tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66852846061542100662011-04-21T15:23:51.148-07:00"Live this present moment with such intensity that it reaches a little bit of eternity."Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-49018357057533784502008-03-26T17:54:00.000-07:002008-03-26T17:55:20.578-07:00

The past few months at work have become incredibly frustrating for me. I had mistakingly believed that the challenges provided by this new role and the increased responsibility would make me more excited about working, but it's been the complete opposite. Whereas before I had no clue what I was doing, now I am becoming an expert on something which holds no interest for me. At the end of the

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-76366695548992053602007-12-31T09:35:00.000-08:002007-12-31T10:11:29.988-08:00

Do you ever stop to think about the amount of trash that you generate in a single day? Or week? Or year? After living in Samoa for a semester and seeing the negative impacts of trash build-ups I have tried to become a more conscientious recycler. But even recycling does not completely eliminate waste, it just extends it's life cycle. There is a real problem with the way things are packaged today.

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-12259473300307400542007-12-29T22:58:00.000-08:002007-12-29T23:04:40.495-08:00

It's not often that I find myself at my apartment on a Saturday evening, but since I am recovering from a rather nasty cold I decided it was a good idea. Definitely a change of pace for me. I sleep a lot when I go back to visit family, but not necessarily here. Rather nice to sleep away the afternoon, and I even managed to get some stuff done. Ok maybe not that much but I did write a few

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-21356147413853085252007-12-26T10:15:00.000-08:002008-12-11T00:54:42.366-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Christmas! I am once again back with my family enjoying an unexpected week off from work. Unexpected because until two weeks ago I did not know that I had this vacation time. I love happy unexpectedness. :) I had a wonderful Christmas. Right now all my younger siblings are running around the house playing with their new toys. It seems like the

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-44567760071162805562007-11-24T21:57:00.000-08:002007-11-24T22:05:15.469-08:00

For the first time ever all ten kids were home for Thanksgiving. That may seem surprising, but when the baby was born my older brother was already in college, and he always spent Thanksgiving with family on the East coast. Last year, his first year out of school, I was in Samoa. I must admit it was nice to have everyone home for the holidays. It's amazing how easy it is to slip into old

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-28075647927303049552007-09-03T20:05:00.000-07:002007-09-03T20:10:04.887-07:00

That's pretty much how I felt by the time I made it back to my car after today's game of ultimate. Yet despite all of that, if I had the chance I would be out there again right now. I miss playing ultimate. I don't care if I was soaking wet from the incessant drizzle and covered in grass and mud...I had fun today! One of my roommates doesn't like to break a sweat and so refuses to play spots.

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-7320887895799881582007-09-01T21:56:00.000-07:002007-09-01T22:01:11.546-07:00

It's not that I don't like the rain. It's more that it's very inconvenient for it to be raining so much right now. I bought a new mountain bike earlier this week and was really looking forward to trying it out on some of the trails around Houston but no. The rain has put a quick stop to that. It's not that it has been raining non-stop, but it's been raining enough to keep the trails muddy,

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-24459096515513776692007-08-19T19:33:00.001-07:002007-08-19T19:38:09.297-07:00

One of my younger sisters moved into her dorm room this afternoon. That was just weird. I know that she's not little anymore, but I just can't believe that she's old enough to be in college. For that matter I can't believe that I'm old enough for her to be in college. It was also somewhat strange to be back on campus, watching everyone move in, and knowing that I won't be going back as a

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-81795974947538586542007-08-12T19:21:00.000-07:002007-08-12T19:44:41.171-07:00

During the week I don't do much besides swim, work, drive, and sleep. My weekends however, look like they will be a lot more fun. Not having homework problems to do or tests for which to study makes it so much easier to relax and just do whatever. Friday night I went to an Astros game with a group of Rice friends. Things are really going to be different after Biggio retires at the end of this

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-10784977492457960082007-08-09T18:28:00.001-07:002007-08-09T18:57:03.281-07:00

Today we had what BP likes to call "D&I Day." Is is basically an excuse to have free food all day long and bring in speakers who talk about various diversity or inclusion issues. The first speaker today was talking about the need to respect and love ourselves before we can respect and love others. She went on about commonality and looking beneath the surface blah blah. I could understand the

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-66937849771122895072007-08-07T19:16:00.001-07:002008-12-11T00:54:42.729-08:00

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-76846445174521745722007-08-06T18:07:00.001-07:002007-08-06T18:40:33.677-07:00

I just got off the phone with my mom, and one of her last comments was "You just can't do anything that's not big can you." In case you are wondering what prompted that, let me tell you a little story. It's a story about my first day of work. Ya see, it started out the way I planned. I woke up at 5:30 and swam some laps at the apartment pool, came back, showered, got dressed put on makeup,

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-74507068084532546362007-08-05T16:48:00.000-07:002008-12-11T00:54:42.823-08:00

I moved into my new apartment on Friday, and incredibly enough was able to completely unpack in one day. It is rather nice to have my own room again. My roommates have also moved into the apartment, but they don't have their furniture here yet so my room is the only one done. The only thing missing is a second bookshelf...I didn't realize I had so many books!!! Hopefully in another few weeks

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-24526423223121463212007-08-02T23:15:00.000-07:002007-08-02T23:17:30.211-07:00

So the movers are scheduled to arrive at 8am tomorrow. I know I should be excited about moving, and I am...somewhat, but it's also a little scary to know that I am moving pretty much for good. College was different. This was still my home. But that's about to change. The ironic part is that now that I have a car I'll probably actually visit more often than I did in college.

