Futbol, Football, Soccer?

Thoughts on the World Cup: So far it's been quite fascinating! I must admit, I've never really been much of a soccer fan, but I've been trying to open up my sports mind. I've totally been one of those Americans who has never been able to appreciate the sport- how can a scoreless game be exciting? That just sounds like TERRIBLE playing, right? But after reading some articles on it, I feel like I've been able to see the art of it. How every kick can leave you on the edge of your seat, because it could be the difference between a win, loss, or draw. Maybe the Europeans have been on to something this entire time?

I also think it's kinda sad how USA is the kid that all the other kids pick on. Even though we may be bigger than some of the other ones, we're not as popular as they are, so we're still the one being ganged up on. I guess I never realized how much US Soccer (excuse me, football) is a joke to other countries. I mean, we're coming in here pretty well ranked. Within the top 15 of 32 teams- if I can do math, that is the top 50%. While we may not have as much of a focus on it within the US, with American football easily being the most appreciated sport, we're still not terrible. How big are we? What's our population? Certainly we can put together a decent team out of all those millions of citizens. I really enjoyed watching the much anticipated US/England match. Say whatever you want, I feel like the US definitely held their own against England. No one can deny that the game came down to the keepers, and I can definitely understand why England was upset over the US goal, BUT every member of a team comes together to make a whole (unless we're talking about former Dallas Cowboys from stupid Ohio State). And at that moment the team failed and the US succeeded. Enough said. And really, are y'all seriously so upset that ya have to make low headlines like "Green's Goal: One Mistake the Yanks Won't be Complaining About". YOU'RE COMPANY BRITISH PETROLEUM IS RUINING OUR GULF. How can we NOT be upset over that? One little soccer game? Not as big a deal, thank you very much.

But maybe that's because the draw was the equivalent to a win for the US and a loss for England. Suck it up; we're here to play- and we're here to stay! Although I must admit I think my favorite moment was before the game. When the US national anthem was played before both teams and countries. Seriously, our national anthem is basically another whole other screw you to England! Seriously. It is. Wonder how many of their people actually know that or think about it. I mean, I don't really think of other countries' anthems, but of course, none of them are about us! At least as far as I know?

Ok- on another sports note. I get to meet DeMarcus Ware tomorrow! I can not even explain how freaking excited I am for this! It's all part of my internship, which I think is awesome! I don't even think I can explain on here how much of a Dallas Cowboys fan I am. I used to have an Emmitt Smith poster on my wall, I chose to do a presentation on any celebrity over him, and will always remember the exact moment I was when he broke the all-time rushing yards. I still to this day go out of my way to watch their game every Sunday and get super depressed when I can't. I'm a huge fan. Just take my word on it.

So apparently quite a few NFL players came together to make a book for a good cause. It's called NFL Dads Dedicated to Daughters. It's personal stories from players on the relationship with their daughters to help bring an end and awareness to Domestic Abuse. Well, Ware is doing a signing in the DFW area (actually like 10 mins away from my house), and I was asked to go to get some books signed that we can use in the future for auctions and raffles to raise money. Although I only need to get 4, I'm going to get another one on the side for my own personal collection. Also, cameras are going to be a must. I reaaaaaaaally hope I'll be able to take a photo with him!

Anyways, hitting up the ATX this weekend! Definitely can't wait! Shall be fun!

Ale-Alejandro

Hi there guys!

So I got a lot of sleep last night! Which isn't exactly the best thing? My alarm didn't go off! I've been having a lot of problems with my phone lately for a couple of months now. It doesn't ring every time I get a text message or call, and since this is the second time already my alarm hasn't gone off, I'm starting to wonder if it's affecting it now. The last time it happened I slept in ten minutes. Today it was a whole hour. Thank goodness I woke up when I did! I didn't get any chance to check my emails or de-stress before work, but I did show up ONLY about 5 minutes late thanks to the grace of Jelly Beans! Don't ask me where that came from? I have no idea?

Today we had an interesting group of volunteers come in. My cashier from Central Market this past weekend (who I did tell him I'd be seeing there, and he ignored ME when I said hi! Maybe he forgot), and a group of probational Juveniles! I didn't know for awhile, and didn't even think anything was up when their group leader said they must go back to work as a group and wait for the others to come back from the bathroom; they were obviously minors so I just thought he wanted to be responsible. It wasn't until he said he had to go in there after about 2 minutes that I got a little confused. He then quickly explained their situation, which then made sense. I talked to a few of them during that short time. One had a nasty looking black eye who just couldn't understand how I could work an 8-5. "My 8-1 is hard enough for me!" They also expressed over and over again how much they wanted to be home instead of there. But, they had a great repertoire with their two leaders, which was quite refreshing to see. We have people come in from prison with a Second Chance program to help, which is always heart-warming. So, I hope this act of volunteerism really struck a cord with these kids. They truly all did seem to be quite sweet.

