Nokia 770 Internet Tablet

During the month of July I have been an avid contributer to the online magazine Vita.mn. Every contribution got me Karma points. And since I was the person with most Karma points in July I got the first prize! A Nokia 770 Internet Tablet...
Here is a pic of me with my new box (still in box) in front of the Startribune (producer of Vita.mn)

Rough beginning for a great mini-vacation

So my mini-vacation to Chicago ended. I was there from July 31st until August 5th. I had a blast. But the beginning of it seems like it was not going to be a good ride.
First, before leaving home, I locked myself out of my car when I went to look for a few items there. I've done this a few times before but this was definitely the most inconvenient time of all. I call my resident manager and I was very VERY lucky that not only she was in her office but also that she answered the phone. Something that she doesn't usually do in that early in the morning (about 7:30 am). Once she opened my apartment for me to get another car key and retrieve my apartment keys everything was fine.
I took a combination of bus and LRT to the airport. I must say that neglected to double check what terminal my flight (Airtran) was departing from. I got out of the LTR at the Lindberg (main) terminal. Again, I was very lucky that I chose the shortest line for security checks because it wasn't until then that I realized, or that the security person realized, that I need to be at the Humphrey terminal.
The shuttle to the Humphrey terminal was quick and there was not line at the security check there. Now it was time to relax and wait for my flight.

More on Chicago later...

knitters, bridge and spanish curriculum

Chicago has been hotter and hotter since I arrived. But it's very cool. I've been roaming a little bit and there is live everywhere. A lot of people outside, some small restaurants have musicians on the sidewalk. Chicago definitely comes to life in the summer.
I am enjoying my stay so far. I have met a couple of old friends that live here and a new friend: Franklin. Franklin is a knitter and photographer (I think he also has a day job... but I didn't pay attention to what it was). He has a cool blog about knitting and life. He is very funny and his writting is usually quite witty. Check it out here. He also started a cool project called 1,000 Knitters and I wanted to part of it. I must admit that it was a little weird being photographed while knitting.. but I will survive. Here is a pic of Franklin and I that I took with my cell phone.

Later that night it was Franklin who showed me (on the monitors of the bar where we were in) about the huge bridge catastrophed in Minneapolis. That was horrible. I tried to call a few friends but it was impossible to connect. Luckily txt msg worked much better. All of them are fine. Some of them also confirmed they were fine through email, myspace. etc.

Today (Thursday) and part of Friday I have been working on my 8th grade Spanish curriculum (and more) with Ileana. She is the current Spanish teacher at the Chicago Waldorf School and it has been great to work with an experienced teacher like her.

...

Wicked is coming soon!!!!

Chicago... Chicago...!

Oh, wait! The song was New York, New York! Oh well. I am having lots of fun in Chicago as if I were in New York City. The weather is super nice (kinda hot). It's kinda nice to get out for Minneapolis for a few days and be in a bigger city. I can always find smaller town or peaceful places in Minnesota :-)
The trip started yesterday morning with a little bit of a nuissance. Right before I was going to leave to take the bus and train to airpot I checked my car for a few item that I needed from there. And I locked myself out of my car! Apartment keys and everything! I just wanted to bang my head on the wall! I was very very lucky that the resident manager was not only still there but that she also answered the phone. I don't think she usually does early in the morning. She was a great help! Thanks Ann!
I got to the airport on time, only that I went to the wrong terminal. I neglected to check that AirTran was leaving fron Humphrey terminal and not Lingberg. But they are very close to each other. The shuttle bus was quick and I went through security very fast. That terminal was so quiet!
The flight was calm and short and the train to the hostel was easy to find.
The plan is to stay a couple of night at the Hostelling International Chicago downtown (to enjoy a little bit of the city life). Thurday and Friday I will be doing some work, yes work! :-) I will be meeting with an experience Spanish teacher in a Waldorf school to work on 8th grade curriculum. Then Friday afternoon and Saturday I will meet my good friend Steve from Rochester, NY. We are getting together here in Chicago to see WICKED!!! I can't wait!
More later... time to have breakfast!

Campaña Informativa en Español para madres/padres que tienen la custodia de sus hijos

Ecobulbs

It's not cheap to be eco-friendly! But I'll try...

Malt at Uptown Diner

All you wanted to know (and more) about malts.

Twin Cities Secrets # 1: The Elf Tree

Amy tells us about the Elf Tree by Lake Harriet in Minneapolis

My new Flip Video Camera

Amy comments about my new Flip Video Camera at Tea Garden (Minneapolis)

So what's going on this Summer ('07)

Well...as usual I told myself that I was going to have a relaxed Summer and I ended up being pretty busy. But "good" busy. I am really enjoying the activities I am doing.

* I just finished a two weeks workshop on Mexican traditional dances. Nice workout and cultural experience.

