Bad Rosie! (say it like you would to a dog who just chewed up a Christmas present with the accusatory finger and everything)

So I lied......about keeping this blog updated in a timely manner, but it just seemed like every time I got back from a trip I had tons of homework and papers to do (And if procrastination was a sport in the Olympics I would medal =)). However! Now that I have graduated, (hallelujah!!! *doing the Snoopy happy dance*) I have the time to do all the back logged posts I wanted to do, and hopefully keep up with the blog in the future! So that means that the next few post will be dated b4 this post even thought I wrote them after, but they'll be in the right month for when they happened, so it is a little confusing but once I catch up to this post date in real life I'll delete this one and it will be confusing no longer. s'allright?

I've been out of school for 6 months now and I'm still back logged, "extra bad Rosie!"

I'm going to keep a list of the back logged posts I need to write. This is more for my benefit than yours. You can try to make since of the mess of simi-titles below, but don't say  I didn't warn you:

My past: the strange circumstances under which i was born, the Moz incident, broadreach,
japan, thialand, spring breakaway maui"we're hung like bull"

also if there is anything you want to know about me just ask and I'll try to post about it =)

Banksy: Wall and Piece

I had heard of this guy before, and seen some of his stuff, but after reading this book I really, really like him. Some of his ideas are crap, but mostly he's witty, and creative, and hilarious.  I want to own this book so bad. I never really thought of myself as a coffee table book kind of person, but I'd put this book out on my coffee table = ) . Also, I desperately want to see 'Exit through the Giftshop' now.



Can anyone say Christmas present?


http://www.amazon.com/Wall-Piece-Banksy/dp/1844137872/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316952771&sr=8-1

Random Happening of the Day (II)

I was on the Megabus from Liverpool to London today and while we were stuck in traffic I glanced out the window to see something so funny.

There was a cow who had spots, like a traditional black and white only he was light brown and white, and he was trying as hard as he could to scratch behind his ear with his rear hoof. Just picture it, it's hilarious.

.....well I thought it was hilarious.

National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh

If you like the Smithsonian's in DC or the American Museum of Natural History in NY then you'll like this place. It was amazing!

First you come in to see the Millennium Clock. Super cool! Then you could go back in time, technologically speaking, or see mummies, or the first ever cloned animal, or dinosaurs, or a truly spectacular two-level animal kingdom exhibit. If you're into geology or artifacts from other cultures they have that too! The best thing about this place though, is that unlike its contemporaries listed above, it isn't overwhelmingly big. It is the perfect size for one day of exploration, and has interactive activities everywhere! It is so much fun, for kids and adult alike!

http://www.nms.ac.uk/

I didn't take any pictures in this place because I was to busy having fun so get on the website above if you wanna check it out a bit more

Clarinda's Tearoom (Edinburgh)

My friend Lisa and I were walking around the Royal Mile and decided that it was time for a snack so we stopped in this little tearoom. Very good call on our part. Not only is it super cute inside, but the food (savory and sweet) is amazing!! And the prices were really cheap. If you ever go to Edinburgh I 100% recommend this place.

It's on 69 Canongate right in the middle of all the touristy stuff so it is easy to get to as well.

Hiking in Holyrood Park (the trek to Arthur's Seat)

enjoying the wind on top of Arthur's Seat

I say trek but it probably only took us 30 minutes, 45 tops. This hike is on my must do list for Edinburgh though. It is all up hill, but the grade is very gradual and you can take it at your own pace. It is definitely worth doing because once you reach the top you have a phenomenal 360 degree view. It is quite windy so bring a wind breaker and be sure to do it on a sunny day otherwise the wind makes it very cold. We just hiked to the summit(Arthur's Seat) but if you were really ambitious you could hike all over the park. I think this is one of my favorite hikes I have ever been on.

This is half way up. First, I look down on what we just hiked up. Then up at what we have left to hike.

Partial view from the top

AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

How did the number of mental patients in my life rise from zero to 4 in two days time!?!?!

I have a gardener boss who aimlessly wanders around all day saying "ya' know?" after every sentence. NO! I don't know Bactee, explain yourself for once in an effing blue moon!! Then there is the 40-something year old guy who is stalking my 19 year old French roommate, and somehow hasn't gotten the hints that she wants nothing to do with him. Then there is the 40 or 50-something woman who still gets an allowance from her rich jeweler uncle (presumably to keep her as far away from him as humanly possible) and calls herself a child of the earth, and has a private tutor to help her become a white witch. I know she must have something actually wrong with her and I'm a horrible person for complaining and I would normally be able to deal with this small amount of crazy if there wasn't a super-king-sized crazy sleeping in the room across the hall that is taking up all my self-control.