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-60373394338687939572007-08-01T18:52:00.000-07:002007-08-01T20:16:15.652-07:00

There are very few things that will get me as upset as quickly as racism. I went to the library today with my younger sister to return some books and pick up a movie. As we were waiting for one of the librarians to find the movie in the back we chatted with the other two members of staff working at the circulation desk. One of them was white skinned and the other dark. Ok, so truth be told we

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-9048910806284138652007-07-31T23:37:00.000-07:002007-07-31T23:43:19.306-07:00

Sometimes I just really hate computers. Yes they can be convenient, but after spending over an hour on the phone with tech support and another four hours trying to figure out what was wrong with my computer I'm still left with I have no clue but now it's working again. I guess we'll see if it continues to cooperate in the morning...

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-48142150543231231462007-07-30T21:40:00.001-07:002007-07-30T21:45:20.920-07:00

I remember learning that song while I was boarding in Post Falls. For the rest of that semester it was my favorite song to sing. That was more than twelve years ago, but there is still something very comforting about being home. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel, but I also do love my family. Ya know, we pulled into the drive this evening and I had barely opened the car door before three

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-70643499567426040792007-07-29T22:28:00.000-07:002007-07-29T22:42:17.400-07:00

My last day of vacation before flying back to Houston and preparing for what some would call "the real world." Turns out, I'll be taking part of California back with me in the form of a nice sunburn, curtesy of the LA solar rays which can apparently penetrate multiple layers of sunscreen. But ya know what? It was worth it. My older brother flew in on Friday, so the three of us drove down to

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-72666766055966743662007-07-27T23:29:00.000-07:002007-07-27T23:56:05.049-07:00

I started watching part of the first Anne of Green Gables' movies with my cousins tonight. The book was one of my favorites as a child, and I still love the movie. I should probably reread the book, and all the others that I used to love so much. Polyanna, The Little Princess, Heidi, Little Lord Fauntleroy. Their main characters were not only so innocent, but also so full of happiness that

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-39684676052267661482007-07-26T23:59:00.000-07:002008-12-11T00:54:42.996-08:00

The best part of my California trip has been the ability to do absolutely nothing if I so desire. I tend to get so caught up in always doing things that even when I take time to read or do nothing there is always something waiting to be done at the end, always a certain amount of time set aside. This week there has been none of that. I get up when I want, go to the beach if I feel like it,

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-18684176375133709252007-07-25T21:29:00.001-07:002007-07-25T21:40:18.395-07:00

Today was a completely lazy day. I spent the morning taking care of apartment and moving details. I had a slight moment of panic when I talked to my mom and realized that I was moving out of the house completely in a little over a week. I realize it's just part of life but it's still slightly scary. I walked down to the beach after lunch and spent about an hour listening to Pink Martini. My

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-66518764009509650482007-07-24T21:41:00.001-07:002008-12-11T00:54:43.454-08:00

Today I was a tourist. I went to the Aquarium of the Pacific this morning and spent a few hours wandering around before the school crowds hit. I love the water. I love the ocean. I could have stood for hours and watched the fish swim. It never ceases to amaze me how much color and life there is under the water. Galveston Bay is so brown and polluted that for years I did not realize that

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-15886623783137026902007-07-23T23:19:00.000-07:002007-07-23T23:35:32.945-07:00

There are very few books that I would recommend as enthusiastically and universally as I would Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin's Three Cups of Tea. It chronicles ten years of a former mountain climber's work in rural Pakistan building schools for girls and assisting with other humaintarian efforts. For years he worked mostly alone, unknown and unrecognized by most Americans. His allies

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-54063808386023034182007-07-22T20:55:00.000-07:002007-07-22T21:14:22.051-07:00

My cousin took me to Disneyland today. Yes, I may be legally be an adult, but I am still a child at heart and it is perfectly acceptable for this to have been my first visit to that magical land. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be, but what impressed me most was the attention to detail and the creativity of whoever designed that place. I would love to have that job! Every single

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-30049358695649305182007-07-21T22:29:00.000-07:002007-07-21T23:09:05.250-07:00

I met a woman today at my cousin's daughter's friend's eighth birthday party. (Confusing relation? Yes, I thought so.) Brenda, as I will call her for the sake of this story, is in her early forties, unmarried, and very friendly. Since I am a stranger in this part of the country I was just making small talk with the other adults and listening in on various conversations. At one point however,

