i hate blogger

I just wrote an AWESOME post and lost it. It didn´t save, it didn´t publish, nothing. UGH!
I talked about:
- orkut (which is wildly popular here in Brasil) and if you travel here I recommend you set up an account
- other travel tips
- cousins (who I have reconnected with on facebook and hope to rendevous with in Boston)
- vegan brownies: i´ve made them twice. The first time I substitued the water with soy milk and added oats and expresso. I don´t recommend the oats or expresso. The second time I did half brown sugar, half white sugar. I had tried to made cashew butter but the blender wasn´t up to the task so I just tossed the crumbles ontop of the batter and baked it up. Yummy! Next time I´ll sub half the white flour for wheat. As I get older I like chocolate less and less but I do love these brownies
- LaChamba cookware (I wanted to buy it, it´s fair trade, ecofriendly and Gaiam is having a 1cent shipping sale until Dec.3rd - but it is sold out)
- I got a cool care package from the kids of one of my oldest/dearest friends
- I found a place to live in Boston, my mom is sending my check to make it official. woohoo!
I´m too devastated to do a full on repeat. Here are pictures of my AWESOME carepackage and brownies.

what do dental cleanings and manicures have in common?

In the U.S. the answer would be nothing. You get your teeth cleaned (ideally) ever six months - manicures require more frequent upkeep. Dental cleanings cost more then manicures. Dentists go through more schooling then manicurists. However, in Brasil, they do have something in common - they both hurt, ALOT! Brasilians, perhaps as a result of valuing beauty so highly, must have one of the worlds highest tolerances for pain. I say this because I´ve experienced more pain here in the last 3 months then probably the past 3 years in the states. Between waxings of places that don´t see the light of day, ruthless removal of cuticles, and bleeding gums I´m suprised I am still standing.

Speaking of health (kind of)....I have a sore throat. I can´t believe it. If I get sick again it will be the third time in 3 months. Every time I get a great workout routine established - bam - sick again. WHY me?!? I eat well, drink lots of water, and sleep tons. How can this be happening? Granted the weather here is crap - it changes radically every 6-8 hours. And I´m fragile, as my aunt lovingly says. What does that mean? I´m easy prey for the germs of others. I´ve started volunteering at Gotas de Flor com Amor again and those beloved children that live in squalor and have no health insurance carry what seems to be a near cousin of the 1919 flu epidemic - I sometimes worry it is TB when they cough (and they smile and play right through it). Also, when I get stressed I get sick. I´ve been stressed lately. Not even in a bad way - just in a "learning a new language, culture, family" kind of way. That´s not to say I don´t have a GREAT, blessed, life.

My friend Leah blogs on her myspace page and I love it. Recently she posted about feeling down and out. She made a great point that I just have to borrow: "Sometimes stuff just sucks....... Granted, I am not incapacitated or starving or dying of the Bubonic plague, so some may say that I should always be happy since I have never experienced those things, but I don't feel so happy. " I too realize that my problems - in comparisons with others - are trivial. I don´t worry about where I will get my next meal, on the contrary - I worry about stopping myself from eating all the goodies in the fridge. I don´t worry about living in a war zone, I worry about whether the taxi driver will rip me off. I don´t worry seeing my loved ones unfairly imprisoned or tortured, I worry that their next elective plastic surgery will look bad. But my pops once told me that comparison is the source of most suffering. I agree. I clearly keep in perspective all my blessings and that my stresses are relatively minor, but they are still stresses for me and as a result I have a sore throat.

I just want to briefly mention that I had the best wedding food I´ve ever had in my LIFE at my biodad´s wedding on Saturday (hopefully his last). They prepared a vegan mushroom risotto just for me and I´ve never tasted anything more divine. I think the key is that they prepared it just for one - he was adamant about having food for me. When I first became vegetarian at age 15 he was very unsupportive - the exact opposite is true now. It fueled me through an after party of karaokê with friends, in the dress I had worn to the wedding. I turned a few heads - because a floor length, bright green, evening gown stands out, even in the midst of a hot, sweaty, plastic floral decorated, neon light, karaokê bar. I had fun - but I only made it until 3 or so. With this sore throat it will be no more 6am curfews for a while.


Okay - I just ate a large bowl of yummy veggie soup and am off to watch Harry Potter. It just arrived here. Cheers!

