Up up up I go.

I'm all packed and ready for our fishing trip. I have an ipod charged, my Reader charged, my DS charged, 6 balls of yarn and one crochet hook packed, and of course a Cosmo to read on the way up North. I get bored easily and always try to bring enough stuff to entertain myself when I am traveling. You should see me on a plane, I will read for 5 minutes get bored, dig around in my bag, listen to a few songs, read one article in a mag, play Super Mario for 8 minutes, nod off and sleep for an hour, just to wake up and repeat the cycle. And north we are definitely going. I have been debating about bringing my passport so I can cross the border bridge in Baudette MN, just to say that I have stepped foot in Canada. Technically I have stepped foot in Canada, in the Toronto airport, but I really don't count that unless I am technically counting things, which I am not. Anyways, the joys of Baudette?? Well, they have a giant walleye statue that's pretty cool right. And there is a bar right on the lake that a girl with one eye in the center of her head, bright green lipstick, and no teeth could walk into and get hit on by disgusting old men that spend their lives at Lake of the Woods fishing and hunting and bacheloring year round. This is only my third trip to "the cabin" and I can't wait. I like ice fishing. I mean I liked it last year. I slept in, the boys picked me up later in the day (they all get up and go out onto the ice at like 5am) and brought me to the preheated fish house, they put the bait on my hook and took the fish off when I caught something. What's not to like?? Oh, did I mention drinking and talking and laughing and soaking up the few remaining minutes I will get with people before I jet off again?? I have my bottle of Captain and my brother left some...Dr. Thunder up there for me. Yes, Dr. Thunder, the generic brand of Dr.Pepper... So my poison of choice for the weekend will be Captain and Dr. what a nice combo :oP
Last year on this New Years trip, I encountered some serious Minnesotans.Complete with the "Ya, sure, you betchas!!!" I have gathered enough to know that the Northern folk really don't get out, well I should say down much. The few that actually live there year round must have boring lives because as soon as the "vacationers" come they head to the bar and find some singled out someone and talk their ears off!!
Well, I'm off to bed, we are supposed to leave in 4 hours. "supposed to" I hope everyone enjoys the last day of 2009 and starts 2010 off on the right foot!!!!

For some reason this does not surprise me the least....

Notice the large gaping hole. The USPS tape is covering the Correo Chile tape where you can plainly see that whoever put it on didn't exactly get it over the whole thing, really people?? taping a box?? that hard??  :( Ro rarely sends me letters or packages or anything, so when I got this, well when I knew it was coming before I actually saw the thing, I was excited. When I saw it, I almost started crying. Almost. The letter that was supposed to be inside for me, well wasn't. :o( But the gifts for my parents and Evalie made it. I knew there wasn't going to be a present for me, remember Sony Reader :o) my super early Xmas present from Ro, but the letter, I was expecting. :o(

On another note, I am working very hard on obtaining a ticket to Chile. So Chile, here I come. What hell will you have for me this time??

'tis the season

Holiday festivities start on Saturday. I don't know what day it is today, but I know that Saturday is soon.
I have serious mixed feelings about the upcoming gathering we are having. Since I have to work Friday night and people will be walking through the door around 11am ish, all I have on my mind right now are my escape plans. And since its -50 billion degrees out, hiding out in the garage has been crossed off, as well as curling up in the back seat of my car and catching a few Zs. Sigh.....If I was in Chile, I would be wishing I was here, but I'm already here so now I keep imagining that my husband will win the lottery and show up on the doorstep and take me off on a nice sunny vacation to Cancun or something.

Well, let the family pour in I guess and if I must my bedroom door does have a lock on it thank God! And Zoe won't be here to cause problems....well, Zoe doesn't cause the problems shes a good dog :)

Anyways.
Happy Holidays everyone!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, 2010 here we come!!!!!

Here's a cute pic of my niece. I wore that dress when I was little, it'll fit her next year and is WAY too big this year, but we don't get to see her often and were just having fun with her. :D

Why hello Minnesota weather I've been expecting you!!

SNOW!!!!!!! : oD
Some people are not completely 100% HAPPY about the current weather situation, but me!!! I have no words for it!!! We are going to have a white Christmas after all my worrying!!
Yesterday morning I walked to my car in my sweatshirt and slippers to get my cell phone. I went to sleep and woke up at the usual time for work 9:45pm. Not only was it freezing in my room (I disn't turn on the heat yet because I can't breathe in the stuffiness) and when I walked out to start getting my bag packed, I saw the white powder blowin in the wind. At that moment I was pissed because nobody woke me up to tell me that it snowed and that I should leave for work early. But oh well I drive at night so I never have the problems for the main point of this post. I will now box the drivers of Minnesota.