The girl across the hall is, we think, schizophrenic. She was fine a few days ago and then she just started randomly bursting into tears every hour or so. After that she started not wanting to go places by herself like to get a broom or a dust pan in the next room, and if you left a room for any reason or amount of time and she was alone she'd just follow you. Then she took to just staring at you while you did anything, from write an e-mail to brushing your teeth. Then she came into the conservatory holding onto a 7in long full on Hitchcockian Psycho style knife like it was a security blanket. She didn't threaten anybody or anything, but it took 10 mins to convince her to leave it in the kitchen rather than take it back home with us. Things got really strange after that. She stopped leaving the house altogether and anytime you asked or said anything to her she'd just reply "I'm fine." Then she stopped eating and sleeping. Then when we tried to convince her to go to the hospital to make sure she was OK (that sounds harsh, but we did it subtly) she refused to leave the up stairs. Then the Scottish police came (both very fit, but under the circumstances there were more pressing matters to focus on). They talked with her and told her she'd have to abide by the rules of the people we were staying with, but because she made no out right verbal threat there was nothing they could do to forcibly remove her. So she stayed another night and while we (my two roommates and I) were at dinner she moved her stuff into our room. When we got back and saw this we all agreed there was no way we were sleeping in the same room with the Lizzie Borden wanna be and promptly locked ourselves into the bedroom at 8pm and spent the rest of the night whispering, trying to convince ourselves that we weren't overreacting. Because really she hadn't done anything, but be super effing creepy (but it's better to overreact in a situation like this than under-react right???) anyway now it's the next morning and it took 30 mins of convincing, but me and one of the other girls got Lizzie to go for a walk. We're like 90% sure she's not actually thinking about hurting anybody, but wow, talk about a bonding experience.

I'm really trying to be a good person about all this and not one of the many jerks I'm sure she has encountered in her life, but she is really sketching me out. God help me.

addition to above post: I was feeling so sick over this who situation then one of my friends had a stroke of genius! She told me to contact the Finnish Embassy (Lizzie is from Finland) because they would probably want to take care of their citizen while she was in a foreign country.  To make a very long story short, the police came out to forcibly  remove her and she refused to go to the hospital but we got her to agree to go to a homeless shelter that deals with mentally ill people until the Embassy could send someone. I think once they get her back on her meds that she will be fine like before. I know I was justified in my reaction but now that the scary part is over I'm back to feeling like a jerk. =( bleh!

Random Happening of the Day (I)

Today I was talking to a Hare Krishna woman and she told me they wake up at 4:30 every morning to chant and dance in their temple.

Upon hearing this I promptly responded with a wide eyed "Jesus Christ!"

This exclamation was followed by a lot of laughter by all present because of the irony.

The MEGABUS!!!!

I can't say enough good things about The Megabus. First off it is super expensive to travel by train or plane, but everyone knows this already. Short of hitchhiking I don't think you'll find a cheaper form of transport than The Megabus. It only cost me £20 to go from London to Glasgow.


Now, this journey did take from 8am to 5:15pm, however there is a ton of leg room, the drive up is pretty scenic and the bus has free Wi-Fi! If you have a buddy with you or if you just enjoy talking to strangers than this is not a bad way to spend a day. I 100% recommend this mode of travel. The greatest thing about it is they go all over the UK, the US northeast, and Canada(along the NY boarder.) I'm for sure gonna use them in the future. 


http://www.megabus.com/

Air Canada is Amazing!

I flew through Toranto to get to London, and my connecting flight was Air Canada. This airline has their sh*t together. 

There was tons of leg room, real silverware, huge blankets, individual entertainment consoles, and the food was good. 

Also, I've been thinking that Franch-Canada would be a good place for me to move if I ever get serious about learning French.

You're Awesome Canada! 

Remembering the Alamo!

My little brother Scott and I

On the drive through Texas we stopped in San Antonio and thought while we’re here we may as well go see the Alamo. It’s right in the middle of the city. It’s kinda funny to see this classic old church right in the middle of a bunch of high rises. It is really pretty though, and it’s free admission so that’s pretty cool.

Scott and our friend Jeff (AKA El Flufferino) on the riverwalk

We wandered around the riverwalk area along San Antonio River after we’d seen the Alamo. I wouldn’t have thought that I’d like any city in Texas (I know, I shouldn’t judge a place before I’ve been there) but the little of San Antonio I saw was really pretty and it looked like it would be a really fun place to stay for a while. I wouldn't mind going back some day and exploring it more thoroughly. And I’d totally recommend it as a nice city to visit if you just wanted a chill place to spend a week. 

It Wouldn't Be A Real Road Trip If We Didn't Get At Least One Flat Tire

Scene: we have just pulled back out onto the I-10 from a filling station on the Texas/Louisiana boarder.

Scott : "We've been making really good time. I think we'll get to New Orleans early."

cue thudding sound

El Flufferino : "You just had to say something didn't you?"

wa waaaaaaaaa

end scene

Men at Work

It's times like these that it's nice to have a race car driver and his one man pit crew on a road trip with you. the spare was underneath a packed full trunk, and half the back seat was full of luggage we had to take out as well so that the car was light enough for the jack to lift, and even with all this extra work, I'd still say those boys had the flat changed out in under 15 mins. My heroes = )

 Also a special shout out to Brooke's dad who informed me that my spare was low on air, and told me where to go to get it filled before we left L.A. We would have been SOL if he hadn't noticed that.