Online shopping pet peeves

Between missing my parents, college football, cranberries, and having one of the worst (mock) thanksgivings in recent memory yesterday - I needed a pick me up. I decided to partake in some online retail therapy. (I hate to cater to the stereotype of females loving to shop - but you know what, I can´t lie, sometimes shopping helps). Just like I am particular about my food, I am particular about what I wear. My number one priority is avoiding clothes made in sweatshops - nearly impossible when it comes to mainstream appareal - but I try nonetheless. My number two priority is clothing that is environmentally sustainable. My number three priority is that it looks good and I can afford it. teehee.

To address these concerns online shopping is great. Faeries Dance is an online retailer that addresses the human component and environmental impact of clothing. Fair Indigo focuses on the wages that laborers receive and No Sweat is 100% union made. Websites like Greenloop and Envi focus on higher end eco-friendly clothing. And when I want to shop "vegan" I´ve got Mooshoes, Pangea (which is also great about fairly made products), and Herbivore. (there are MANY others retailers I like - like gaiam, vickerey, and lotus organics - but I will save them for other posts).

I like online shopping but I definitely have some pet peeves. I can´t stand when they don´t list the inseam length, or only have one photo of the item, or have an unclear/difficult return policy, or don´t offer free shipping when I buy more then $100 worth of goods, or don´t tell me where the item was made. But my biggest pet peeve is when the same item is sold for different prices at different sites.

The thing about fair trade environmental clothing is that it is more expensive (especially fancy pancy designer stuff like Edun, Loomstate, Stewart+Brown, Habitude, Charmone)- and that is okay with me. If someone makes a living wage and I help sustain the environment then I am happy to pay more. I just want to make sure I know why I am paying more and who is pocketing the profit. I especially ask myself this question when there is a notable discrepency in prices for the same item. Take the Emma Shirt by Of The Earth - not a style I personally like - but perfect for illustrating my point. On the Faeriesdance website the shirt sells for $49.00. On the Greenloop website the shirt is selling for $64.00. And at yet another random online retailer - Backcountry - the shirt sells for 57.45. Ugh!

So this rant was totally unrelated to Brasil. But as I was online window shopping it just struck me how annoying this phenomenon is and what better way to vent then to blog!
I hope everyone had a delicious, loving, peaceful thanksgiving filled with gratitude. I´m grateful for all of my family and friends that read this - you rock!

grateful

These next few days are VERY difficult days for me but you know what - I still have lots to be grateful for. (rereading this the next day I´ve decided to edit some blatantly bitter parts - teehee!)

1. I am grateful for my faith. Even though I struggle with church dictates and often bear the brunt of others objections to Catholicism, I am so glad I believe.
2. I am so glad I have so much family that loves me.
3. I am so grateful for my parents. They are the epitomy of perfection, unconditional love, and acceptance. I thank God for them.
4. I am grateful I am in Brasil and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
5. I am grateful for pilates - it is fun.
6. I am grateful for long lost cousins and new opportunities with family.
7. I am grateful that I have three grandmothers that are alive and love me.
8. I am grateful for friends.
9. I am grateful for my health.
10. I am grateful for old friends and new beginnings.

Black bean patties

When I first started this blog back in May it was for work, really. I created it with the idea that it would be about my vegan lunches and my faith (Catholicism). I soon realized that I don´t really put that much effort into lunches or being vegan (unlike this blogger) and that I don´t feel all that comfortable talking about my faith. Then I thought it could be about vegan product reviews, kind of like SuperVegan (which I love), but since I am a poor graduate student that doesn´t really buy things that idea didn´t pan out. The more I started following other vegan blogs - like Urban Vegan, The Concious Kitchen, Don´t Get Mad Get Vegan, Eat Air, Squirrel´s Vegan Kitchen, Veganfriendly.com - I realized I was never going to be apart of that type of vegan community. I´m vegan for different reasons, with different priorities - though I still read those blogs daily and am dying to make UV deconstructed monkey bread. So I started blogging about me - what I think, what I do, my insecurities, my triumphs. Not really of any larger community benefit - but it is a subject near and dear to my heart. teehee

But today - today I actually made a meal that I think can be of use on other people´s plates. It all stemmed from Maria (the maid who drinks all my goiaba juice and occasionally dislikes me) making a huge batch of black beans (with no bacon or sausage because there is none in the house). If I don´t eat it - and all of it - I offend her, but I didn´t want another night of beans on top of rice with a side of brocoli. Been there, done that. So I looked up vegan recipes with black beans, online, and found this one. I modified it, slightly, based on the ingredients I had, and I think it is worth posting about.