* I am taking two classes:

- Introduction to Creative Writing at MCTC: It's an online class and I like it but it might end up being too demanding with too many deadlines. I might drop out of it but haven't decided yet.

- ASL 2 at St. Paul College: I love it. LOVE IT!!! I think I might even continue on ASL 3 this fall.

* I will be performing my 2 solos at Dreamland Arts in July (more info soon, or visit my website paulino.info)
* I had a lot of progress on my Green Card process. It has being a lot of work (and money!) but there is definite progress. Unfortunately due to a recent (today) change from the Department of State I might have to wait a little longer than expected. I know I haven't written much about this. It's a delicate topic and I might write more about the experience when it's all done (when I finally get my green card) but for now I'll keep it to a minimum. But if you want more details email me and I'll be glad to tell you more. (mail AT paulino DOT info)

* I am going to Chicago end of July. Multipurpose trip: visiting Chicago friends, working with an experience Waldorf teacher, meeting Rochester, NY friends and watching WICKED!)

* And like every Summer I'll be visiting El Lago del Bosque, Wilder. One of the Spanish camps from Concordia Language Villages. I have many good friends that work there.

And last, but not least... one of my favorite activities in the Summer: going out and meeting new people! Will you be next?

Mexican dances

There is nothing more motivating for me than learning ethnic dances. This week I had a unique opportunity to learn some Mexican traditional dances with an instructor from Mexico. The workshop will continue next week, too. I'll see how much I can do and learn or how long my legs can keep up with that! :-)

Faces

Ivory quote # 2

True, natural beauty is in the simple things.

En vérité, la beauté naturelle se trouve dans le choses simples.

Winter... Spring..and then Winter Again

I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota is a state in the northern central region of US (known as Midwest). This state is known for its long (very long) winters. They are also very cold winters. But one would hope that by the end of March, and with Spring officially "announced", the snow would melt away and green would slowly start to surround us. And that DID happen. We had a few lovely and sunny days with temperatures rising up and signs of Spring everywhere: small buds on the trees, more birds flying around, etc.
But yesterday the Winter King decided to pay us his last visit of the year and everything went white again. Unbelievable! Well.. everything is possible in the land of 12,000 lakes. Anyway, we tried to make the most of it. I admired how beautiful the trees looked with snow on their branches and children everywhere made their (probably and hopefully) last snow man of the season.
Ok, now...that's it! We want the Spring Fairy to come and bless us with green trees, sun, warm temperatures, birds and lots of flowers! ... Achoo! Oh no.. what about allergies? Oh well, no season is perfect. Thanks mother Nature! :-)

Ivory soap and quotes

Ok, if this information is more than you wanted to know... let me know :)

It's been a long time that I use, almost exclusively, Ivory soap. Why?

The Soap So Pure It Floats!
An established American icon of pure clean, Classic Ivory Soap is a simple, pure formula that cleanses your skin by removing dirt and oils which can clog pores. The classic, 99 44/100% pure formula contains no heavy perfumes or lotions so it leaves your skin feeling naturally clean with a light, Ivory-clean smell. Discover the consistent quality and value that have made Ivory the leading pure soap on the market for decades.

For your convenience, Classic Ivory Soap is available in the family-size
4.5 oz bath bar and the 3.1 oz personal size bar
in a variety of package choices.

(source http://www.ivory.com/YourIvoryProducts_ClassicIvoryBarSoap.htm)

Last time I bought some it was a 12 pack but it wasn't until today, when I reached for the last bar of the packet, that I noticed that each bar comes with a quote. A different quote in each bar!
How come I didn't notice this before?

Anyway, I am glad I did and I will be paying more attention next time. But I identify soooooo much with this quote that I wanted to share it with you. It's in English and French on the wrap paper and I like both versions, so I am going to copy them literally.

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

"Profitez des petits plaisirs de la vie, car un jour vous vous rendrez compte qu'ils étaient vraiemnt de grans plaisirs."

Insomnia 2: mr. alien

What happened to mr. alien? What is he thinking? Why did he change color? Why did he run the other way?

If you have answers to any of these questions, please let me know (post a comment)

Insomnia 1: old habits and hobbies

This is what happens when I can't sleep at night. I go back to old habits and hobbies. I haven't done this in a while, so be nice... :-)

New phone and new mobile blogging

I got a new phone today. It has a camera on it. Finally I am catching up with cellphone technology. Now I will be able to send pictures from my phone directly to my new Paulino on the GO blog. Like this one:

I then I can edit the post and add some text to it... or not :-)

Patrick's Cabaret demo

Wow, more than a month and a half without blogging... what a slacker :-)
And I have so many thing to tell.. anyway until I get to them I will post a demo video I edited to promote Patrick's Cabaret.

Here it is: