My sister posted the highlights of her day on FB. I’m copying her and listing some good things about my Tuesday.

I ran to the top of the popular Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook with the SportEve running group. The climb from the street to the top was over 400 feet in less than half a mile. My calves were screaming and I had to take walk breaks, but it was worth it for the sunset views at the top. The run through switchback trails on the way down was nice too, except for the swarms of flies — hope I didn’t swallow one — and particularly steep part of the trail I was sure I’d tumble down. Thankfully, I stayed upright the whole time and didn’t have anything to add to the list of embarrassing moments.

Staying up super late searching for wedding venues online. There was the scary (starting dinners of $100/person at a hotel near my family’s home) and the funny. Make sure your speakers are on. Best thing was finding several sites that meet our needs and are within our budget (not that it really exists yet, we just know what we can’t afford).

I had my annual 6-month cleaning and check-up at my dentist. Well, I didn’t see my dentist, just the dental hygienist who did his job and sent me on way with a “everything looks cool.” I can’t say for sure I’m cavity free (was in November), but at least my smile is a little brighter today.

Work was quick and efficient. We’re preparing for one of my favorite [work] days of the year, Science Poster Day, is coming up. It’s an opportunity for me to take the photos that will later make it into our program’s handbook and talk to my students about their research. I don’t understand most of it, but it’s still cool to see them growing as scientists.

I made my first cup of coffee with a coffee maker. Yes, I know I’m years behind. In my defense, my parents are not coffee drinkers and neither were my several roommates over the years. The newest roommate, J, brought a coffee maker when he moved in last summer. I used some free Don Francisco coffee I got at a race expo.

How was your Tuesday?

If Cinco de Mayo was a real holiday — instead of just an excuse to drink lots of tequila — there’d be some kind of gift giving or at least all Mexicans would get hugs. Even, better there’d be Cinco de Mayo miracles and claymation movies reenacting the Battle of Puebla. That would be neat and then maybe people would know the real reason for the season.

We could even write letters with lists of our wants to General Ignacio Zaragoza (leader of the Mexican troops at the Battle of Puebla). The following would be on my list:

1. Passage of the DREAM Act.
2. Real immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants living “in the shadows.”
3. An end to the term “illegals” in reference to undocumented immigrants.
4. For the Arizona legislature and governor to get it’s collective head out of it’s ass and to repeal SB 1070 and the slew of other racist laws it approved in the past year.
5. To never again read/hear the word “guac” (sounds like “walk”) again as shorthand for guacamole.
6. To never again read/hear the word “marg” as shorthand for margarita.
7. To never again read/hear “wrap” in reference to a flour tortilla. I’ve given up with wraps to refer to cold burritos (ew), but I have to put my foot down when companies try to rename my beloved tortillas. I know the last three wishes make me seem like some kind of purist when it comes to the Spanish language or Mexican food and drink. I’m not, but reading/hearing the above words is like fingernails on a chalkboard. Casi me da asco.
8. A long trip to Guanajuato, Zacatecas and maybe a resort town or two. I’d love to swim in a cenote again and go scuba diving.
9. Another Café Tacuba album. It’s been almost 4 years since Sino.

I know I’m omitting a lot of important stuff, but I’d hope someone else’s letter to General Zaragoza would include items like ceasing construction on the border wall and a second Machete movie. What would you ask for?

I went through my 100 facts and realized some of the facts are no longer relevant or just plain false.

3. I don’t drink coffee.
As I write this, I’m sipping on an iced coffee. I haven’t developed a daily habit, but I enjoy coffee maybe once or twice a week. I blame a friend for making my first really delicious cup of coffee a few years ago. It changed my life. [Photo of my favorite teacup by Oso.]

6. I rarely drink soda.
A couple of years ago, I developed a taste for Diet Coke. It’s the caffeine and aspartame. Yummy.

8. I eat Altoids Tangerine Sours like candy.
I haven’t had these in a while.

11. My favorite types of apples are Golden Delicious #4120.
I’ve switched to organic Gala apples.

12. I have a complex about being too pale.
I get a lot of sun these days (yay, vitamin D) and haven’t worried about being pale in a while. I worry more about the funny tan lines I get when I’m out running. It’s hard to celebrate a spring of no pants when you have a tan line from your running pants mid-shin. Don’t worry, I wear sunblock.

15. I’ve seen Café Tacuba live 10 times.
Make that 13. I had pit tickets for their shows at the Greek Theater (August ’08) and Universal Amphitheater (June ’09), which was part of the 20:20 tour. I won tickets via The Scenestar for another show in November ’09 at the Fox Theater in Pomona. I haven’t seen them since. That needs to change.