My Marketing Plan is almost complete! Right now it's at almost 4 full pages, but that last page is really only an explanation for new things mentioned in the Marketing Plan which have not been in place before. So, I'm not really quite sure if that counts or not. But, it's only a rough draft of one, and I'll get some feedback from it on Thursday, so hopefully it'll only get stronger! I have a lot of changes proposed, which sounds like they wanted. It's not like they wanted me to create a plan for a program which already existed just so I can have the experience of making a plan. That's just dumb. I'm sad I won't actually be here to watch how it'll all play out. I also have to constantly remind myself that this one program is not the entire focus of the operation, which is difficult. I kind of want it to be the main focus of all the different areas. That'll definitely be hard when talking to PR, I'm going to be asking a lot from them! But, since it's all about how to better market it, PR would definitely have to have a big role in it! It makes sense? At least to me. But, I'd rather bring too many big ideas to the table than not enough, I just hope I won't take it harshly if they don't take on everything. I know it's a lot to ask, but I think it'll definitely work! This thing is already feeling like my baby...

So, don't judge, but last night was real emotional for me. It was the Glee finale! I am a hardcore Gleek. No lie. If you're a fan of the show, then you know what I'm talking about! I didn't cry. I only shed two tears. But, after talking to friends, I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one. When the students all sat down and said how Glee club had changed them, I just couldn't handle it. I think it all happened when it was Finn's turn talking about how before Glee club he never had a father. GAH! How are you NOT suppose to cry?? Le sigh. I'm going to miss it during it's off season. What a twist of an ending though! I loved it!

Whoops. Church just came in. Saw somebody wearing a shirt of a local highschool I know. Asked him if he goes there. He was one of the leaders. Ouch. In my defense- he looked super young! How was I suppose to know?

Oh well, what the hell. Sorry for the language. Just started re-reading Catch-22 again. Had to do it.

Hope y'all have a great week/end!

PEACE!

La-De-Daaaaah

So things have picked up a bit around here... Now lets begin!

Friday night I helped with an art gallery opening! It was hosted by my internship, and therefore, I got to do some stuff leading up to the event, such as making 100 goodie bags (which was actually kinda tiring) and creating signs. The actual event was pretty cool, but also kinda boring at the same time. I stood for nearly 2 hours up at the front with the sign telling everybody to "go back past the double doors and to the left." Let me just say this. Walking around in high heels actually isn't that bad, it's not! But- standing in high heels it is. The pressure is just focused in one area. Anyways, it was fascinating to get a chance to listen to the artist speak. He's done multiple types of these collections focusing on various issues, so his passion really is to bring art and humanitarianism together. Surprisingly enough one of the warehouse employees was actually featured in it. It came to a surprise to almost everybody there, and it was much different to go through it actually knowing one of the people featured.

It's nice to see some of my projects finally starting to tie-up a bit. We're about to make a lot of purchases of items which I've collected bids for! Caps and tablecloths/runners tomorrow. Soon we'll be ordering pencils, shirts, totes, and mugs! I've also been given a HUGE project today which will be my legacy post-internship. I got kinda overwhelmed at first listening to everything I was suppose to do, but I'm really starting to get excited now! I'm even almost done with the rough draft of my marketing plan! I like the creativity in it. The fact that it's not so monotonous and, like I said, it'll be something implemented into the business which will continue to go on without me. So the pressure is on!

Today I participated in my first all staff meeting. Woot. I ended up sitting with the other intern and la hermana. Apparently every month they start off with a welcoming of new faces, including us interns (and new babies!). Probably didn't help me and Joc's cause when I included in my introduction "I'm her little sister" and theeeeeeeeen... "and we're not twins!" Except this time I was joined in by Joc... Doing the exact hand movement as each other. I know after 20 (almost 21) years it's expected we would have the same mannerisms, but really? It's never going to end.

Whelp. There's at least a little update. US versus England on Saturday! Sleeping Beauty ballet on Sunday! I already can't wait for next weekend...

Working for the Clampdown

So, I'm sitting here at my desk. 3 tabs full of pictures of Grocery Totes; and one (the opened one) on a Newsweek article on what the show 24 says about our Presidency. I've never watched 24 before. Ever. In my life. Quite frankly, I?ve already gone through the fun articles: Magic wins, Heroin kills, Queen opens up Parliament, Floptina (Christina Aguilera) cancels tour, etc.

Right now I'm just sitting here while everybody around me works on their projects. 2 more hours until I get my next one. Now don't get me wrong, I have been working- and working hard! I think that may be the problem. I've always loved logical little things to complete, so put an easy task in front of me- BAM, it's done. Yes within 2 and a half days I've gone to a hundred different companies websites, searched, and found their Community Relations focus areas, and their headquarters. Simple, just suppose to take a longer amount of time to do. Insert information from 35 business cards into a computer system? Just a couple of hours.

