Thoughts on no thoughts

I have been trying to find something interesting to write about for the past several days, and I have come to the conclusion that at this point in my life, nothing new or exciting is happening on a day to day basis.  Granted as a whole it is fairly new and exciting, but today looks a lot like yesterday and yesterday sure looks a lot like the previous twenty days before it.  C'est la vie.  It is crazy how saying "that is life" has a negative connotation while saying "that is the life" is a good thing.  Je ne comprends pas.
In other news, I got a 93 on my Stats. quiz which is good but not great, and in sadder news I got an 83 on my first French quiz.  Apparently the whole class did so horrendously bad on it that she had to curve the grade, so I ended up getting a B+ instead of a B- which an 83 normally is so I am not complaining to terribly loudly.  I would have gotten an A but I cannot seem to grasp the concept of inversion, subject pronouns, interrogative adverbs, and all of that grammar hoopla that can't be as important as they say it is.  I mean really, needed whose grammar speaking clear?  Don't even get me started on the pluperfect and auxiliary verbs; I don't even know these things in English!
Did I mention that I have a cold?  I have been sniffling and sneezing for the past several days but have been staying away from the medicine just so that I will not be sleepy or feel fuzzy in the head.  Oh, the things we do for school.  I am hoping that since I am sick now that maybe this means that I won't get sick later when I really can't afford to loose any time, or at least that is what I have been telling myself.  Thus far I have been living in a mound of homework surrounded by empty coffee cups and cough drop wrappers, but things are looking up.  I hope to be well enough tomorrow to go to P.E. seeing as how I had to miss Monday's class.  The one day I miss is the one day where they play ultimate frisbee instead of doing sit-ups and sprints and lunges across the gym.  That is the life.  Well, I must return to les devoirs.
Much love,

-Kate

The Three Musketeers

I don't really have time to do a proper blog or think of an original title, but here is a picture of Viana, Robert, and I last night at the Jalapeno Tree having dinner.  A bit grainy, but the only one that we have of all three of us.  We truly do just about everything together, and it is great to have such awesome friends.

Love yall,

Kate

Revamp!

You guessed it, something is a bit different about the blog these days.  I decided that it was time for a bit of a makeover so bye-bye daisies and Ariel font, hello meadow with big green trees!  Any comments or suggestions from the peanut gallery are welcome and appreciated.  I hope yall are all well this beautiful evening and know that I miss you bamboozles!
xoxo

-Kate

Through New Mexico

Before we left Colorado, we took one last
trip up to the little lake behind the house
where Vaughn caught two tiny fish and
Carol hiked while Hope and Guapo just hung out.

The swollen Rio Chama near Abiquiu, about eight miles down a
once dusty, now muddy road through spectacular red, yellow, gray,
green, blue, and white desert rocks and dirt.

Cholla cactus on the banks of the Rio Chama

Cottonwoods beginning to change into their yellows

Looking up-river on the Chama.  Rain included.

Carol hiking down the part of the Continental Divide
Trail that takes off from a bridge over the Rio Chama.

Sustenance.

Driver and her tools on the way out of the desert.

The Truck.

We've Gone Postal!

Due to a large course load, long nights, really thick books with no pictures and really small print, and the loud group of freshman who live above us, we have officially gone off our rockers.  Kate has chosen the more devil-may-care-no-one-will-notice-if-I-start-carrying-a-big-knife-and-skinning-squirrels approach while Viana has taken the caffeine-study-caffeine-study-caffeine-study-put-off-showering-caffeine-caffeine-I-hear-voices! approach.  In all seriousness, things are going well.  Kate recently won an award for service to the school by reducing the resident squirrel population, and Viana has had the honor of having the local espresso machine named after her.    

Until next time!

-Those sort of odd girls from Rm. 104

Colorado Wet

Southwest Colorado has experienced a long dry season until about five days ago when we arrived.  The Durango newspaper said yesterday that the clouds should depart Saturday (tomorrow when we leave), and the area will experience a dry and sunny Indian Summer.

Driving up South Mineral Creek to Camp in the Rain, Sleet, and Snow

Here it comes

But Carol minds not the weather with such a glorious campsite

Still, the next wet afternoon we took refuge in Silverton at the Handlebar bar/cafe for  coffee.

"Urns not accepted."

The weaver/potter/weaver/painter woman in her home in Silverton.

Her tiny home in Silverton.

Just south of Silverton.  Getting colder (and wetter).