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-55741778503499050472007-07-20T14:58:00.000-07:002007-07-20T15:21:46.221-07:00

I just finished spending a week in Post Falls, Idaho with my best friend since fourth grade. You know you have something pretty special when you can go more than four years without seeing a person and pick up as though you'd only been gone for half an hour. I'm really glad I decided to take the summer off because otherwise I would not have been able to spend this time with her, and with her

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-16003236133722724112007-07-01T22:24:00.000-07:002007-07-01T22:46:17.387-07:00

This weekend I drove up to Dallas with a group of friends to go to a wedding. The bride and groom were both college friends who graduated two years ago, so it was somewhat of a reunion as well. It is the third wedding I have been to this summer, and once again I was slightly wierded out seeing friends walk down the aisle. I must admit however that it was a beautiful wedding. They were married

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-11465643986046038632007-06-23T23:49:00.000-07:002007-06-24T00:14:45.726-07:00

The past few months have been a whirlwind of activity. I graduated from college, watched two of my best friends walk down the aisle, took a road trip to Ohio, and played in a beach tournament in Galveston to name a few of the things that have occupied my time. Thankfully, the past few weeks of bumming around at home have been very relaxing. I'm going to miss the complete lack of responsibility

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-4324580638024903182007-03-26T07:31:00.000-07:002007-03-26T07:37:04.932-07:00

Growing up, and especially through high school, I always played music. The piano was almost a best friend. But then I got to college and I didn't have time to practice anymore. For the past three years the only time I've played on a regular basis has been some sight-reading duets with a friend who plays the clarinet. It's always fun, but last night has to have been one of my favorite nights

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-64126357519948210662007-03-12T07:12:00.000-07:002008-12-11T00:54:43.833-08:00

Spring break was pretty much awesome. My roommate and I took a cruise to Mexico, so it was basically five days or reading, relaxing, and generally doing absolutely nothing. No computers, no cell phones, no school, no worries. It was perfect. I'm pretty much in love with water, so waking up every morning to blue ocean waves as far as the eye could see was quite ok with me.Our ship made two

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-58076527303676140502007-02-19T22:31:00.000-08:002007-02-19T22:43:34.417-08:00

It's 12:30am on a Tuesday morning, and I'm sitting in my room icing my shins and trying to focus on a problem set. As you can tell it's not working. It's moments like this that I wonder why I do this to my body. I love playing ultimate, but sometimes it seems a bit crazy. This weekend was tough. We had another tournament in Baton Rouge- Mardi Gras. At first it looked like it would be an

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-42866656840506504212007-02-14T22:20:00.001-08:002007-02-14T22:20:48.753-08:00

Now that Valentine's Day is officially over I feel like I can validly comment on relationships. First of all, I have to say that I am not a huge fan of the exaggerated commercialization of the day. While I will admit that this might be a slight amount of bitterness on my part, I think the world would be a much better place if people were a tad bit nicer on normal days and down played Valentine's

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-18251048806696820102007-02-14T09:11:00.000-08:002007-02-14T09:57:34.597-08:00

One of my pet peeves is meetings that drag on for much longer than needed. I am a huge fan of directness. Say what needs to be said, and do what needs to be done. If you are in charge of running a meeting it is your responsibility to make sure that you have at least an informal agenda beforehand, and that you keep things moving once the meeting starts. While it is perfectly acceptable, and

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-45629829979296963932007-02-12T17:03:00.000-08:002007-02-11T09:12:41.151-08:00

I got back from Vegas about twelve hours ago, and am still in the process of recovering. No, I did not gamble. I was there for an ultimate tournament, and what a tournament! The first two days the weather was about as perfect as possible. We came out strong in our first games and were playing some of the best ultimate I've ever see Miss Red play. Good ultimate is so much fun to play. We

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-1030006865304477822007-02-03T11:26:00.000-08:002007-02-03T11:33:37.691-08:00

It's actually less than 100 days at this point, and it's still a little bit hard to believe. 100 days until I graduate from college. It's exciting and scary at the same time. I've really enjoyed college with all its ups and downs. It's been a good four years and it doesn't seem possible that time is winding down as quickly as it is. This semester is going to be just packed with fun and

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-62854348740445104892007-01-29T00:00:00.000-08:002007-01-29T00:16:52.155-08:00

I've been meaning to post for at least a week now, but never made the time for it. After I came back from Samoa I had a lot of questions regarding development vs. preservation of culture. I was very confused. On the one hand I was being told that this culture needed to be preserved and that development was bad. On the other hand I was working with engineers and educated Samoans who wanted

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685284606154210066.post-64718311539738929632007-01-22T20:55:00.001-08:002007-01-22T20:55:53.809-08:00

Testing

Maexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114003060485411090noreply@blogger.com0