My big project I'm working on right now is very stop-and-go. Did a bunch of research to narrow down to 3. One day. The frustrating part right now is to wait on different places to get back to me. I hate being on other people's time. As soon as I get new information I input in and then wait some more. Gah. It's kinda killing me right now!

Check the email again. No new messages. C'mon companies! Keep up with me, please!

I just realized this morning just how short summer really is. I have my next few weekends already lined up with things to do. Lake House, art show, World Cup, ATX, 4th of July. All lined up, all busy. I can't believe it's my last summer. It honestly does break my heart a bit.

I also just can't believe how grown up my friends and I are now. Just 3 years ago I was a doe-eyed little girl thinking that because I was about to become 18 I was going to be an adult. Nope. This is the real-world, honey. I always promised myself I would never work in a cubicle, and look where I'm at right now. (Check email again- no new messages.) This here is the real world. Setting your alarm for 6:20 to wake up, take out the trash, make yourself lunch, drive to work. No sleeping in until 9, only to wake up to do your school reading until class begins. Nope, not here. By 8 you're in front of your computer replying to those emails sent AFTER you left the workplace. Just working for the clampdown (duh-dun-duh!).

The other intern began yesterday. Guess I'm no longer the intern. Kind of a shame. I liked it. Funny and true story... She walks in yesterday and we're wearing almost the exact same outfit. A simple white button up with three-quarter rolled up leaves buttoned up too, jeans, and light pink flats. What? How did this happen? As if people don't already confuse me with my sister, now I'm going to be confused with the other intern? At least we look different today. Hopefully, we can keep it up a bit.

Still. No new emails. 1:50 until I get my next project.

I must admit I'm excited for this weekend. With it being memorial day weekend, the whole clan of us is driving out to East(ern) Texas to go stay at my Aunt and Uncle's lake house. I love a good lake, and Texas definitely has the best! There's going to be 11 of us, so it should be a fun (crazy, and interesting) time for all! And of course, there'll be lots of desserts. Guess the little Suzie-Homemaker in me is going to come out. I got suckered into making something- with threats of break and bake cookies if I don't do it. But, I really don't mind. Baking is just such a relaxing thing to do. As long as you don't give yourself a second-degree burn. Just going to put another episode of the Tudors on and ravel in the amazingness of it and it's horrible historical inaccuracies. If it weren't for the fact that I love everything about the Tudor family so much, I would hate it. Seriously, it's ridiculously wrong about so much. A brunette King Henry VIII? No. One with 6-pack abs? Maybe during the Katherine of Aragon/early Anne Boleyn ages. But by Jane Seymour he was morbidly obese.

Ok, by this point I'm just rambling because I'm bored. NO NEW EMAILS.

Well, I leave you now with a video which sums up my life right now exactly. Trust me, I love the internship. I just can't believe I'm only 20 and I'm already giving in to capitalism. Aren't I suppose to be sticking-it-to-the-man right now? Guess I was never much the rebellious one. Le sigh.

Ooh! New article! Owner of chimp in mauling attack dies! I've always hated primates...

New Summer-New News

So this summer I'm doing an internship in the Dallas area this summer, so I had to (obviously) move here for a little bit. That's cool because most of my extended family is in the area and everything. The biggest question for the summer though was: where am I going to live? Just this past week I decided on a place and moved in yesterday! It's a house very close to my family (which was a HUGE plus)- but is also inhabited by a bunch of college guys. Now, the good thing is out of three of them only one will be around this summer, and that won't even really be until July! So I have this whole house to myself at the moment!

It's a pretty nice house but pretty obvious it's a guy house. There are posters for movies everywhere (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Reservoir Dogs, etc.) all over and multiple video game consoles by their big screen TV. There's only one thing I wish I had looked at before ultimately deciding and moving in... the bathroom. It's definitely not the cleanest. Now, I'm not saying I'm the cleanest person myself... but I've never allowed my bathroom get so bad that I have to walk over a hanging Daddy Longleg to get into the shower. This morning I went out and bought about $15 of cleaning supplies and I'm starting to get working on the bathroom/house. I have the sink done and presentable and the toilet much better. But, I kinda forgot to buy a bath mat and scrubbing sponge of some sort. I'm at the point where I NEED to take a shower. So I guess I'm just going to need to suck it up and take one for the team. Gonna go put those extra Old Navy flip-flops on and keep my eyes closed!

On a positive note- this place has both Tivo AND Showtime! And they have Seasons 3 & 4 of the Tudors recorded which they said they would keep for me to watch! So life has been pretty easy at the moment, just unpacking (which is mostly done) while catching up on Season 2. Guess who is not going to do a thing this entire weekend? That's right. This girl. But my internship doesn't start until Monday, so I can afford to!