Voila! pitiful looking little doughnut that we drove all the way into New Orleans on 

ROAD TRIP!!! (sorta)

The down side of shipping your car from Hawai`i to the West coast when it needs to end up on the East coast is that you have to drive all the way there. My mom didn't trust me to drive my car back all on my own so she sent my little brother, Scott, out to help me drive it back.

I wanted to use this as an excuse to do a real road trip where you stop and see the sights along the way, but Scott is more interested in just getting home. I did talk him into taking the low route thought, so we’re gonna stop in New Orleans!! 

The Good Samaritan

I was hiking the Hanakapi'ai Trail on Kaua'i  and on the way out of the valley(which is super steep, and takes about 2 hours to get out of) there was a man that looked to be about 40 and he was really struggling with his huge backpack(it looked like it had been packed for a week of camping.) Well, along comes this 20-something guy, also with a huge pack. The 20 year old offered to carry the older mans pack. The 20 year old was with a group of about 8 friends, they all left him behind, but this guy still carried both his pack and the strangers pack all the way out of the valley and back down the side of the volcano to the beach in the 90F/32C degree heat. This is one of the kindest most amazing things I've ever seen anyone do. I wish I'd gone over and shaken this guys hand, but I was kinda dying of my own heat exhaustion at the time.

I hope this inspires you to do something kind for a stranger in the future.

Can you believe I’ve lived in Hawai’i for 5 years and I’m just now learning to make a lei?

Today was a really good day. I made a new friend, Jenna, saw the ‘Grand Canyon’ of Kaua`i, and learned how to make a Maile lei.

Jenni, Carlos, and I

I came to Kaua`i with two friends; Jenni, who was born and raised here, and Carlos, who moved to the big island of Hawai`i when he was 9. Last night we were in a grocery store and Carlos ran into a girl he works with on the Hawai`i, Jenna. While we were talking story we found out that she was here alone and invited her to hang out with us.

Panorama of the canyon 

Look close at the ocean and you'll see a little sliver that
looks like a cloud shadow, that's Ni`ihau

We all set out to see the Waimea Canyon on our own, but Jenni’s dad wanted to show us around so we picked him up and started up the mountain. We stopped at every single lookout cuz Jen’s dad wanted us to see the canyon for all the different angles. I normally wouldn’t stop at so many lookout points but it turned out that every lookout was different and beautiful in its own way. Also you can see Ni`ihau from Kaua`i so now I've officially seen all 8 of the main islands!

My favorite part of the canyon 

After awhile Jen’s dad asked if we wanted to go pick Maile and learn how to make leis out of it. Maile is a vine that is native to the Hawaiian Islands and rather than looking like a necklace, it is left open and just draped over the recipient shoulders to hang down. Maile isn’t rear, but it’s not all over the place either, and it is considered to be one of the nicer leis a person can receive. It is the traditional lei a man is giving for prom (as opposed to a boutonniere) or on his wedding day.    

Me picking Maile

First we went out into the forest in Kokee to find Maile vines. It took me about 20 minutes to get the hang of identifying them. After I learned what they looked like Jen’s dad taught me how to pick it. There is a special technique you used to put the top, leafy part of the vine off of the stem so that you leave the rigid green stem behind and are left with this really fragile leaf string. This is way harder than it sounds. I messed up a lot, but I finally got the hang of it and started pulling some decently long strings.

one of my pitifully short pieces 

that's better, but Jen's dad still schooled the lot of us

Once you’ve got a big bag full of these strings you pull them apart and start to tie the strings together so that all the leaves face the same direction. Then you take to equal length strings and tie them together with the leaves going the opposite direction. This is the part of the lei that hits behind the neck so that all the leaves on both sides hang downwards when you wear it. Once you have at least 4 strings (normally you’d want 6 to 8) you hold all the strings together at one end and twirl them. I know this sounds ridiculous, but the vines just find a way to get next to each other through the leaves and you do that till the strings are all together to make one big strand.

tying the pieces together

twirling the strands together

What it's supposed to look like

The leis we made aren't very full because we couldn’t find enough Maile, but normally they are really long and full, and smell really nice.    

It's So Pretty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got my new pack in the mail, and I am already in love. It is so much nicer in real life then anything I could see online, and it even has a few extra little things that weren't in the description that make it way more awesome then I thought it would be. It has fully surpassed my expectations, and I can't wait till I get to use it for the first time!!!!

It's the most fabulous thing I've ever owned!

And the Winner is.....

.....The Lowe Alpine TFX Cerro Torre!!!!!! I just ordered it from Backcountry.com and I feel really good about my decision. It should arrive in a little under a week!!

This is the first step toward what will be my new life in 5 or 6 months time.

 I'm ssssooooo excited!!