7/28/2006

Contact Info

For any of you wishing to send me letters, cards, or packages of any kind, please read this section carefully....and I apologize for all of the specifics!

Macayla Purchase
c/o Academia Los Pinares
Apartado 3250
Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Please be sure to send everything by airmail. There is no such thing as house-to-house mail delivery in Honduras. All mail goes to the school post office box and the school runner picks it up daily. If anyone wishes to send me a package they should keep it under 4 pounds and attach a green customs sticker (available at the post office) with the words “No Commercial Value” written on it. Any package over four pounds or without that label are routed through Honduran customs and can be very expensive for me to claim. It is extremely important that all packages be sent airmail. If not, it can take literally months for a package to arrive.

Fearfully, Quirkily Made


It says in the Bible that we are all fearfully, wonderfully made. There are times though that I wonder if by "wonderfully" God really means "quirky"... at least I wonder that for myself. Try as I may I can't help but feeling as if instead of fitting a square peg into a round hole that maybe I am more elliptical--not being a complete social reject, but rather just off-kilter enough to not quite fit in amongst the surrounding parameters. In college I was able to connect with other ovals (some of which were probably more trianglar or rhomboidal), but now we have had to go our separate ways, whether it be future corporate mogul, planet saver, wife, future mother, or economic drain.

Mimicry is nature's defense mechanism, allowing objects to camoflauge themselves within their surroundings so that they will not be eaten alive. But what happens if you are not so good at mimicking your surroundings? Will you be eaten by the great social machine, or will you be seen as a beautiful anomaly of nature? Take Owen Wilson's nose for example. For some, it is an eyesore---a major deformity smack in the middle of his face. But to some, it is something unique and distinguishing, setting him apart from others. I mean, who else really could have played Hansel, the really really ridiculously good looking model on Zoolander (By the way, that was totally done with the Derek Zoolander voice in my head) ? Is a quirk really something distinguishing, or is it just another euphemism for a flaw?

Between the years of 1636 and 1637, something occurred in Europe known as Tulip Mania. These flowers were so highly revered that they were even used in trade or as currency in buying farm animals, homes, and land. People were investing in tulips [single bulbs of tulips] like yuppies invest in the stock market, and the more exotic the tulip the more it was worth. The tulip fetching the highest price was known as Semper Augustus (http://www.answers.com/topic/tulip-mania), and it was reportedly sold for 100,000 florins, which at that time could feed, clothe, and house an entire Dutch family for half a lifetime. The petals were variegated with jagged red and white stripes, and it was seen as the most beautiful flower. However, it wasn't discovered until much later that the reason this tulip looked the way it did was because of an inherent virus that caused a mutation in its genetic code. Funny.

I guess we all are wonderfully made. We must be, because we have God's code within us. When we were formed in the womb, God looked at us, each one of us, and was pleased with His creation. So what if I do weird things, like pacing when I brush my teeth or finding myself incapable of mixing different colors of M&M's in my mouth? So what if I have to restrain from buying baby shoes, talk to myself frequently, or seek out the weirdest movies possible? I suppose I'm writing this because I'm not quite sure where I fit in amongst my own culture, let alone a foreign one. I'll let you know how it goes..........

P.S. I don't know why I feel like
sharing more of my oddities, but
here I go.....

* I enjoy men in make-up (i.e. David
Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, or Tim
Curry from Rocky Horror Picture
Show)

*I can write almost as quickly backwards as
I can forwards.

*I unknowingly slip in and out of various
accents when talking to friends and family
(Minnesota accent, Russian, British, New
York, etc.)

* I am almost incapable of singing anything
other than harmony

* I laugh inappropriately. All the time.

* I actually take time and give thought to
the weird things I do and compile an
on-line list about it......

7/23/2006

I Like My Weekends Just How I Like My Chocolate

I guess this weekend was my last hoorah while still being a U.S. citizen. It was rather action packed, yet totally relaxing. No work, no customers, no real agenda…just an opportunity to see where I was lead exactly. I didn’t even really plan where I’d be staying the night because as I saw it, St. Augustine for me is just a sea of couches for me to crash on.

I got to hang out with quite a few friends, and I was actually able to stay Friday night in this totally posh house in Jacksonville with my friend Taylor. This mansion had a hot-tub and the most amazing panoramic view of the St. Johns overlooking the lit-up downtown skyline. I especially think that Jacksonville’s downtown looks just beautiful and alive because of all the col
ored lights that are all over the bridges and lighting up all of the roads. When Jacksonville was the host of the Superbowl last year, the city really over-did itself with making the downtown area surrounding the stadium look amazing, and I was definitely able to enjoy that my riverside mansion.

Saturday I did a little shopping in Five Points, one of my favorite places in Jax, and hung out with my friends Ali,
Dan, Ashley, and Katie. That night we went dancing at TSI, and I knew going into it that it would be my last night of dancing since I signed an agreement with the school I’m working for in Honduras not to go out to any nightclubs. It was completely awesome, and to give you any indication of how much fun I had, just take a look at this guy, who is a regular from what I can tell. He was totally fun, and I think he is the happiest person I have ever come across. Ever.

Sunday we got up and celebrated my friend Ashley’s birthday by creating abstract art with paint, balloons, and darts. I don’t even think further elaboration is necessary.


On my way home Jacksonville, I stopped by my friend Tara’s going away party (you can see her blog on
www.taralpeterson.blogspot.com ). Sadly, Tara will be leaving to teach in Guadalajara, Mexico three days after I leave, and although it was really fun, it was also really hard being at her party, because it is thrown in her honor because she is leaving.I guess it was then that it hit me—I have always been the one leaving all my life really. I’ve left for big trips, college, and now Honduras…but all of my goodbyes have seemed to be easier because although I was saying goodbye, I had something completely awesome waiting for me on the other side of that car ride or plane ride. Now I have a friend…a really good friend, who is moving 2,000 miles away and I’m seeing a little bit more of what its like to be on the receiving end of that goodbye for a change. I’ve got 2 weeks left until I go, and I think that the rest of this time will be like this weekend….bittersweet. Just how I like my chocolate.

P.S. Doesn't seeing this guy just make you happy? I mean look at him! He's in front of a swat team wearing a pink bodybuit riding a unicycle!


7/07/2006

Wicked Awesome

Yesterday my dad and I decided that since I had the day off that we should drive to Tampa to catch the Boston Red Sox play at Tropicana Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. We had awesome seats right behind homeplate, and the tension was in the air as Tampa Bay had beaten the Sox the past three nights...losses that were defeating to the spirit seeing that Boston is currently in 1st place in their division and the D-Rays are in last place.







So, I mentioned that we had good seats...I mean, look how awesome this is! Standing a mere 25 feet away is Manny Ramirez, and although he is no Alex Rodriguez [...sigh...], he is totally awesome and as much fun to watch in person as he is on TV. He also had a great game, snatching 3 hits, two of which were homeruns and 4RBI's.
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In this picture you are truly seeing a magical moment captured on film. Like I mentioned earlier, tension was in the air at Tropicana Stadium. Boston needed to win this game to save face, and up until the 9th inning they were only barely staying ahead of the Devil Rays, and they were losing momentum. Several fans had brought in brooms to the stadium and were waving them around anytime the Rays did something right...which was occuring more and more frequently during the game. Boston comes up to bat, and they manage to load the bases. Next comes #34, David Ortiz...Big Papi...arguably the best hitter in the major leagues today. I get out my camera, and take this picture of Ortiz hitting a grand slam to clench the game for Boston. Needless to say, it was wicked awesome.