feeling blue?

i just finished rereading indigos star again, which is a fantastic book, although reading it always leaves me a little melancholy. its a mark of a good writer to be able to influence the readers emotions. just so you know.

We finally got home from argentina a few days ago and i have already lapsed into my old routines that are so comfortable to me. i love coming home to my room with my bear and hearing my loud family discuss or argue over whatever just happened. its fantastic. next year, though, im going to uncg and living away from home for the first time in ages, and the idea leaves me apprehensive. i dont know what is going to happen or who i'll meet or what i will do... its a disconcerting feeling to look around my room at home and realize that im leaving this place that i love next year. i am excited as most incoming freshmen probably are, but at the same time, thrown for a loop.

another thought is i missed him so much and i didnt even realize it until i got back. sunday, i was with my boyfriend all day, and although we hit a bump last month, i got back and realized just how much a part of my heart he really is. it makes me wonder what will happen with us in the future. i know God has all sorts of plans and mine never really match up with his, but i hope and pray that he ends up in my life as a spouse. ah, yes, i know, you're only eighteen or you still have school to think about... but, i still think about these things. is it just me?

2.2

ok, so second now that im home.
i hate it when my parents fight. (thankfully not often)
i hate going to the bank.
i hate vacuuming. dunno why.
i hate not having books around.
i HATE fleas. with a passion.

other stuff.

well, the journey of self discoverment went well for about a week before i went into an internet blackout and forgot about it. so, i have a new Project... things i hate. well, dislike. ok, 2.1:
I dont like tummy aches. (but then, who does?)
I dont like long car rides in the back.
I dont like sad movies.
I dont like getting wet with clothes on.
I dont like to run.

we’re getting home tomorrow. we’re getting home tomorrow.
we’re getting home tomorrow.
we’re getting home tomorrow. we’re getting home tomorrow.
we’re getting home tomorrow.
we’re getting home tomorrow. we’re getting home tomorrow.
we’re getting home tomorrow.
we’re getting home tomorrow. we’re getting home tomorrow.

lastly

Day thirty eight: we flew until early ish in the morning and got off in atlanta. we made our way through the hellish security and terminals and customs and whatever else that was put inplace to infuriate travelers and got onto our plane as the final boarding call was being sent out. flew home. met courtney at the airport, who is a saint for picking us up. we got home greeted my kitty and our doggie, and napped, cleaned, unpacked, etc. thus concludes our magnificent journey.
argentina was fun, and i will miss it. :D

Day thirty seven: We got off the bus later in the day around noon and changed into clean clothes and brushed our teeth, contemplating what to do on our last day. we had four free hours before we had to get to the airport, so we went to our favorite pizza place in palermo and walked through the cat garden (a botanical garden that had become a meeting hub for cats.) spent two fantastic hours just napping petting and walking in the garden before we headed back via subway to get our bags from uca. after retrieving the bags, we got into a taxi, made it through check in, security and all that fabulousness, we found out there was a mechanical delay on the plane take-off, so we missed our connection flight by two hours. thankfully, there was another leaving for home the next hour, so the booked us on that instead. the rest of the day was spent on the plane.

Day thirty six: we are two days away from getting home, and although i loved argentina, i just cannot wait to see thomas and everyone, and my kitty. i missed them all so much, and i see them very soon. today, we didnt do much; i woke up, showered, went to breakfast, took some photos of the hotel and john and the hummingbirds ( i got a fantastic shot, so happy :D) and then went to the bus lot. waited for two or three hours for the bus as there was a strike, i believe, and we have been on the bus ever since. sadly the wifi isn’t working, so i can’t post this to fill the blog whole that has been present for the past few days, i apologize. :( anyway, its around 8 and we’ll be on here (the bus) for another 14 ish hours. its going to be a looong ride.

Day thirty five: today, we went to iguazú falls again, which was great... even through the rain. We woke up at 8 or so and had a /fantastic/ breakfast at the bed and breakfast, consisting of orange juice (freshly squeezed)(which brought me back to my days in bolivia...), toast, papaya, and hot chocolate. after that, we went to the store for lunch and hoped on a bus. at the falls entrance, it was raining like there’s no tomorrow so we went to the visitor center and chilled until the onslaught finished. went down to the falls and got really wet. it was fabulous, and it was /cold as ALL FREAKING SIBERIA/... I loved it. :D we took some christmas panoramas and audio, and then went off to find some lunch. we found a cafe and ate our store bought lunch in the cafe warmth. we are so classy. we then went off to the upper falls circuit and took some pictures, and to the Garganta Del Diablo for some other pictures. papi got some really fantastic ones because he is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING... indeed. just sayin. and then we went off to the bus stop with some detours (shopping. they have shops and cafes and whatnot in the National Parks... What??) took the bus home. warmed our self by ways of getting out of the wet clothes... fantastic idea if you ask me. :D went to our “happy hour” at the bed and breakfast, where they gave us orange juice and peanuts, and some yummy toasty-thing, it was fantastic. came back to the room an hour later and got into bed and stayed warm. i like warm. :D