Back in Durango at the Steaming Bean

As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
(depressing mountain-rain reading)

Pine River in the mist

Ripe choke cherries (plump with late summer rain water)

Self-portrait

New Mexico and Colorado

Carol and I on a hike up into the northern part of the Pecos Wilderness south of Taos.

Pretty sorry composition, but the subjects of the photo are remarkable.

Mama renewing her energy up Santa Barbara trail in the Pecos Wilderness.  And rain.

Up beside Lake Vallicito.

Mama throwing sticks for Guapo.

A stone-skipping contest underway.  Guapo feels ignored.

Did you hear that Chevrolet has contacted us to get permission to use the old photo of Adair and me in my grandfather's pickup truck?  They found the photo on Kate's Flickr page of scanned photos and want to use it in a commercial. Adair and I will each get about $600 plus royalties.  And then another $500 for us all to split for the ownership of the photo.

Hello Vaughn & Adair,

Attached is the photo I told you both about on the phone. We would like to use this photo in a commercial for Chevy and we would need to get permission from both of you to do that. 

I have also attached three releases I need signed. 

The one titled Hamilton-GSP-PhotoLicense.pdf is for the use of the actual photo. That needs to be signed by whomever owns the actual photo. We will pay the $500 license fee to that person.

The ones titled:

AdairHamiltonGSP-Photo-LikenessRelease

VaughnHamiltonGSP-Photo-LikenessRelease

are for each of you to sign. These releases are stating that you grant us permission to use your likeness, and that you will be willing to sign a SAG contract if your photo is used in the final commercial. The sag contract pays a base rate of $592 and includes residuals. You could make into the thousands of dollars depending on how long the commercial runs. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about any of this paperwork or anything about the commercial.

Thanks!

Colleen

Micro-Blog

School
is
hard.

-Kate

Wisdom from Viana

As yall should know by now, Viana is my super cool roommate who has a penchant for dispensing timeless wisdom on a daily basis.  Here are a few that I have managed to write down.

"I'll send you pictures of animals, and you can knit them on sweaters!" 

-On the wondrous things we could do if she became a wildlife biologist

"If we were stranded in a forest and we didn't know when we were going to be able

to go home, that old coffee and yogurt juice would be our prized possession."

"Have you ever thought about what it'd be like to be a frog? 

Because I am right now..."

No words can describe the wonderfulness of these moments of brilliance.  An autobiography would be as priceless and as thought provoking as any of the classic pieces of literature that have graced us throughout time.

The roomies!

Good night to all,

Kate

A Toast To Toast

Viana and I have officially gone bonkers.  As an example, here are two homages that we made to the most glorious of foods: toast.  We are in love in every way, shape, and form.  However, there is one small problem.  We have neither a toaster to toast it in, nor a pan to bake it on, nor a skillet to fry it on.  So, we eat our bread untoasted, wallowing in our grief, consumed by our affection for the noblest of breakfast foods.

The Our Toaster

Our toaster, who art in Kitchen,

Hallowed be thy frame.

Thy butter will melt.

Thy bread will be done,

On my plate as it is in my stomach.

Give us this day our daily toast,

And forgive us our pastries,

As we forgive those who burn our toast.

And lead us not into Eggo Waffles,

But deliver us from Poptarts,

For thine is the jam, and the jelly, and the crumbs, 

for ever and ever.  Amen




The Yummy Toast
I would like to boast,
About the toast,
I ate for lunch.
It was the best toast.
Golden brown
with a crunchy sound.
Here's to my toast;
You serve my hungry tummy well.

Like I said, we've gone bonkers.

Good night all,

Kate

The Real Food of Austin College

Just so that yall don't think that I live off of taquitos, nacho cheese, chocolate cake, and corn dogs, I took a picture with Viana's phone to show yall the awesomeness that was my lunch.

Above is the Kashmiri Masala with sweet potatoes as served up by the Pan-Geos Grainery, my favorite station in the cafeteria.  All was sauteed in front of me with fresh ginger, onions, coconut milk, corn, red beans, broccoli, lentils, and masala all served over brown rice with extra sweet potatoes (per my request).  Hallelujah Christ has come again!  This stuff totally made my day!  Viana and I were so excited about lunch that it was hard for us to contain our joy while standing in line, so....we made a song about it.  I will spare you the details.  Well, back to studying for me.  I will try and get around to getting batteries for my camera, but until then, au revoir.

