Winter is finally here.

I love winter. It's my favorite season. It's the perfect cuddle under a blanket and watch movies/tv weather. I have an excuse to do what I already love doing. It's interesting to think that winter is still my favorite season, I do live in Texas after all. Our winters are like 2 weeks long. The most beautiful season to be in Central Texas is the spring. The wild flowers are an amazing sight. I won't even discuss our summers. For living in a place that goes from hot to hotter to warm to freezing to warm and so on pretty quickly, I'm a minority in my cold weather love.

I remember when I was in college (one of my favorite stories from that time, actually) and we would take breaks during our production classes, my friends and I would go outside in the Communications quad and talk. During the cold weeks I would get super hyper (I still do) and bounce around and be even sillier/happier than I normally am. My bff would be wrapping his arms around his body as if his torso was about to launch, giving me the stinkiest stink eye. He, like many that I know, hate cold weather. I still think about that when I'm bouncing around in the cold, thinking of that stink eye.

I like to think it's because I was born in the cold region. I believe I was even born during a blizzard in Cheyenne WY. I then lived in both NE and NJ before settling in TX. Okay, so I was only a 'northerner' for 9 years of my life, but I still like to believe I am holding strong to that cold bone in my body.

When you're that age winter is the fun time. Sledding in snow is one of the funniest things to do as a child. When I lived on a golf course (military housing) we used to use the sand traps and slides for the sleds. So much fun. I got out of there before I had to do snow chores, so that too could be a big part of it. Maybe it's because I tend to run warmer than most, in the sense of a warm body instead of a fever warm, and I'm more comfortable when my body is doubling in heat. Or it could be that I'm a January baby. I had always wanted a pool party for my birthday, but couldn't (although, there are some cases when I technically could cause it's not nearly January cold) and I embraced the cold and my chosen season.

Whatever the reason, whatever the excuse, I love cold weather. My love has grown in the last few years, too, due to my new interest in crochetting and jackets. For example, I'm wearing a pair of fingerless gloves that I made. Putting to use what you have made always makes me feel accomplished. Hey, I'm a girl. I'm sorta into fashion.

Either way, I'm happy its 40 degrees outside. I either wish I was bouncing around outside with friends while they glare at me, or wrapped in a blanket browsing through Netflix's Instant collection.

PS: The wedding was amazing! My cousin looked gorgeous, and the wedding itself was beautiful. I'll write about it soon. I've been too lazy to sit down and write a long entry about my weekend. I will though, don't worry.

Road Trip

Maybe not. Would traveling for a family wedding be considered a road trip? I mean, technically it is. I'm leaving my city of residence to go to another city for an event. Granted, the city if full of family members and not really the place you want to go for a vacation, cause I'm going to Brownsville.

Yep, the southern most point in Texas. A very interesting place, if you've never been there. However, if you've went to college in Texas I'm pretty sure you have a Spring Break story, or two, from your time on South Padre Island.

Anyways, not the point.

I'm going on this glorious road trip for my dear cousin's wedding. I'm really happy for her! I've met the guy, and I like him. I got a good vibe from him, and I know he'll take care of her. They came up to Austin the weekend they became engaged, so I was one of the first to know. I feel like because of that I have a special place in their marriage. Or maybe it has nothing to do with me and the fact that I live in a really cool city, and he also has family here.

I've made the trip to Bville, as I like to call it, many many times. The trip is tedious and long, but at the same time it's eye opening. I travel half way through the state of Texas, and during those 6 or so hours you see quite a few landscapes pass through your window. When we went down for my other cousin's bridal shower in April the wild flowers were unbelievable! It was as if Pollock used the ground as his canvas. The winters, I mean "winters," are interesting too cause up in Central Texas you actually have colored leaves or trees with no leaves, but towards The Valley you still have a pretty lush landscape. Take fore example this weekend. It's going to be around 80 in Bville, while in Austin we're getting a cold front that will take us from 72 to 51. Makes for interesting packing. (although, who am i kidding. i always over pack)

What makes this trip even more interesting, I'm going to be listening to my beloved podcasts on the way down. This will be the first time my mom will get to listen to and understand why I randomly crack up laughing at work. (We work together, obviously, for the school district, and with teachers coming and going all the time I listen to the podcasts on headphones. The language isn't proper for school, or work in general.)

My mom's pretty cool, and has a wide sense of humor. My sister and I have exposed her to quite a lot of random things over the years. One of my best memories is when my sister came home for Christmas after she moved, the three of us went to see Napoleon Dynamite and my mom laughed harder than both my sister and I. I have high hopes that she'll find amusement out of the podcasts, but I doubt she'll see it as funny as my sister and I do. Then again, I'm used to that.