Day thirty four: ...and most of the morning too. actually, all of it. we got to the Pt. iguazú around lunch time, met John, the guy with the bed and breakfast, and had a tour of the town, looked at his exhibition (photog.) met his dog, and had coffee with him... went to the town, bought lunch provisions, headed off to the falls which are incredible. i quiet enjoyed them. more tomorrow, as we are heading back. Johns staff is really fantastic... if you ever come here, come Here. its lovely and his dog is fantastic. :D
Going to bed now.
:D

Day thirty three: We also were in buenos aires for this day, so we decided to tour the pink house- the rough equivalent to the united states White house... the seat of government. it was interesting, but rather only for the art on the walls of famous revolutionaries and women in politics, etc... it was alright, but not something i would do again. we spent most of the morning before going to the pink house wasting, so by the time we got out it was one o’clock. i was sick the day my family went to boca, so thats what we did the second half of the day... there were great shops and people and tango, it was fabulous. all the houses were crazy colors as well. they were a colorful people. it was cold though so we didn't stay too entirely long, just long enough for hanna to make a dog friend. which happens all the time... i half expect her to start barking to a dog and him understand her. that would be Weird. came back to the house to grab the stuff, and then we were off to the bus. hanna got new white knock off chucks. she’s happy. then we spent the rest of the evening on the bus.

late, as usual.

Day thirty two: We finally were free, well dad was, of the students to worry about, so we got to sight see like REAL LIFE tourists. it was fun, we went to recoleta again, with daddy this time, and petted the demon cats. recoleta is the famous cemetery in argentina where evita was buried (embalmed, excuse me...) and there are cats Everywhere.. its fun, and kind of odd at the same time. they’re all really clean and relatively well fed which made us wonder what exactly they do all the time. hope is easily creeped out, so daddy made the joke that the demon cats eat the dead people in the mausoleums. it was pretty hilarious. :D the hypothesis was refuted as we walked out by the way- it seems the construction workers and caretakers leave food in corners and out of the way places. afterwards, we hiked across B.A. to the Museum of Arte Latinamericano de Buenos Aires- MALBA. it was pretty interesting, i saw a Frida Kahlo self portrait, and various other cool artists that i /didn’t/ know, which was fun. :D although, on the top floor was a photog exhibit of Really Sketchy art. it was fabby, all sorts of ...parts... on the walls and hope was scarred for life i think. >.> and then we went home. it was fun stuff. :D and we rode a bus for the first time of the trip- more versatile than the Subway (not as cool though..) and cheaper than a taxi. yaya.

and now we're home.

coming in no particular order at all are posts that i put into a document when i didnt have internet access. they are all from argentina during the last few days. sorry.

Soooo

I think the self exploring text will be in italics from now on.
I like to travel a little bit.
I like to sing badly.
I like to listen to people.
I like colored socks.
I like to shop in different countries.
I like photos.

now we're alone

relatively speaking.
Day thirty one: all the students have left our responsibility today. Some went home, some went to travel around B.A. a bit more, some went to Iguasu Falls before heading home. In any case, we saw them off today and we are free to do as we wish. :D i will miss their company, but excited to go to Iguasu later this week. i think we stay in B.A. for a bit longer and then go up to the falls later on. today, we cleaned apartments, dragged luggage, and were cold. tomorrow holds sight seeing for us. :D

Cleverness escapes me for titles.

i really cant figure out how to use these things. figure nows a good time.
I like brownies
I like smiles.
I like when people dont snore.
I like backpacks.
I like to do things and not be sorry.

and to finish off the project.

Day thirty: we finished off the project yesterday with a screening of the videos and graphics on the site... to more than a hundred people. The project was well received and afterwards, we were given cookies! i shall dearly miss the dulce de leche cookies here, they are fantastic. :D after we went out for a very late and very expensive lunch. came home took a looongggg nap, and lost my favorite ring which is hugely depressing. :( then we went out to a club with all the students for pizza and dancing and left shortly after midnight. it was loud. thats all :D

aaaanddddd...

I like people who can spell.
I like electronics.
I like art history. (sometimes.)
I like music theory.
I like people watching.

Meh.

Day twenty nine: went to palermo soho to finish hopes shopping. not much to be told here either.
:D

I also like

I like watching people draw.
I like sugar, a little too much
I like bunnies and cute things.
I like my bed at home.
I like space heaters.

For monday

Day twenty eight: was a really long time ago. all i remember is staying at home all day, and being lazy.
sorry, i have had bad internet lately, its obnoxious. /headdesk.

