The Final Countdown

I dropped my ballot off today.



Yeah!



I can't wait for Tuesday. Not only for the long awaited answer of who's going to be president, but for the long desired relief from non-stop campaign commercials.



I can't believe how anxious I am about the outcome of this election! I've never followed political races so closely. I know this is a historical race, but still, I'm amazed at how nervous I am! I'm nervous!



All I can say is- don't forget to vote. We've all been voicing our opinions, but our words mean shit if we don't turn in our ballots. Polls show that Obama is in the lead, but polls don't elect the President, votes do- palpable votes. Voter turnout will be what really determines the outcome.



I've been mapping out the next couple of years of my life lately. I'm hoping that Greg and I will buy a house before the end of next year, and after that, we'll try for a baby, but if McCain is elected, I'm seriously considering waiting to have a baby for at least another four years.

Hmmm

Today at work we were sampling some new cheeses. One of them was called "Cow Chego". It's our own twist on Manchego, and it's pretty good- creamy and mellow. It makes me wonder, though....

If Cow Chego is made from cow's milk, what is Manchego made from?

I think Manchego tastes a lot better. Is that wrong?

Mexico...

...was amazing. One of the best trips of my life. We went to so many places: Cancun, Yucatan, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Lake Chapala, Aguas Calientes, Tlaquepaque....and saw so many incredible sights.

The highlights, of course, were seeing the ancient pyramids of the Mayans and the Aztecs. Unfortunately, we couldn't climb up the steps of the Temple of Kukulkan, because the government closed the steps to help preserve the Temple- good for the history, bad for my....

OK. That's how I was planning on telling everybody about my trip. Now, my mind is like cake batter and I'd much rather be downstairs munching on some pita chips and hummus, and then hop into the shower and stay there for about a year.

Nothing significant happened to make me change my direction for this blog. I just can't seem to get into a "flow" of sorts. The phone keeps ringing, I'm thinking about my laundry that has to go into the dryer, and as I've said before- hummus, pita chips and shower.

This was a trip of a lifetime, truly unforgettable. It made me want to really try harder to become fluent in spanish, and it also made me realize that (as much as I love her) I WILL NEVER GO ON VACATION WITH MY MOTHER AGAIN. There were far too many times where she broke my heart without ever knowing it, and I just don't think I could handle it. Regardless of that fun-filled fact, I will treasure the time I spent in Mexico, and I promise I will not wait another fifteen years to see my family.

Some highlights of my trip:

*Climbing to the top of The Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan: There is something so magical about being able to fully engulf yourself in history- to step on the same steps that your ancestors walked on, to touch a stone and wonder how many people before you touched that same stone- little things, but each stone, every inch of paint or plaster that endured and stayed intact after so many years is something to be recognized and respected.

*Lunch in Mexico City during our temple tour: Instead of eating lunch at the restaurant where all the tourists go, our awesome tour guide took us to his friend's place. We were greeted warmly and sat in the back kitchen with his family. I had the best damn chile relleno of my life in that little kitchen.

*Breakdown in Aguas Calientes: My family decided to take a little road trip to see even more family in the city of Aguas Calientes in Jalisco. So there we were- Brian, Greg, my mom, my cousin Raul, Raul's wife and 4-year-old son, my Tio Raul, my cousins Maricela and Carolina and I- piled in an old skool pimp van (plush recliners and a bench in the back) making our way through nowheres-ville when we came across some car troubles. We made it just short of a couple blocks to my Tio Pasqual's house. The van was dead and the ten of us walked the rest of the way. That's how we roll.

*The battle of the Mariachi bands: Brian, Greg, Maricela and I went out to Tlaquepaque to check out some art galleries and do some shopping. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant located inside a big courtyard. What we found out was that this courtyard was home to about sixteen other restaurants- and ALL of them had Mariachi bands wandering the aisles, asking patrons if they would like to hear some music. You know who wanted to hear some music? The table to the left of us, and a table about three parties to the right of us....and they wanted to hear music at the same time. So two mariachi bands were playing AT THE SAME TIME, and THEY WERE PLAYING DIFFERENT SONGS. The best part was that through all of the ::ahem:: music, there was a man fast asleep at the table behind us. Good times. Good times indeed.

There were so many more moments that made this trip the spectacular adventure that it was, but there's no way I could list them all, and there's probably not enough of you interested to hear them all- I am known to blab.