Back to the wedding. I'm really looking forward to seeing my family this weekend. As you get older you realize just how awesome it is to have close family. I have a huge family (Mom's the middle of 9 and Dad's the oldest of 12), and we are all different, but we all have fun together. I'm closer to my mom's family, and am excited to have dinner party at my newly (well, summer) married cousin. It'll be really nice to see my dad's family at the wedding. It's a rarity that all the Mejia's are together, so this will be nice. It'll be interesting, that's for sure, but nice. The Mejias (and Walkers) know how to put on a good party!

Congratulations Ali! I wish you all the best. Love you!!

My Top Ten Lists

MOVIES

Okay, I didn't see all the movies you're suppose to see in the theater, for example, Social Network or True Grit. I guess a better title would be “The Top 10 Movies That I Saw This Year.”

Another note: I have not included Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 on purpose. I hold those movies in it’s own category of awesomeness. However, DH is my second favorite, after Prisoner of Azkaban.

1. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

2. 127 Hours

3. Inception

4. Black Swan

5. Animal Kingdom

6. Shutter Island

7. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

8. The Town

9. Kick-Ass

10. Iron Man 2

TELEVISION SHOWS

Again, I don’t watch all that much TV. Okay, so I do, but I don’t watch what I should be watching. I know that Dexter and Mad Men would be on this list, however I didn’t watch it from the beginning, and I hate catching a serial show like that in the middle and not know what’s going on. Lucky for me Netflix has them. Ah, the joys of Instant.

1. Sons of Anarchy

2. Terriers

3. The Walking Dead

4. The League

5. Modern Family

6. True Blood

7. Benson Interruption

8. Castle

9. White Collar

10. Psych

ALBUMS

If it wasn’t for some good friends of mine, I would pretty much have no new music. These are the albums that I got this year, that’s it! I only bought 2 of them on my own accord. Fear not, though, there are more albums that I got this year, just none from 2010. I have a lot of catching up to do.

1. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World soundtrack

2. SuperLiteBike -- Away We Go

3. Yeasayer -- Odd Blood

4. The Arcade Fire -- Suburbs

5. Kaki King – Junior

PODCASTS

You can pretty much see a pattern when looking at my podcast subscriptions…I’m a comedy nerd. Damn you Chris Hardwick! Now you’ve got me calling myself a nerd.

1. Doug Benson Loves Moves

2. Nerdist

3. Sklarbro Country

4. Comedy Death Ray

5. Pod F. Thomcast

6. This American Life

7. Jordan Jesse Go

8. Stop Podcasting Yourself

9. Fresh Air

10. Speedway Squad

Christmas Morning

I don't know what it was, but I was super excited yesterday morning. I felt like I was 6 years old again, waiting for my mom to wake up so we could go see what Santa had brought up. Except this time, I was playing Santa and I couldn't wait for my mom to see what I had gotten her.

Not that I got her anything that was all that expensive or big or elaborate or anything. It was more of just a few things that I knew she wanted, had mentioned/looked at it, and I went to get it without her knowledge. I got "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Despicable Me." Just movies, nothing special.

Yet, for some reason, I was super excited about my mom seeing what Santa brought her. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in a really long time, and it was fun to feel it again.

We did watch "Despicable Me" that morning. It is a cute movie, I enjoyed it. Good job, Santa!

My Brother's 40!

Well, not technically since I think he was born in the afternoon, but you get the picture.

My big brother is a Christmas Eve baby. He was brought to my mom in a stocking. How cute. No, no pictures were taken. If you knew then...

40 may not be a big deal to most, but to me it is. I sort of missed his 30th. Okay, not missed it, cause I know my brother's bday, but I didn't think of it as '30.' For my sister's 30th I got her a signed picture of Benico del Toro. One of the perks of working in the film industry; and for mine I'm going to VBC. But when my brother turned 30, I don't think I made a big deal about it, or even thought it was a big deal. It was when I was in college...maybe I was just too full of myself to think that way.

Either way, I went all out (what I could) this year. I made him a special present, got him an inside joke item, and had fun with his Peter Pan thing he's got going on. The only thing that really sucks, that I'm not there to celebrate with him.

In the last year, I'd say, we've been getting a lot closer. We've always been close, in our own special way, but now we're actually talking and having conversations. I feel closer to my big brother than I have felt in a really long time. Dammit, I wish we were celebrating together.

Oh well, there's always next year, right?

I keep thinking that maybe I'm making a big deal out of 40 because that really means my 30 is just around the corner. If you haven't figured it out yet, but we're 10 years apart. Crazy, right?