And again.

I like movie sound tracks.
I like Disney movies.
I like sticky tack.
I like coconut.
I like red. and most colours.

Good for spain!

Day twenty seven: Spain won the world cup. today we havent done much. we spent most of the morning being lazy, while mom and dad worked hard on their wedding photos. after lunch we went to Defensa street markets, and shopped around. then we watched the world cup. and then we went to some friends house for an asado. and then we came home. the end.

and, i also

found this cool england style telephone booth in argentina, go figure. and i like this picture.

Project post three.

I like DIET COKE. a lot. i just do.
I like foreign music. its always interesting to see how different our musical cultures are.
I like dragons. it's whimsical and powerful at the same time.
I like people who can play around and be weird. it's what i do, and if someones too tightly wound around crazy people it's not fun.
I like converse. they are simple and comfortable.
I like blank paper. theres an aspect of unpredictability, potential for anything to happen, and yet, its clean. it waits for whatever you might need.

another palladio.

i mean, palermo.
Day Twenty six: Today i took a shower and brushed my hair. my hair liked that, cause now it doesn't look like the furry mane it usually looks like after a shower. just so you know. I also helped make a stew which was fun... i was given the task of cutting up stew meat which, let me tell you, is harder than it looks. i did finish it and it was good stew. i was immensely proud of my meat cutting... we actually lazed around for most of the morning and a bit of the afternoon before we got our feet on the ground to find my dad, who had left the house almost before i woke up. We found my daddy at around two thirty, and he decided we were going to go to the most famous cafe in buenos aires, so we did. it was good. my mommy enjoyed the best ice cream she had ever had, according to her. then we went to palermo soho district for window shopping for what has to be the third or fourth time. it was good though, cause hope got whatever it was she wanted. we walked home and now we just had dinner. hurray. today was fun. oh, and i got the cute notebook i have been wanting for ages.
good day!

right. and one thing more.

i laughed so hard when i realized these were the lyrics to the hula song in lion king.

Luau!
If you're hungry
for a hunk of fat
and juicy meat
eat my buddy
Pumbaa here
because he is a treat.
Come on down
and dine
on this tasty swine
all you have to
do is get in line.
Aaaare you achin'
foooor some
bacon?
Heeee's a big pig
You could be a
big pig too!
Oy!

3.

i like beef.
i like to be warm.
i like to sleep.
i like the number three.
i like math.
beef? well, duh, its really really yummy. :)
Warm? well, i dont know, its more like being under the covers when its cold sort of warm. NOT summer warm. it makes me feel secure.
Sleep? im sort of an insomniac sometimes. self inflicted. i dont like to go to bed, and i hate waking up. its just a matter of getting in bed.
Three? Lord, this is a weird one. Well, if i wanted to be superficial, i could say it just seem circular. but since this is an exploration of me, im going to say that it reminds me of my sisters and i, or that its like a cycle, or that it reminds me of a round rhythm. any will do. i just love this number... its weird.
Math? well, it just makes sense in my head. its ordered and its like a puzzle.

Is it warm in here?

Day twenty five: Today, i woke up close to eleven. it was pretty great. i love to sleep in. When i wake up, i feel rested and warm, and i love to be warm. its fabulous. after waking up, i padded downstairs to rustle up some breakfast, and blog for yesterday, because last night i was so tired i got back and passed out immediately. Hanna, my darling little sister made me potatoes fried, and i had some bread with dulce de leche. i got onto the computer in a completely emo mood, and read my friends blog, and posted this morning. by the time i finished, it was lunch time, so we went out to eat. after getting back, mum edited her wedding pictures while i was forced to play cards with my littlest sister. well not forced, it was fun, i just like playing injured. anyway, we did that for ages, and by the time 4 rolled around i hadnt accomplished anything. daddy came home from editing and we decided to go to a walking shopping street for a few hours, where i got a scarf. then we came home, and went to dinner at an arabian restaurant, which was fabulous foods... it was great. now im so stuffed, i cant even tell you. its sorta ridiculous.
we finally got the heater working, and in my coat, im finally getting some semblance of warmth. today was an argentinian holiday, like their fourth of july, only five days later, which means we had no meeting tonight.

huh.

