Hydrate yo’ kids! Hydrate yo’ granny! Hydrate yo’ self! It’s a bit warm here.
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Category: just how it is sometimes
Plans Schmans
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Am I right or am I right?! You think you have these plans set up for you – I am going to do this, and then this is gonna happen, and then this and this and this. And guess what? It doesn’t really ever happen that way. I have things I want to happen with my life and it seems I am in the boat at the moment. But then again, I had things that I didn’t plan and life is still fantastically amazing. Keep your head above water friends!
Oh, and – HAPPY NEW YEAR! ox
ps – Thank you to DOGHOUSE DIARIES.
So Long, Farewell, Adios
The summer weather has officially come to an end. WAAHHHHH. I was so enjoying going on a bike ride in shorts and a t-shirt, really gonna miss that. And while I loathe speaking about the weather I make exceptions for awesome storms. Coming from Oklahoma (where the wind comes sweeping down the plains) where practically EVERY thunderstorm was amazing and then moving to Spain (where the rain stays mainly on the plain), I miss my storms.
October seems to be the month when a good one hits every few years or so. The last one I remember was about four or five years ago, which even resulted in a small tornado and sadly one death. I was home when the sky went black and the wind picked up and my plants sitting on the second floor balcony blew to the ground and the pots broke into tons of pieces. The storm that hit yesterday was expected but many people still seemed to be caught off guard. I was in Palma teaching when 50 litres of water per square meter fell in fifteen minutes. When I left I had to turn my car around twice from the road being too flooded to cross (while at each one there was at least one car that had tried to pass through the water and failed).
The lightning flashed while I drove to my next class, water was pouring down the streets with nowhere for it to go, cars were stranded in deep water and traffic jams were everywhere. Thank goodness there weren’t any deaths but the ambulances and firetrucks were busy. My boyfriend was at the dentist (yuck) when the storm hit and when he came home the house was a bit flooded but all the cats were there! YAY!
But the pool looked like this. Yikes. Hope the landlord has insurance.
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Helloooooo? And you are SUPER DUPER!
HOLA! I want to thank all of my followers for um, well, following me. You guys totally rock.
And I just want to make a quick apology (which they say, as a blogger, you shouldn’t do). I know I have been absent on the blog and I am SUPER sorry. LO SIENTO!! Things are crazy, school is coming to an end and all the class times are changing. So some parents are wanting more English classes from me and my schedule has been a bit screwy. I have some great blog post ideas so please check back soon. I hope by next week things will have calmed down a bit.
But until then, I just want you to know THIS:
No Mas
ADUANAS
is holding my mom’s christmas present to me for ransom. While that could be punny (yes I meant to write punny) because my last name is Ransom and there you go. Take it or leave it.
I try to keep this blog light and fun and not to bitch about things in life. But this time I just have to. WHY is it so freaking difficult to get my CHRISTMAS PACKAGE!?!?! Grupo Correos/Aduanas (customs) feel that I am a merchant and I have to pay taxes because my mom wrote a value of $200. She didn’t know, and USPS should have told her, if it is a gift, write it is $1. And even though I have done everything they have asked me to do – fill out and fax the form with my info, my passport number, email, etc. plus stating it is only a present from my mother, I am not a commercial merchant. BLAH BLAH BLAH. Now after waiting for over two weeks since I sent the fax and hearing nothing but crickets I had my friend call to find out what’s going on – they say they didn’t receive the fax but they will check on it. My friend called today, now they want a list of everything in the package and how much each item cost. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!?!?
If my mom wouldn’t be charged for having it returned to her I would just say, fuck that, return it. But she would be charged at least $45 for return shipping cost. Isn’t this fun!?
Okay, I am done. This was post 199 for your information. I promise post TWO HUNDRED (!!!) will be full of joy and rainbows and puppies. And hopefully the statement of finally receiving a package.
One for the Road
Maybe it is my slightly off-kilter view on life but I found this gas station slash bar slash wc stop in Poland most amusing. Nothing like a glass of whiskey before your drive home.
changes
And then there are days where nothing is right. Everything blows up in your face, your loved ones (human and furry) are sick, are in pain and you can do nothing but keep the love flowing. Keep them in your prayers, hold their hand (or paw), give them some medicine to swallow in hopes of alleviating the pain, in hopes of adding more days, more months to their life. Because you want them in your life for as long as you live. You will be so heartbroken when they are gone. But you know that in the natural order of things, they will go before you. And you will grieve for them. And sometimes it isn’t even a death but maybe a fight, an argument, a place you have come to in your life that you feel lost, you feel like there is nothing you can do, nothing you can say that will change things. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you wanted them to, and sometimes those dreams don’t come true.
Death, sadness, your dreams trampled are a part of life. What you do when that happens is important. You cry, you scream, you throw punches in the air.
And then, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go again. Until you just can’t go anymore. And if you ever get to that place where you feel you are lost and need help, don’t give up. There is always someone who loves you. Life is good. Life is great. Don’t give up, fight, until you just can’t fight anymore.
Volcano Freak Out
I must say this volcano eruption that is causing all the travel chaos is thrilling! Never have most European airports been closed for this long of a time. So far Madrid is still open so I could fly to the states at any time. But maybe it will close. Actually I have been constantly clicking on the interactive map from the online New York Times, I am obsessed with a volcano and I love it.
I have read stories of people scrambling for seats on the trains, the Eurotunnel, a ticket for a ferry. A journey that was supposed to be a simple two-hour flight turned into a 20 hour trip to get home. Taxi drivers are making buckets of money driving people all over Europe.
And scientists warn that the activity of the volcano has increased with no signs of slowing. Wow. I am completely enthralled.
* Look at that kickass header…up there! That is a closeup of just a smidge of one of my recent paintings.
GOING NINETY MILES 