-Kate

A Day In My Life

0600  Viana's alarm goes off; set to wrong time.
0630  My alarm goes off; say good morning to Viana
0632  Use restroom
0635  Realize that I don't have class until 1100; celebrate with Viana by singing TGIF by Katy Perry
0640  Crawl back in bed; decide what to study
0642  Get out statistics books
0650  Get up to make coffee
0652  Sit down; look for pencil
0656  Find pencil; sit down again
0656  Get up to get coffee and granola for me and Viana
0659  Sit down again; study statistics
0846  Viana heads for class; still studying statistics
1024  Viana returns from class; still studying statistics
1030  Alarm goes off to remind me of French class
1035  Remember that I am supposed to be getting ready
1036  Get dressed; brush teeth; pack backpack; make bed
1045  Walk to Caruth Administration building with Viana
1047  Say goodbye to Viana at door
1049  Wait for class to start
1100  French class starts; excessive mumbling of stuff that is supposed to be French
1220  French ends; walk back to dorm
1230  Meet Viana and Hillary in dorm lobby; walk to lunch at the Pouch Club
1234  Stand in line; order veggie burger at register
1239  Sit down in booth with Viana, Hillary, and Robert
1248  Food finally ready; eat; talk; talk; talk; talk
1320  Put up tray; walk back to dorm with Hillary
1325  Lay down for quick nap
1345  Wake up; talk to Viana about weird dream
1346  Realize that there is a strange guy in the room; realize that strange guy is actually Viana's guyfriend JT; express my surprise at his presence; introduce myself; chat
1353  Do more statistics homework
1419  Verbalize my dislike for drawing histograms
1432  Retell of my dislike for drawing histograms
1440  Get ready to go to Italian Renaissance Art class
1445  Leave dorm for art building
1448  Arrive at class and take my seat
1620  Leave class
1621  Run into president again (daily ritual it seems) and chat briefly about classes
1625  Arrive at dorm
1629  Head to bookstore to return unneeded textbook
1631  Arrive one minute after bookstore closes; return to dorm
1633  Try to finish statistics homework
1648  Cuss loudly upon realizing that I have been confusing histograms with bar graphs all day
1649  Calm down and begin redrawing all previously drawn "histograms"
1655  Decide it's not worth my time; get a snack
1659  Start art history readings
1732  Meet Viana, Hillary, JT, and Robert in cafeteria hallway for dinner
1733  Grab tray and head straight for the stir-fry station
1735  Custom order contents of stir-fry and watch them make it
1738  Grab a fork and glass of ice tea; sit down with group
1850  Decide that we best stop talking and get back to homework
1852  Walk back to dorm with Hillary; invite her to study with me in my room
1854  Set up standing desk (aka dresser) with drink, books, and extra pencils
1855  Commence reading book on the Mayans
2015  Decide to sit down
2016  Brainstorm possible topics for art history research paper
2040  Share a big cookie with Hillary and Viana while we sit on my bed and watch music videos extolling the virtues of Fridays
2055  Have lengthy conversation on GLBT rights with Hillary and Viana
2207  Hillary says goodnight
2210  Finish writing out ideas for research paper
2220  Begin checking emails, Moodle (like Blackboard), and favorite craft blog
2235  Begin this blog post; keep getting interrupted
2302  Finish post!!!

Good night!  Love yall buckets!
xoxoxo
-Kate



   








     

First Week of School

Bonsoir, ma familie!  Comment allez-vous?  I am having tons of fun here learning more stuff than I thought possible for just three days of school.  It feels like I have been at this for at least two weeks which I think is both a bad and good sign.  Good in that I already feel at home and very productive, but bad in that if using such calculations this semester will feel like 457 days or roughly 1 year and 3 months.  Hmmmmm...c'est la vie.  So far I am very pleased with my classes and my professors are all very knowledgeable about their classes.  I am actually about to fall asleep over this blog post so I should probably go to bed before I start to ramble too bad :)  We had a flash mob in the cafeteria yesterday and it was so cool.  I am happy that I go to a college where the leadership will randomly break out in a mass dance to Beyonce while everyone is enjoying their plate of couscous.  The music slowly got louder and nobody really noticed until a bunch of folks ran up to the front of the room and started busting a move like there was no tomorrow!  We were all impressed by some of their flexibility and agility because most of them did not look like they would be able to high kick above their head.  Craziness abounds!
Well, I know there is so much more to say, but I can't think of it now because I am to busy trying to remember the formula for systematic random sampling without replacement in which the order is significant.  Yeah, that one might take a while to sink in, but I love you guys bunches and wish you were here.
Much love,
Kate