So, i was on facebook today, like every other soul with computer access, and i saw a link to one of my friends blog. hes crazy intelligent, and reading his blog is a total pleasure. its incredible that he has the nerve to share it with people... i will not. im simply more comfortable knowing my blog is out there for the whole world, noone knowing that its there... i wish i could get up the courage to share it, but alas, its not happening any time soon.

anyway, the purpose for the second post today, is that im going to try something... i dont know enough about myself, and i'd like to change that. so im doing little projects to find out more about myself. for instance, the next week, i will post five or more things that make me happy every day, be it small or large... so, today:
i like rain. it has the quality of wiping things away, cleaning a slate so to speak. it makes me feel cool and quiet in my soul.
i like my sisters jump roping. it makes me feel proud that she's come all that way, and she still enjoys to work hard at it.
i like ingo, my kitty. he makes me warm and fuzzy inside.
i like subways. they are comfortable, and yet awkward. There are so many people inside.
i like beethoven. Playing his symphonies with a full orchestra makes my soul float on top of the raw power of our collaboration.

to be at odds with the world

Day twenty four: i did miss yesterday sorry. Yesterday, we went to a famous cemetery that housed the remains of many famous and/or rich argentinians, from Evita and her family, to famous generals whose names will rest in the ambiguous areas in the back of my mind. its interesting to wonder what exactly their personalities were like, what they did, and how they acted for the public. i wonder if they're happy now. they sure arent in this twisted world, but have they moved on to heaven? or did they go on to hell?
its an interesting question for everyone. *shrug.
after going to the cemetery with gorgeous kitties, we went to our favourite pizza place and ate a ton, went to multiple clothing stores, and came back to walk all over various parts of the city. i enjoy living in the city, knowing im surrounded by thousands of people and their swirling emotions, their situations and personality.
Yesterday, we rode the subway a ton, and the last ride we took was literally a human sardine can. i couldnt move, just pinned to strangers all around me. i was uncomfortable with it yesterday because the subway is so impersonal, until a man who i do not know began to talk to me, warn me of pick pockets and offer me a rail to hold on to. i was touched by his kindness and now i remember just how many people i have met who are similar to the kind man on the subway. anyway.

Im so cold...

Day twenty-three: Not much happened today, but it was very cold. the last few weather days have been puzzling- warmwarmwarm to very cold in one night. because yesterday was warm, we turned off the heater, but then today it was cold, and i couldnt turn it on, and papi was at school, so i was a human popsicle. we missed going to school this morning, as my parents left early, so i missed lunch opportunity as well. practiced stuff for my ensemble audition, and submitted honors college application. nice.
thats pretty much it, im really tired. i cant think of anything to do right now. im waiting for the meeting.
much love.

Mert.

I have a headache.
Day Twenty-two: im really hungry... we went to an evita museum. it was sort of interesting. hanna got sketches of her various dresses. i wasnt hugely enthusiastic. i got robbed of twentyfive dollars on the street, and laundry isnt done, which is why my enthusiasm level was less than normal. but it was cool. although, hanna did find an amazing sketch tangent to "how to train your dragon" and i thought it was amazing.
http://www.deviantart.com/#/d2tdibm
weee.
and then i went to the meeting.
(which went pretty well. stories are coming along.)

and then we do boring stuff.

Day twenty- one: well, its officially three weeks. two more left. huzzah! diet coke awaits me! um. so we didnt do anything today. i dont know why i didnt blog... im just an idiot... mert.

Right,

I was doing so well, too. ok.
Day twenty: HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY~!!!!
Today (being 2 ish days ago) we went to a very touristic estancia and i rode a horse, which was /awesome. except only a little, because it was a led ride, and it was kind of boring. but i do love to ride horses which is fun... although, i think they gave me an awful biting bug. sigh... i have a ton of bug bites at the moment. also, they fed us a huge amount of asado and various stuff, which i only had a bit of... people here eat a lot. it was great. and then there was a horse show, where awesomeness increased. there was a guy who had his horse lie down on the ground, and he did all sorts of stuff with him, and all i could think was "that horse is more flexible than me! its like its doing yoga. mannn..." right, and then we went home, and all was well.

sigh

Day nineteen: Well, today argentina lost. i was sad.
and then we went to a pizza place. i was happy!
and then we went to a street fair. i was tired.
and then i bought a violin statue. i was happy!
and then we came home. I was tired.
and then i took a nap. i was happy.
and now im blogging. and iam happy!

hahahahah.

i have thirty posts! huzzah!
Day eighteen: this kid= reaallly tired.
maybe shall blog tomorrow?
yawn. night..

MErt.

Day seventeen: Well, i am now working on a new project- making a tutor notebook for hanna and her theory class next year. i have been trying to cover an entire year of theory into a few pages, so work has been slow, but maybe done by the rest of the week. Daddy has been super stressed out this week, so if anyone sees this, shoot him a 20 second prayer that he'd have some stress alleviated soon. i think i will try to help out by playing his secretary and getting people to do what he asks. not much done today... i worked on hanna's theory whatsit, and then i went to the meeting...
yesterday, i said i would elaborate on the estancia experience, but i dont feel like it. all that is needed to know is that it was flat, we played baseball with a stick and tennis ball, and i made friends with a bald dog. :)