Black Bean Patties

* 2 1/2 c. of black beans, reserve liquid and 1/2 c beans

*1 onion, finely chopped

*1-3 cloves of garlic, minced (to taste)

* 1 c. bread crumbs, or flour

* salt and pepper to taste

I blended 2 c. of black beans with about 1/2 c. of water (since my beans were made from scratch I didn´t have that nasty can liquid that comes in handy). I then gently mixed in the remaining beans to give the patties more texture then baby food. I sauteed the onions for about 5 minutes, until translucent, and added the garlic for another two minutes. I then added the onion/garlic mixture to the bean mixture. I added about 1/4 c. bread crumbs at a time (which my biological dad provided me in the food packages he often delivers) until the mixture was thick. And then I sauteed - or fried, if you insist. With a side of brocoli it was very good. I just want to add that the patties have a crisp exterior and a oozy inside - so delicious. I don´t understand why it has to be "vegan food" and why it just isn´t good? and p.s. that pan is so old and scratched please don´t even remind me about the dangers of nonstick pans!

Now I still need to figure out how to use that agar agar and shiitake miso......

vacation for my vacation

I´m in Brasil to get to know my family, improve my português, and volunteer when needed. Learning a second language, getting familiar with a different culture and handling family dynamics can be tiring....but no doubt about it - I am on vacation. So the fact that I went on vacation, while I am on vacation, is a little redundant. But while in Brasil, do as Brasilians - go to the beach! I went to Ilha Grande, an island that is a part of the state of Rio de Janeiro (also a world famous city). The weather was horrible nearly the entire time but the friends and scenery were well worth it.

Given that I was at a very remote beach, with little sun, lots of rain, and no internet connection, our entertainment options were limited. We improvised very well - with card games Uno and Spades, videokaraoke, a crazy clothing competition called "miss ridiculous" (which I came in 4th place), caipirinhas and lots of dancing. Satomi, a great woman from Japan, taught us how to use chopsticks - properly. Fred, the Swede, taught us how to sing Jingle Bells in Swedish. And Jonathan is the one who taught us how to play spades. (I´m not sure what I contributed but I definitely benefited). The vacation was a package deal, not something I prefer to do but was well worth it because we met some fantastic people. Almost everyone was impressed with our language skills and the international flavor of our group. I really had a great time with all of them.

Without a doubt my biggest concern was the food. The greatest difficulty I have with being vegan is other people´s frustrations with preparing food and traveling. I am vegan for environmental, social, and health reasons. Given those reasons, in an ideal world, I would eat all natural/local/seasonal produce, with minimal packaging or shipping, farmed by myself or those that receive a living wage. However, I don´t really have a green thumb (I nearly killed all my roomies plants when she went to Paraguay for 2 weeks), I like sweets, and when I´m traveling I don´t have the control over what type of produce people buy. As a result, I eneded up eating a lot of french fries (which I love but hardly ever eat), melon, and white rice (I actualy prefer brown) on this vacation. I hope the beans I ate weren´t made with bacon but I´d rather not think about it. I made sure to take my own food, mostly junk food consisting of amendoim (peanuts). I´ve fallen in love with "japanese" style peanuts (which satomi assures me they don´t have in Japan). All in all the trip got me thinking alot about how I eat. Sometimes I regret I can´t just go over to someone´s house and eat whatever they offer, but my desire to live a life in alignment with my values outweighs my regret. I´ve been vegetarian for almost 13 years, during which time I knew I should have be vegan - based on my values - but it wasn´t until April 2006 (after reading Great American Detox Diet) that I finally made the switch. And now I think I may need a few years to do this vegan thing well.

Unrelated to my trip:

I´ve also discovered cake mixes here that are animal product free (vegan by default - though not really in alignment with my personal values) that work with the soda can recipe. Here is how it works - you add a can of soda to the cake mix and bake. I´m not a big soda person but I LOVE guarana - a soda particular to Brasil. This type of cake is gooey, sticky, sugary, and yummy. I also bought some agar agar which I still haven´t figured out how to use and I have a large bag of shitake miso which is so salty and delicious but I have no idea how to use more then a tablesppon at a time. Any suggestions???