Box #1
Riding a bicycle is apparently something that you never forget how to do. Driving in Minnesota weather for some people can be like that. Some people... like me. I put myself in box 1 because I don't forget about the winter driving. I remember that the curves are the slipperiest especially when covered in snow. I am cautious, but I usually drive on the high and dry at 55, the speed limit. (Normal non winter time of year I have my cruise set at 62.) I do not ride the brakes. If I see a patchy questionable area coming up I don't slam on the brakes. I lift off the gas, but never ever ever slam on the brakes....unless there is a box #2 in front of me.

Box #2
Typically this box includes men 65 and up, and women of all ages. (Not dissing the ladies here, this is just a general observation that I have.) Obviously the 16 and 17 year olds can be in this box because they haven't gotten their MN snow legs (wheels??) These are the people I hate to be stuck behind. These people are the ones that make you wonder if they can get on their bicycle after the long MN winter and remember how to ride it.  We will take the lady I was behind this morning. Her car? Buick Le Sabre. Very new less than 3 years I would guess. I got behind her in St. Cloud. So we were driving in the city where the speed limit was 35. Sigh. She was going 35....sometimes. Mostly when we were driving through patches of snow. At the end of the patch she would slam on her brakes and slow down to 25 and then speed up and slow down and of course SLAM on her brakes a block before the red light she was stopping at. I can understand that you want to slow down before you stop when you are questioning the slipperiness of the road, but that causes me box 1 to have to slam on my brakes which is a huge NO NO! You DO NOT slam on your brakes in questionably cold/snowy/possibly icy road conditions. Box 2 lady that I was behind drove 35 miles an hour at the max even when the speed limit went up to 50 and then 60, even though the road was clear. Sigh, these people don't bother me as much as box #3 people because I can pass them and let them drive "cautiously" all they want.

Box #3
These people drive me CRAZY they are dangerous and reckless and most often the ones that end up in the ditch. Good. They deserve it! As I was driving behind #2, a #3 came up behind me. I should mention I was on a 4 lane road. I was driving behind #2 in the right lane because I always drive in the right lane because I have to turn off of it once I get out of town. Had it not been for all the #3s I would have passed the #2 in a heartbeat. A #3 is usually a man. And most often they are the ones that have the super ginormous 4 wheel drive vehicles. With these large vehicles they gain a kind of cockiness that me in my crusty old Oldsmobile 88 just can't dream to have. So there I was stuck behind #2 and a #3 came roaring up behind me. Why they didn't just go along with the rest of the #3s and pass I don't know. Mr. Cocky in his ginormous Ford supercab pick up truck decided to get on my ass. I of course could not speed up because #2 was just getting out of a snow patch and seeing a red light a mile in front of us so she was slamming on her brakes causing me to slam on my brakes making Mr. Cocky even closer to the back of my car.

Finally after getting away from those nuts, I was on the road alone. Yay for back country roads!! I came upon another #2 and passed her with ease. I had no problems until I was getting closer to Holdingford (my hometown) and it happens to be a really hilly road. So I was cruising along never using the brakes when I come to a snow capped hill and decide after seeing the delivery truck wrapped around a pole that I should keep my foot off the gas while I drive through a 2 inch drift. Well along comes a #3 in all his ginormous Chevy with a yellow snow plow attachment going of course at least 60. This was not the problem, oh no. the problem? I could CLEARLY see the line in the middle of the road marking the divide between MY side and HIS side. Where was he? Halfway on my side! Not only did that piss me off, I had to slam on my brakes!! because the shoulder was 6 or so inches of plowed snow and NO WAY in HELL was I driving into that snow with the chance of getting back on the road that was a direct route to the ditch along with all its wonderful drifts. The other #1 in front of me not only nearly got clipped by this jackass, they swerved and luckily kept themselves out of the drifty snowy ditch of hell. Did this man slow down?? No. Driving like a psycho I saw him continue to own both sides of the road through my rear view window. Sigh.... Minnesota winter is great. Driving in a Minnesota winter SUCKS!

I would like to throw out my safe travel wishes to all the expats returning to the US for the holidays and especially to the expats returning from Chile! Fly safe!

Jealous of a box... yes a cardboard box...

I sent a box to Rodrigo today.
I hate the box.
It took me 20 minutes to mail it.
I live 3 minutes from the post office.
The box was packed and taped and ready to go when I stepped outside to drive to the post office.
I absolutely hate the box because Rodrigo gets to hold it. And its not me.
A box... I'm jealous of a box.