Last night was a great night! Went with my grandma and primo to hear a lecture on the Spanish Monarchy, with a focus on their tapestry, at one of the museums in the area. Then stopped off for some good Southern deep-fried food and had a deep philosophical discussion on existentialism and whether it was better to live ignorant and blissful or depressed but wise. It was funny to sit back and just look at how much we've come since little kids running around with each other.

Other than the bathroom- life is going pretty good.

Oh- I also decided that one of the things on my bucket list is to read the whole 1,200 page book Les Miserables. Now to leave you with my favorite song from the musical. I've actually never seen it, but I do know some of the music, and from what I know this is my fave.

L-O-V-E

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around."

First off- Merry Christmas everybody!

With the Christmas season abuzz lately, I've been thinking a lot about the holiday favorite film Love Actually. Yes, that comedic (yet romantic) British movie that everybody loves. The film follows a multitude of relationships, from the platonic to the hopeless and, of course, the passionate. While the movie has it's ups and downs, it overall has an important message to it: love is everywhere. Whether it's from a spouse, a parent, or a friend; one is never far from love.

While the movie provides many quotable sayings ("I hate Uncle Jamie!") my favorite lines from the entire movie are the ones said at the very beginning. The opening of the movie is a series of captured video from the London-Heathrow airport of people being reunited with each other. What makes the candid shots so powerful is the absolute true emotion of love which is seen. Something which no amount of cinematography or acting can capture. Over top of these embraces Hugh Grant tells the message of the film.

I hope that this past holiday everybody was able to find love is the simplest places.  I know it's easy to lose the spirit of the holiday within the shuffle of the materialism. While we tend to try to show our love through presents around this time, it's much more meaningful to do it in other ways.

Remember- the first day of Christmas just began today. We have 11 more to go. Try to be a little more patient with a friend or relative, or give them an extra hug or real compliment. All of these things go far.

And never forget- Love is all around.

Rent

The first weekend of November I happened to find myself pretty sick after a random and sudden case of tonsillitis. It was a Friday night, and also Homecoming weekend, so I found myself alone in my room while my friends were all at the concert on campus. I decided I couldn't get myself to do anything other than just lay down, so I decided to watch something to keep myself busy while I was exerting all that hard energy. I just so happened to run across a recorded stage performance of the musical Rent on Broadway, and watched it for the rest of the evening.

Anybody who really knows me knows that I love musicals. I have a teensy-tiny obsession with Gene Kelley, and occasionally (and by that I mean quite often) will burst out into some of my favorite songs filling in all the roles myself. Although I'm too young to have partaken in the original movement of the musical Rent, it's become one of my all-time favorites, and definitely one which I can relate to on some level.

While most musicals are cheesy and full of flair, which no lie, is partially why I enjoy them, Rent is raw. It's not bright colors and skipping, but it's dirty- and it's not afraid to talk about the hardships of life. It deals with what real relationships are like, not ignoring their ups, but not denying their downs. It also isn't afraid to deal with difficult issues head on- with multiple characters living with HIV or AIDs, not knowing where their next meal is coming from, and don't really have a real place to live. As it says in the song Rent, "How can you connect in an age/ Where strangers, landlords, lovers/ Your own blood cells betray."

The characters of the musical are also extremely well developed. They all have flaws, but they're all relatable- not too over the top. They all deal with the same problems that people in real life do too. Everybody knows a drug-addict, a struggling musician/filmmaker, somebody dealing with a terminal illness, trying to keep a stable relationship with jealousy and mistrust involved, or just simply getting over being dumped. Maybe you're one of these people yourself! Not only do you begin to develop a relationship with these characters whom you're watching, but you find yourself in them and all of their relationships. When they're in pain, you're able to channel that feeling which you've once felt yourself.

One of my favorite things about the musical is obviously the music. All of the songs were written to have a rock edge to them, make it closer to the music of that time period. They easily sounds like songs which can be found on the radio. But most importantly, many of the songs from Rent can be read at poetry themselves; such as their hit song Seasons of Love which I've embedded the song in a video in this post. Just sit back and really listen to the words of the song.

If you haven't seen the musical, I highly encourage it. Unfortunately it's no longer being performed on Broadway, but most of the original cast (whom really took them on and defined them, since they were still being developed after they had been cast) can be seen in the movie- which is not to be missed. Or, if you don't really want to put in all that effort, you can find some pretty amazing clips online. I definitely encourage watching Another Day as a stage performance, especially with original cast if you can find them.

I just want to end this post with what I've learned from Seasons of Love. Time moves fast. Enjoy it while you can. Live every minute of your life with an agenda, and make the most of it while you can. Accept all of the things which come with living- the good and the bad, because just being able to feel is what makes life worthwhile.