I´m starting to think about my 2008 resolutions. I usually make about 25 or 30. I already know one, I plan on baking some type of vegan bread once a week. Please send me recipes (pizza dough, breadsticks, rolls, etc)

I will be missing out on homemade cranberry sauce for thanksgiving. If you have some - eat up.

I look back to two months ago - when I suffering over my exboyfriend and no friends - and I couldn´t feel farther away from that time in my life. Amen!

Eating well

I downloaded a free trial of photo collage in order to put together this nifty compilation of all the yummy vegan food I´ve been eating lately. My new friend Sebastain from Argentina made me vegan emapanadas. He actually made a variety - most non vegan -but he went out of his way to make sure that the milho (corn) empanadas were vegan. I thought they were very tasty. They weren´t shiny/pretty like the others because he didn´t use an egg wash but they were equally tasty - I´m sure. Then for dessert he served a fruit salad - especially for me, which made it even yummier. The next day my biological father made me some of his famous lasagna. The panko crumbs on top almost look like parmesean cheese and taste great, the filling is some brasilian nut, tofu, mushroom combo (i think). And the next day he bought me some delicious vegan Chinese dumplings that I lightly "sauteed". I love dumplings! Unfortunately I only made three and put the rest in the fridge. The next day they were moldy - I think from the temperature change. Now - if I was Maria (the maid) I would have cooked them. That is her solution to saving moldy food - cooking it. But I didn´t chance it. (ps - don´t blame me for the evil plastic bag underneath the dumplings, they were given to me with that bag - maybe I´ll make a throw pillow out of it)

Last night was my aunt´s fantastic Greek themed birthday party. She generously encouraged me to invite six of my friends and my professor from school. There were about 50 peple there - of which about 30 were family. I ate before I went, but I did make out with some black olives and tomato wedges. The best part was probably the breaking of the plates. Though the dancing and the conversation were equally as entertaining. I said hello to everyone, did my best to be social, bought my aunt a nice gift, complimented the food and festivities AND YET my aunt is mad at me. At about 10:30pm most of the family had left and the last of the cousins were leaving - Slyvia and Vanessa. They live nearby, I didn´t know how much longer my aunt would stay with her friends, so....I asked if I could get a ride home with them. Big mistake! I knew it almost as soon as I asked but I wasn´t sure. Now I am positive. My aunt ignored me this morning, left a note without saying "beijos", and has opened everyone´s gift but mine. Ughh. double ugh. I guess I was supposed to stay until the very end since I live with her. I don´t know. The challenge now is to make her happy without her flipping out on me first (also considered "expressing emotions" here in Brasil). That is a bigger test of my new Brasilian skills then reconciling with the maid! (who continues to drink my goiaba juice like it is a life saving elixir)

I´m headed to Ilha Grande on Wednesday. I refuse to look up the weather forecast - what is the point? I don´t want to know if it is going to rain at the quasi deserted beach area that I am vacationing at - because if it rains......there will be NOTHING to do. (not that laying on the beach, exposing myself to skin cancer, is a whole lot - but you know what I mean)

I keep applying for jobs - nothing to date, but I have time. I thought I had found a great apartment with a cool roomie but the current roomie decided to stick around. I remember in college signing a lease almost a year before moving into a place - I´ve moved long past that type of preplanning. Having 7 apartments in 5 years has equipped me with the abililty to pull the proverbial rabbit out my hat mere days prior to needed move in. Boys still confuse me but I have my hands full with keeping family happy so I´ll just worry about him/them tomorrow.

I have a new friend....well, two....

On Tuesday I got my second tattoo. In case you haven´t heard - it hurts to get a tattoo. Hurts, hurts, hurts. And tattoos require quite a bit of care. I have to use special soap to wash it each day. I have to apply cream 2 to 3 times a day. I am not supposed to sunbathe, swim, or exercise for 10 days. I was so distraught to learn that I couldn´t exercise for ten days that the man at the tattoo shop quickly modified the number to 5. (if I don´t run for 10 days I will be a neurotic mess - see explanation below) BUT....I think she is beautiful. I know there are people on both sides of the fence when it comes to tattoo´s - hate em or love em. Either way - Nossa Senhora Aparecida is with me always, in my heart, through my faith, and on my love handle. Teehee.



