just gave me a belly ache.

I was just checking out other people's photos on Flickr and I came across "muskrat love". It reminded me that I've always wanted to have my body painted...perhaps Halloween 2009?

I'm feeling tired and think I'll have a short nap. Last night's (this morning's) sleep was interrupted just past 4 a.m. by a text message from Pete, saying he didn't think he'd come visit today because he was up plowing and hadn't been to sleep at all. Then our plow guy called at 8:30 a.m. while I was trying to sleep in. I was prompted to go downstairs to move mine and Jaime's cars so the plow guy could clean out the driveway. Not a bad reason to get up I don't think.

Ta-ta for now....