Stuff in the LBK

Ahhh lets see… what has been going on lately…

My aunt and my cousin were in town on Friday. My cousin Colin wanted to come up and look at the university. He is thinking about going here next year. That is kinda exciting. No one in my family has ever gone to Tech besides me. It would be nice to have another family member grace the LBK! We went to eat @ Gardski’s and then they headed out.

This past weekend went by way to fast. I did not do much. I hung out with my roommates a lot, which was a lot of fun. I got my big screen TV fixed… it was a little messed up [and by a little… I mean $270.00 little]…

Saturday Phil and I went to see Levi and a couple other bands play down in the depot, and after that, we met up with my roommates and went to a party over at Kelly and Nathan’s house. It was a lot of fun. Their keggers are always a blast. Other than that, I didn’t really do much besides clean and hang around the house.

My buddy Nick Smith is coming up here to play a show @ Bleacher’s on March 10th, so I have been getting ready for that. I am going to try to get a lot of friends to go that night, because I think it will be a lot of fun. This show is going to be an acoustic set. I cannot wait until they get here.

I have a huge test on Wednesday! I do not want to study for it! I think I am just going to give up 

This Friday I am flying to Dallas for the weekend (yes, again!) I have a lot of stuff to do! One of my best friends from HS is home from NY! I also get to hang out with my brother this weekend. That should be a lot of fun.

Well, I will update when I get back and let-cha know how D-town goes.

Hasta Luego.

Weekend in Dallas!

So, I am in Dallas right now. I am leaving to go back in the morning. I am surprised I had a moment to sit down and right this. I have had a blast this weekend.

I got in on Friday, and hung out with Mom and Pops for a bit until they went to bed. Then I went up to Sport City bar to meet up with Stephanie Smith and some of her friends. While I was up there I ran into a ton of people, including people I haven't seen in years. It was kinda weird, but it was a lot of fun. Jennifer ended up meeting up with us, and then we came back and chilled at the house for a bit. I got a chance to talk to her which was good.

Saturday I woke up (rather late) and went and made some purchases at the mall... Saturday night Crystal had her Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleaders Friends and Family show. Me, Shelly, Andrew, Amanda, and her roommate went... and met up with Kacy and Adam there... we were walking thru the Anatole Hotel, on the way to the bar (of course)... before the thing started, and I saw Neil McCoy (country singer/songwriter) and I was like... "hey there is Neil McCoy" .. they were like ... "hmm okay... to the bar we go" haha. After that we watched the show, and Andrew had to go meet up with his Super Model girlfriend... in Funky town... at a fashion show. All of us including Crystal and Brandon and a couple other MHS grads went to Blue Goose on Lower Greenville for some dinner and margaritas. The people in my car wanted to go home (partially cause some of them weren't 21, and partially because someone had tummy problems haha) so vanessa and katie picked me up and we all went over to the Beagle down the street. There were a lot of people from High School there... it was kinda weird. even kids that graduated with my brother... but I had a blast like always...

Today I got up and went to lunch with Jessica and Kelly. kinda. They watched me eat... cause it was 4:00 ha. Then I went home and watched a movie with pops. For dinner, the folks took me to a steakhouse... it was good. After that I went home and got ready and Shelly came to pick me up and we went to this bar in West Village (richy-rich part of dallas).. the bar was called Nakita... or something. It was supposed to be a "lounge" bar... so I expected a small intimate crowd.. so we could talk. This place was CRAM packed crazy. drinks were over priced. I didn't really know anyone. Shelly's friend just turned 21 and was there with all her friends. So shel and I didn't really know anyone. Then we look over and Owen Wilson (Zoolander, Meet the Parents --and Fockers... Shang High Noon, The Royal Tenenbaums) is at the bar. How freakin crazy is that?!? He was sitting with a couple people, and the more people noticed him, the more he kinda looked agitated... but reserved... and cool about things I guess... Owen is from Dallas... so I guess it isn't that odd. Shelly's friend kinda talked to him... haha. Shelly and I didn't really pay him much attention. We didn't care.. haha. So...we had a pretty decent time, but called it quits early and went to Margarita Ranch over in Mockingbird Station... and then hit up Taco C. I had a good time with her tonight. It was good to catch up on a lot of things.

I got home and there was a puppy on my front porch. So I let it in. I didn't know what to do with it. We will find its owners tomorrow.

I am gonna go have lunch with my brother, and then drive back to THE LBK! I am not looking forward to work and school... but gotta get back in the swing of things. I hope those of you who read this had a good weekend as well...

It was weird how many people I got to see intown this weekend... and It was weird how many famous people I saw (okay ... 2, but still...)

Leave a comment if you'd like... and I will talk to you soon.

(whew, that was a lot!)

Music & Movies...

So, the three articles are up on the music website. I had a lot of fun putting it all together, but it was just as stressful as it was fun. The live pictures are also up! I am proud of those, because I thought they were not going to show up well. (Thanks to those who contributed) …

The interview with Citizen Cope was different… but it turned out better than I thought. I am glad I had the opportunity to sit down with him. I really enjoy having my hand in the music industry… even if it is a small hand. I hope that my involvement will continue to grow.