I was reluctant to take a picture to show her. One reason was because I have family and friends that detest tattoos. Another reason is because I´m feeling kinda fat right now. I haven´t worked out regularly for almost two weeks, between being sick and now having a tattoo. Also, I have been eating a lot. There are these cracker "things" that have about 2000 calories per bag and I eat a bag in two days. I don´t know what it is - I don´t think they are crackers, they are more like crack. I include this picture of a quick dinner I threw together. It was japanese soba noodles (which I LOVE), with steamed brocoli, sauteed onions, soy sauce, all topped with sesame seeds. Not bad - and I actually ate a legitimate portion of noodles. The problem is the tray of brigadeiros you see behind the dinner. I used two cans of sweetened condensed soy milk and cocoa powder. I ate that tray in about two days - that seems to be the magic number. And here is a funny quirk about me - whenever I eat really badly, as I have been, I drink even MORE water (as if that will flush the toxic fat cells out of my system) and then I feel bloated, on top of feeling guilty and fat. I´m just going to go straight to TRIPLE ugh! I usually eat a lot, and not always great, but when I work out it negates the guilt. Oh well, not too much longer now.


I have definitely eaten enough today to stop for the evening but I´m not done. My new friend Sebastian, from Argentina, is cooking authentic empanada´s tonight - some specifically vegan for me. We have been inseperable. He went with me to the tattoo shop for moral support on Tuesday, he and I went to MAM (Museum of Modern Art) at Iberapuera Park yesterday, and tonight he is cooking for me. He and his significant other, and me and my friends, were going to all vacation in Porto Seguro next week, but now I am going to Ilha Grande instead. I´m not sosososo thrilled. I´ve been to Ilha Grande before but it is pretty and cheap. Yeah cheap. And it is certain. We have all booked and purchased or transportation and pousada. On a different note, Sebastian keeps trying to convince me that Argentina men are the way to go (he has no vested interest - he is definitely not interested in me). And today there was a report that ranked countries in terms of equality of the sexes. Brasil is 74th. The U.S. is 31st. And Argentina...33rd. Not bad. Sebastian may almost convince me - he opens all my doors, waits for me to walk out or in of a building first, he bought me (and his boyfriend) a rose at the park, and now he is cooking for me (which he swears all Argentinean men do). I truly love my friends here. I am pretty positive no one here - or in Argentina - is going to diminish my love for the boy back home, but I am having fun.

I´m vegan, single, Catholic, mostly American and learning what it means to be Brasilian. No boy, job, or Porto Seguro but LOTS of laughs and a very important woman watching my back. It´s been a good week. woohoo!

If Cinderella was brasilian....

She wouldn´t have even left her house by the time her coach turned back into a pumpkin in the English version! No Brasilian fairy godmother would set midnight as the ultimate hour of reckoning - she would know better. I say this based on my Saturday night adventures. Let me tell you about an evening that ends at 6am (see proof to the left)....

I´ve met some amazing people, from all over the world. I truly am blessed. Saturday night we decided to head out. One of my favorite friends is Sebastian, he is from Argentina and lives with his boyfriend in a bairro (neighborhood) close to mine. (I´m not going to address the homosexuality issue - I am a practicing Catholic AND I love and accept many friends that are gay; I´ll work that out with God on my own). I said I´d be there at 9:30pm and got there at 10pm - I thought I was late. I wasn´t. They were just putting out appetizers. They thought I wanted to eat (sausage no less) at 10pm. I thought we were heading to the bar at 10pm. Oh - I have lots to learn about the Latin American way. teehee. (I will say once they found out that I am vegan they were horrified they had no food for me....but they had peanuts, and if you know me you know that nuts are one of the best food to have around). By 11:30pm we still hadn´t left and I was offered coffee. I never drink coffee but I knew it was going to be a late night and I had to do something.....so I took it. I drank the coffee, black, with just a little sugar, and......I liked it (see the incriminating substance to the right). I was horrified! I instantly worried about it being a gateway drug or becoming a terrifying habit that would lead to an evil Starbucks addiction. (I haven´t drank any since). But you know what - it did the trick (thank goodness I didn´t try it in college). As a result I was able to dance the night away until almost 5am. FIVE AM. And after we left the dance club my friends wanted to drink more coffee (I refused the liquid poison but went along for the great conversation and ride home). I didn´t get home until 6am, but it was well worth it. I heard fantastic 80´s music - American and Brasilian - and spent time with a group of people that love to dance. All thanks to my cup of cafe. But it got me thinking about the fairytale. I didn´t read much Cinderella growing up - luckily I had a mom that told me my happiness did NOT lie with a "perfect" man "saving" me - but I remember the stroke of midnight bit. They must have modified the hour in translations here.