20. I finished paying off my car in September [2007]. I thought that was cool.
I might have jinxed myself with that. The next fall, I was in a car accident. My car was totaled. I was fine save for some minor scars from my seat belt and airbag. I bought a new car with the insurance money and with it came a new car payment. I like my new-ish car, a Mazda 3, but I miss some key details from the Stratus (auto locking and unlocking doors!).

21. I still sleep in a twin bed (my room is kinda small).
I switched rooms in my apartment last year and moved in to the largest room. I also bought a new queen bed.

27. I’ve only said “I love you” once in a relationship.
Not true anymore either.

58. I’ve been in three car accidents. One involved a professional cheerleader and a red light. I didn’t cause that accident.
Make that four. See #20. I didn’t cause the accident in November ’08, but it was definitely the scariest and had me shaken up for a while. I’m still thankful I was one mile away from family’s home when it happened as they, and my cousin who is an LAPD officer, were on the scene in minutes.

64. I don’t cook.
This was probably one of the reasons I was overweight. I ate out too much. I learned to cook and I’m not so horrible at it. [Photo by Sean.]

69. I think I was most attractive when I was 22/23 years old.
I was cute then, but I’m pretty happy with my appearance in my late 20s, early 30s.

70. That was before I started getting a lot of canas (gray hair).
I don’t mind the canas so much anymore. They look like natural highlights, especially since it’s been 6 months since the last time I dyed my hair. [Photo by Sean.]

83. I made one of these lists a few years ago and posted it on the super-secret blog. A lot of the facts are no longer relevant.
It’s funny how quickly things change.

93. It’s impossible for me to lie to my roommate, Isa.
Still true, but Isa is no longer my roommate. I see her much less these days but we’re still close and she can still read me like few other people.

100. I generally feel weird when I don’t have a crush.
I don’t crush at all anymore. Nope. I’m betrothed and stuff.

A year ago, Sean and I went on our first date. While singing along to the Bird and the Bee, I asked him to be my boyfriend. He agreed.

It’s been a fun 12 months. Some more numbers:

1 surprise visit; missed flight (that was me); cancelled flight thanks to a snowstorm (that was Sean, obviously)

2 races Sean attended to cheer me (and Lori) on

3 members of Sean’s immediate family I’ve met; baseball games we’ve attended together; museums we’ve visited; trips to the beach

4 animated movies we’ve seen together; we only watched one live-action movie (Inception)

5 ZogSports football games I attended to cheer on Sean and friends; comic books and graphic novels I’ve read per Sean’s recommendations

6 concerts attended together

7 photo sets of me spinning

8 trips we each to took to visit each other

9 years we’ve known each other

10 weeks since Sean moved to LA

40 number of Sean’s friends I met give or take a few

100 of my immediate and extended family members Sean thinks he’s met. It’s probably closer to 50.

227 days apart from March through December

586 songs on the Bicoastal Mixtape

53,270 JetBlue points earned between the two of us

I saw this going around a bunch of blogs this weekend. Here’s my take.

Age: 30 and a half (almost). I can’t wait to say I’m 31. I might just start rounding up in a few days.

(more…)

It’s time to assess how I did on ten things I planned to do more in 2010.

I’ll rate myself the way my elementary school teachers did on the citizenship portion of my report card:
Outstanding
Satisfactory
Needs improvement
Unsatisfactory

Running: Outstanding
Running continued to be my favorite method of exercise. I didn’t slack off with all my travel and took my running shoes with me to Michigan, Chicago and NY. I became more committed to running in the latter half of the year. In August, I joined the PostBourgie running challenge. The friendly competition, encouragement, tips and camaraderie pushed me to meet my monthly goals (between 75 and 100 miles). I also to signed up for a half marathon. I trained for a couple of months and in October I ran the Long Beach Half Marathon. I had a great race experience and did better than I expected. I ran some 10Ks and got a little bit faster. I’m currently training for the LA Marathon next March and have run more in the past month than ever before.

(more…)

This year, there will be more:

• running;
• writing;
• dissertation;
• yoga;
• reading;
• girl friends;
• cooking;
• Guanajuato;
• dancing;
• and getting all dolled up (con makeup también).

