The park of amusement.

Got together with Mary and Meg this past week for the first time in a year. I can't believe I lasted that long, they are so hysterical...I realized how much skype does not cover...

So anyway, I went to Darien Lake yesterday for this marching band -apalooza that my hermanita was participating in (which was uber interesting, btw) and my family bought season passes yay!

One band tried to do Thriller lol... that was epic... and not in a good way.

Darien Lake's new Lazy river is nice, and the Superman is awesome as always! (except they had to delay it for a while, which sucked, because my sister and I were literally next in line. Luckily they resolved the problem in like 10 mins. I only swallowed one bug, and I was very entertained by the roller coaster pics, as always (my mom and brother always make beaver faces! :) )

I feel so old!

My little brother just got his permit, and I went along for moral support on his first driving lesson. I'm so proud!

He was quite good actually, minimal bobble-heading, only slight whiplash... :)

In fact, he acted just like I remembered it being. Like when u first get in the car, learn that you have to press the brake to shift, and then make the startling realization that the car moves when you're not pressing the gas! It's alarming. Then you get used to it and soon it seems like the best video game ever. Then you get really used to it and it just becomes a mode of transport.

Final note- Andrew found some words never to say on your first lesson - NASCAR and adventurous.

School is out!!!

I'm finally done! Praise the Lord!!

I can't wait to see what this summer has in store - yesterday I saw Mary and Meg again for the first time in a year. Both are still amazingly hilarious, and I can't believe I went a whole year without one of these gatherings.

Don't worry, I wont be too busy to update my blog frequently, and make up for my recent slacking :)

How in control are you?

"We are pawns in a game whose forces we largely fail to comprehend. We usually think of ourselves as sitting in the driver's seat, with ultimate control over the desicions we make and the direction our life takes; but, alas, this perception has more to do with our desires - with how we want to view ourselves - than with reality."

This from Dan Ariely, behavioral economist and author of Predictably Irrational, a fantastically interesting book about the hidden  forces that affect our decisions. It is a great read.

SOCCER!!

For anyone's who's never met me... I love soccer. And when the world cup gets near... I just get really really really really really really really really really excited. It sends me into this frenzied state when that's all I can think about. I just wanna work out all the angles and look at all the rosters and such.

So anyway, today I appeased my soccer yearning and went to the fifa world cup 2010 website - http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/index.html . For anyone who's completely soccer oblivious, the month of amazing soccer will take place in South Africa this year (fubuzela haters beware). This adds a nice african flair to the cup, as the home side does their "diski dance". There are six african teams, including South Africa with their automatic bid. Many of these teams will be great spoilers and remote contendors, like the Ghana of four years ago.

I believe the two bet\st teams in contention are Italy and Germany. If both sides can maintain or improve on the kind of game they played in Germany four years ago, soccer fans are in for a treat.

Now a shameless plug for my favorite Serie A team - Juventus. I just want to note that there are nine of them on Italia's preliminary world cup squad. In total, eleven Juve players will be taking part in the world cup. They include GianLuigi Buffon (best goalkeeper in the world, and a heck of a name... just say that a couple of times... GianLuigi, GianLuigi...), Felipe Melo, Martin Caceres, Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chellini (love him!) Fabio Grosso, Mauro Camoranesi, Antonio Candreva, Claudio Marchisio, Vicenzo Iaquinta (also love him), and Christien Poulson. One of my most favoritest defenders, Nicola Legrottaglie, was left out so that another striker, Guiseppe Rossi, could be added (I hope this is not a sign of a change of mentality on the Italian side - they are wonderful defensive team and should not sacrifice that).

Finally, a few observations...
 - No czechs? :( No Nedved. :(
 - A whole damn ton of the players for all of the international teams play their club soccer in Italy. Point proven, Italy is the soccer capital of the world.
 - Do I sense some animosity? There are no french (club team) players on the Italian squad (thank god, french players suck and are whiney crybabies) and no Italian (club team) players on the french squad. And yes, I do refuse to capitalize "french". They don't deserve it. Damn sore loser crybabies. Dont worry french team, Matterazzi wont be there to tease you and make you all angry inside. Babies.
- Diego "hand of God" Maradona is the Argentina coach. Interesting.
- Only one player on Italy's squad plays club soccer outside Italy. Really, why go anywhere else?
- Many squads are remarkably similar to their 2006 versions. Maybe we'll have the same result. :)
- No Ruud van Nistelrooy? Guess we'll have to laugh at someone else's name. :)

And yes, I want Italy to win. Go Azzuri!!!

ITALIA, ITALIA, ITALIA...!!!

light at the end of the tunnel

So I haven't written in a while. Deal with it. :) jk, I apoligize to my loyal reader(s).

Anyway, it's crunch time here, two weeks to go, and then I will officially have finnished my sophmore year of college.

Booyah grandma!!

So yeah, I have like 6 papers and 8 tests and 12 projects to do, but hey, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Summer has this strange lore to it... like I cant wait till it comes but I dont knolw what I'll do with myself when it does... as of now I have nothing lined up...

So my summer is free for frolicking :)