What else?

*I rode the bus today. Woohoo. And even better, I didn´t get lost. If I decide to take classes again in December I won´t need a taxi. I´m really starting to feel like I´ve found my niche here.

* I´m not sick anymore.

* I and three other friends are going to Porto Seguro for the next holiday. And as of today we have a place to stay! Not a way to get there....yet....but I´m learning to be very flexible and have hope.

*My tattoo is scheduled for tomorrow and I am going to get it. So my next post will probably be a picture. You aren´t supposed to swim or sunbathe afterwards for almost 2 weeks so this gives me a good excuse not to wear my bikini for too long when I´m in Porto Seguro. Teehee. So why go to the beach you ask - well, because I haven´t seen the sun in São Paulo for DAYS (the weather is crazy here), I like the people going, I LOVE warm weather (don´t remind me that I´m moving to Boston....) and there is NOTHING to do in São Paulo during holidays.

* Overall, I´m happy, healthy, and loving life. (though still craving college football and cranberries)

Feriado

Today is yet ANOTHER holiday here in Brasil. Now, I can´t complain too much - it is All Souls Day and I appreciate that when I went to mass at 8am this morning it was full. Granted, 75% of the congregation was over 65 but it was nice to see a full church so early in the morning.

November is just full of holidays. The 15th to the 20th of November is another (almost week long) holiday. When a holiday falls in the middle of the week Brasilians take off the rest of the week. What a great idea! (brasilians have almost as many holiday´s in November as we Americans have in a year) For the next holiday I am going to the beach. Yes, that is right, I - Melissa - am going to the beach. Not usually my thing but I know a couple that lives in Porto Seguro and four of my friends from school want to go. It is apparently a fantastic beach town. And as long as we figure out how to get there and where to stay I am going. Might sound like a lot of incredibly key details to figure out but I´m in Brasil - I´ll worry about it tomorrow. teehee.

Still no pictures. I spent all day with my grandmother - which was fantastic - and I had every intention of taking pictures. Here is the problem - I spent nearly my entire life without a camera, I just received one for my birthday 6 months ago (oh boy, that means I am 6 months closer to the big 2-9) from my dad. So I don´t have a habit of lugging a camera around and taking it out at opportune moments. Additionally - even though I have never had a camera - all of the sudden I want a smaller, faster, black one. This is the problem with buying things - it leads to wanting more things or "better" things. Ugh!

Thursday was my last day of class. It was so worthwhile: I speak more Português, I understand more, I know when I am speaking in the wrong tense (though I hardly remember what tense I should be using) AND I made friends. I may return for two weeks in December. Thanks mom and pops!

I´ve sent out two resumes. I don´t know what kind of success I will have since I am applying for jobs in Boston using my parents address in New York City and am currently in Brasil and can´t interview until the end of December, beginning of January. I am just going to keep plugging away and putting out resumes.

Being that São Paulo is a megacity, with nearly 20 million, it is not easy to get around. The metro is fantastic but nowhere near my house. My family doesn´t want me to ride the bus (but I am going to....) so instead I usually take expensive cabs that drive below the speed limit in attempts to rip me off. Today when I took a cab back from my grandma´s house it was the first time I was afraid. He´s seats were covered in plastic and the floor was covered with newspaper. He was short with glasses. I was sure he was a serial killer. (They have been showing a lot of horror movies in honor of Halloween). Don´t fear, I made it home safe and sound. Not only was he probably not a serial killer, I don´t think he has ever even been in a fight. He was only guilty of going 50 in a 60kpm hour zone. All the more incentive to take a bus (which would take twice as long, barely have standing room, and require at least transfers). I´d really show those taxi drivers then! teehee.

University of Michigan is playing against MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY tomorrow. How I wish I could see that game! Next year.....next year.....2008, in Ann Arbor, I am going to watch my first U of M, MSU game ever. I am determined!

I´m going out with friends tonight or tomorrow. I promise to work on the pics thing.