1. Went to an NHL game (Red Wings vs Kings)
2. Woke up early to watch a presidential inauguration (okay, this was the first inauguration I watched)
3. Got a speeding ticket
4. Joined a gym
5. Cooked a pot of beans
6. Saw Fabulosos Cadillacs live
7. Took a daytrip to a winery with my mom and sister
8. Won at the Black Jack tables in Las Vegas
9. Got my first pair of Nikes (Cortez!)
10. Played Brain Age on Nintendo DS
11. Watched (most of) The Wire (’nuff said)
12. Had catfish made by Alan’s mom
13. Took a yoga class
14. Learned why a 4-6-3 double play is called that
15. Ran a 5K (and lots, lots more)
16. Got a porcelain crown
17. Went to the Hollywood Bowl for a classical music concert (twice!)
18. Celebrated my birthday at Disneyland
19. Went kayaking in Lake Casitas
20. Went to a Yankee game at Yankee Stadium
21. Spent an afternoon alone in Central Park (see photo)
22. Ate sweet potato fries
23. Saw the Dodgers hit a walk-off hit in the playoffs
24. Had a glazed donut at Bob’s Donuts in San Francisco
25. Was published in the NY Times blog
26. Went to a NBA game (Pacers vs Clippers)
27. Became friends with Jordan
28. Made albóndiga soup (my mom approved!)
29. Went to the opera (The Barber of Seville)
30. Fit in to Lori’s pants
31. Lost [redacted] pounds

Of course, there’s more firsts for this year, but I wanted to keep the list limited to 31 (and to not-so-personal topics).

1. Checked out Rose Parade floats at the end of the parade route
2. Passed my qualifying exam
3. Wrote a haiku for someone and sent it via text message
4. Craved coffee
5. Went to a country music concert (this was at the Houston Rodeo)
6. Visited Austin and had beer in a movie theater
7. Met some of my favorite bloggers and attended monthly informal meetings with other Latino bloggers in LA
8. Hailed a cab in NY
9. Was recognized by a blog reader
10. Watched Lost with someone who likes the show much more than me
11. Partied on Tijuana’s Avenida Revolución
12. Enjoyed Chican@ (or post-Chican@?) art at LACMA
13. Served on a jury
14. Watched Yo Gabba Gabba! (my life has not been the same)
15. Played Wii
16. Won two free ticket giveaways for the same concert
17. Made a movie using iMovie
18. Had veggie soy tacos, and really liked them
19. Went on a blog-strike
20. Fell for someone outside my age range
21. Talked about blogging as part of a panel at two different academic/professional conferences (NACCS and UNITY)
22. Ran around barefoot in the Crown Fountains at Millennium Park in Chicago (bonus: really enjoyed Chicago)
23. Took pictures in an old-school photobooth
24. Used a dishwasher
25. Raced go-karts at Speedzone
26. Participated in a presidential campaign
27. Told off at a stranger at a Dodger game because he said something racist
28. Was in an art show (not as an artist, but as a subject in a portrait)
29. Celebrated on election night
30. Got caught in hail (in San Francisco)
31. Felt an airbag deploy in a car accident

First for 2009? How about I really make headway on earning my PhD.

Yeah, I know I’m about a week late for 2008 favorites lists, but I was too busy enjoying the last week of my vacation to stop and write about an overall pretty great year. Thanks to Sean for this concept (and for contributing to #10).

In no particular order, my favorite things of 2008:

1. MacBook: I finally made the switch when my Fujitsu LifeBook died. The switch was smooth and simple. My only gripe is that the LifeBook was much lighter.
2. Wii: one of the best birthday gifts ever. I spent most of my time playing the games I downloaded from the virtual console like Donkey Kong Country. It’s strange how I remember secrets and other details about the games despite not having played in ~15 years.
3. Muxtape: The concept was simple. Choose 12 songs (or less), upload them to the site, title your mix and then share with friends. I made a few mixes based on different themes and shared them with my friends. Sadly, the RIAA shut Muxtape down.
4. This outfit, sans giant sombrero. I wore dresses and skirts a lot more often this summer, but this one was my favorite.
5. Headbands: I cut my hair shorter than ever in June. There was little I could do with it and it was too short to pull back. I took to wearing thin headbands and liked the simple look.
6. The stools in my parent’s new kitchen (forgive the rude brother): the kitchen and living room were remodeled over the summer. The new kitchen is nice. My favorite part is the tall stools for the counter/table. I love them because they make me feel tall.
7. Jay Smooth’s videos: people, people, people! His videos are smart and entertaining.
8. The Ojitos series, plus comments: I had fun telling the story and keeping people guessing. Plus, it opened me up to writing more vignette-ish posts.
9. Free admission at LACMA after 5 pm: I’d taken advantage of this before, but this year I seemed to go every other week. During my visits I discovered this dog. I want this dog.
10. Concert buddy application CDs: okay, so no one who sent a CD lived in LA, but that was okay because several of the songs/artists on those CDs quickly became new favorites.

Honorable mention:
My canas. I’m beginning to really like them.