Maybe I'm seeing him as turning this milestone birthday because I'm turning one in a little over a month? It sounds good at least.

Even though we are half a country apart from each other, and celebrating the 24th in our own ways in our own cities, I know that my brother is having a great day with his family, and I know that he knows that I love him. I am very proud of my brother, proud to be his sister. He is, after all, a BAMF. Soon, it'll be visible for the world to see.

Love you Big Brother!! Happy 40th Birthday!

The Eh Team

I have a little over a month until I will be spending a long weekend in the Pacific Northwest. I am taking a mini-vacation to the wonderful (and very cold, apparently) PNW to celebrate my 30th birthday. Or as I like to call it, Flirty Thirty. (my other friends call it the Dirty Thirty...says a lot about our personalities, doesn't it?)

I will be visiting my sister in Bellingham, WA, which is a beautiful city, with a weekend trip to Vancouver British Columbia Canada!

The first time I went to VBC was for a night, yes a night, back in 2005. Pretty much as soon as I set foot in that city I feel in love with it. It's clean, cultural, friendly, beautiful, urban...

I've been since, and my love for the city grows with each visit. You know how you just feel home in some places, a place where you feel you can actually live, that's exactly how I feel. I love other cities, San Diego, San Francisco, Bellingham, Portland, Virginia Beach, and others, but the only city I could ever imagine moving to is VBC.

Good thing for me they have a good film community.

For my Flirty Thirty I have a few friends coming with me as well as my sister and brother-in-law. I would love all of my bffs, the IC, to come, but I know it's a lot to ask. I mean, it is in a foreign country and at an odd vacation time. I hope they know that I'll be thinking of them when I'm hanging with some hot Canadians. =)

Which, bummed! The Vancouver Canucks don't have a game the weekend I'm there. MAN! Can you imagine watching a professional hockey game in Canada! Am I the only one who seems to think this is just the most amazing idea ever?

Anyways, back on topic.

I'm very grateful for the friends who are able to come, it's going to be a good time. I'm looking forward to really exploring the city, living the life of a young professional Vancouverian. (right, that's what they would be called?) The times that I've been there, I haven't ever really partied it up, so I'm getting ready for Flirty Thirty!

I've been able to keep from over planning, which is a big thing for me. Well, at least I'm waiting until January to really start planning. I definitely have some things that I would like to do (concert, free stuff, park, clubbing, Chinatown, shop!), but pretty much want to play it by ear. That's what we did when we went to Portland, and I think that trip turned out awesomely! And my sister was there too...YAY!

With it being so close, I keep thinking of all things Canada. Like with the hockey thing. Or wondering if one of my favorite comedians will be playing. Or an awesome band will be rolling through town. Or ever time I see ads for "The A-Team" I have the inner monologue saying, "The Eh Team."

Geek or Nerd or Dork?

I consider myself a geek, which is all that really matter. However, ever since I listen to comedian Chris Hardwick's podcast, The Nerdist, I have been interested in the definitions and the differences between the two. I guess it all really started when he was describing his terminology and according to his nerd, I was it.

I classify myself as geek who can be nerdy on certain things, and who can be a dork at times. For example, I'm a nerd about Harry Potter cause I know a lot on the subject. Okay, pretty much everything on Harry Potter. I'm also a nerd about Greek Mythology, I've studied it and know quite a bit about the gods and goddesses and their legends/stories.

According to my enormous Webster's Dictionary, here are the definitions for nerd and dork. Geek wasn't in there (WTF), so I went to my handy dandy Blackberry app.

Geek: 1) a computer expert or enthusiast [does preferring Apple to PC count?], 2)a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp. one who is perceived to be overly intellectual [okay, does being a film snob count, cause then yep], 3) a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken [whoa, what? no no no no no!]

Nerd: 1) an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person [nope, I've got good style and have friends], 2) a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits [yep, I think I'm pretty smart and I do like to have intelligent conversations]

Dork: an annoyingly stupid or foolish person [yep, definitely have those moments]

Okay, according to my computer's dictionary (yes, I was not happy with my phone's definition of geek)...

Geek: 1) an unfashionable or socially inept person [nope, the opposite], 2) a person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest [Ding Ding Ding...we have a winner], 3) a carnival performer who does wild or disgusting acts [seriously? no.]

Okay, so I could be called both, and they would be equally correct. I'm still going to call myself a geek cause I like the second definition off my computer "a person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest" because that definitely fits me. That's what I was trying to describe for myself but never could get out the words.

So, in the end, it really didn't matter what the definitions were, because I was going to find one that fit me anyway. Although, the fact that I looked up definitions for these words only proves that I am indeed a nerd.