I found this preliminary copy I wrote for a blog we were going to do for the Great Austin Illini Club. I hope my fellow Austin-dwelling Illini will get a kick out of it. 

I Spy Illini

Oh they’re there. You may not see them. In a sea of burnt orange, they’re the ones in the crowd who know what the color orange should look like. Bright. Vibrant. The color of winners. They’re the ones who hear the word ill and respond, “I-N-I” to their surprised doctors. They believe that it’s ok for corn to dictate the height of a building. Like reptiles, they adjust to the scorching heat just as well as they did for the 5 feet of snow they had to walk through to get to class. When they look at Sixth Street, they see Green. Their passion for Austin and their love of Illinois go hand in hand, ever so true. For them, alma mater means a beloved statue, a song, a constant source of pride.

Here in Austin, Texas, I spy Illini.

Cody sent me this game & asked for my list:

List fifteen films you’ve seen that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. Tag fifteen friends - include me please, ‘cuz I’m interested in films you choose. Yes.

Just naming quickly, I’d say: 

1. Anchorman

2. Amelie

3. Harry Potter- all of them

4. Meet the Parents

5. North by Northwest

6. Gigi

7. Meet Me in St. Louis

8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

9. She’s All That

10. Sound of Music

11. Zoolander

12. You’ve Got Mail

13. Sabrina (Harrison Ford version)

14. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

15. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Austin news cracks me up. Last PM’s highlights: maybe dogs on leash at Auditorium Shores (during the interview, they talked to a guy in spandex leopard-print shorts & another guy who said the dogs allowed him to “act like a ninja” by having to jump over them during his jog), pilots of small planes are flying too low in an attempt to see some eagles and TX college kids are seriously considering if guns should be allowed on campus (wtf?).

And to think, in Peoria we just mostly heard about robberies and murders. Oh, and national events. 

So, my wonderful coworker Veronica has been teaching me Spanish very patiently at work. So far, I can say the usual basics- hello, goodbye, thank you, how are you- but I have also learned how to say bird, flower, snow and lunch. Lunch - almuerzo - is my new favorite. I alternate between saying that and pájaro in random sentences. There was also a period of two weeks where I would just walk around saying “bird” randomly.

My love of almuerzo promted this conversation:

***********

Me: ALMUERZO

I need to make a list

Veronica: ja

Me: How do you say “My Spanish List” 

Veronica: you need more words to be able to use in a fight and not look stupid :P

Me: hahahahaha

I am rendered a bit speechless

and yes. 

Veronica: because yelling almuerzo is not going to help you at all 

**********

In addition to almuerzo, I also love my coworkers.

J: A month from now you’ll be back here though  that’s pretty awesome! 

K: feb seems so far away tho  :((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( 

J: yeah 

K: that looks like the centipede!  

K: unhappy centipede  

K: :||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||  

K: ambivalent centipede 

J: you are so amazing

K: :XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  

K: overdosed centipede 

J: :((((((((((((((((((((#(((((((( 

K: :88888888888888888888888888888888888888 

J: centipede that ate a tick tac toe board 

K: bumblebee centipede

J: I like it 

K: :^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  

K: dragon centipede 

J: you’re great  

J: :JJJJJJJJJJKKKKKKKKKK  

J: There’s our centipede 

K: :~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~$~~~~~~~~~~  

K: kesha cetipede  

K: aw i like ours 

J: Kesha centipede wins

Have you ever had that little bit of soymilk left in a carton that can’t be used with slimfast because it’s not enough?

Maia, sans toi I am that soymilk. I’m not enough.