That is enough of that. Tonight was Valentine’s Day [or S.A.D - Singles Awareness Day]. It was also my parents wedding anniversary (I am so proud of them!!) I did not do much. I worked on a project for my lab, and ate some Schlotsky’s … and then came home to curl on my bed and watch Mystic River with Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon. It was a really good movie. I cannot believe I waited so long to see it. You should definitely check it out. Another recent favorite of mine is The United States of Leland with Ryan Gosling and Kevin Spacey

Ok, that is enough for tonight. Go check out the stuff on the website. It is under the Traxx Features section. [Citizen Cope & Marc Broussard Review / Citizen Cope Interview / Nick Smith Interview @ http://www.kriselen.com/traxx/]… Let me know what you think (you can leave a comment on this blog if you want….)

::Take it easy::

another day... another dollar...

I have been crazy busy. I need a break. All attempts that I made to being a better student failed. (i.e. my tests grades from last week...) I must work harder on that. All I can think about these days are where I will be a half a year from now. I do not know why.

Vanessa is in town this weekend. It is good to see her and hang out with her. Grant went home. This is no fun. I love my parents more than ever… and I am starting to miss them. The music website writing thing is taking up more time than I expected, but I still really enjoy it.

Nick and Keith are finally out on the road this week. They have called me from every show or town so far… It is good to hear from them. I hope this tour is great for Nick. He deserves it.

I have been spending too much money (that I do not have). I get my first paycheck this Wednesday. It will be small. I am not paid nearly as much as I think I deserve. However, who am I to complain… It is a job.

I want nothing more than 1 whole day… so that I can sit and watch movies… and feel happy, sad, confused, and mad… all in one sitting. I want to win the lottery or wish someone would just give me money. I swear I would be a good rich person. I swear.

First Test week is over. Work is boring. I am lazy. Spring break is approaching and I still don’t have complete plans. Hmmm… it’s time to get the ball rolling….

--paz!

Dallas Gypsy back to Tech

Well, this past weekend in Dallas was awesome. I had a good time. Friday, I went to interview Citizen Cope before the show. The interview went good. Whenever my editor gets the interview and show reviews up on the site I will post it on here. Marc Broussard / Citizen Cope / Toby Lightman rocked The Gypsy Tea Room! I thought the show was great.

I was up on the stage… taking pictures of Cope while he played for the website. The actual interview was okay. Cope is very laid back. I think I am going to like writing for this Traxx site.

The rest of the weekend was fun. I hung out with my brother and his wife on Saturday. We went to the Dallas Boat Show. My brother is getting one soon… so, we went to check them all out.

I got to spend some time with the folks… I really love hanging out with them. My mom had to work a lot … but I went to lunch with my Pops on Sunday. It was good, since I missed his birthday. That sucked. He understood that I had work and school…nearly 6 hours away.

This week has been decent. It has kind of gone by fast. School has been a lot better. I have made it to every class! Haha. This is a big deal for me these days.

Last night I went to see Taylor play … he came up to Lubbock to do a show with Josh Rosenthal. There was this local guy named Levi Smith that opened. He did a good job. I got the CD.

Well, that is about it.

Worst Student Ever!

So the past week has been pretty cool. I started work. It seems pretty laid back, but kinda boring also. I guess I kinda figured that though. It's a library! It can't be that interesting. On Monday me and a buddy went to meet up with some friends @ Whiskey River. Jared was playing with Tristan up there. It was pretty cool.

This week I have been the worst student ever. I find myself thinking of reasons to skip class! It's horrible. I am not used to being back @ Tech and attending regular school. Spain was so different. I mean, we had a class around the same amount of time, but it was so different.

I am leaving for Dallas today. I get to go hang out there for the weekend. I started writing for this music website, so while I am @ home, Friday I get to go interview Citizen Cope and do a live show review for him and Marc Broussard. It is going to be pretty interesting. This is going to be my first interview with a musician. I am sure I will be fine.

When I get back, I am going to be the best student ever! I decided that I have to dedicate more time to school... and work. I have so much on my plate, but I know I can handle it if I just try hard. Gotta make the grade, gotta make some money, gotta finish up my articles. Always gotta do something :)

I have my first Test on Tuesday! Food Nutrition, watch out! haha

Until then, take it easy! (and those of you who are reading this... you can add comments!)

-b.stokes

School, Work, Party...

Ok, so the past couple of weeks have been crazy! Hmmm, lets see… I started school a week ago today. It was weird being back on the Tech campus. I don’t really like any of my classes! My stats teacher kinda scares me. He is Asian… (Nothing wrong with that…) but he has a little speech problem. I do not know if it is a lisp or what, but I cannot understand a damn thing he is saying. I have a feeling I am going to have to drop a class so I have time in my schedule to go to tutoring. Haha. Other than that… my other classes are just boring.

MLK weekend was cool. We didn’t do anything like normal (i.e. freshman year went skiing in Ruidoso, sophomore year… went to Acuna, Mexico for the weekend…) but we had a kegger over at the girl’s house. It was a lot of fun. It is great being back around all of my college friends.

This week has gone by pretty fast. Tomorrow is my last day of the week. Tonight we had our “reunion” meeting at the campus. Pretty much the entire group from Spain was there. It was really cool. After that was over we went to Chimey’s for some margaritas, and then on to Crickets. Fun times! Man, if feels like just yesterday we were all hanging out in Sevilla. I miss it. Sometimes I still feel out of place here. Hmm.

I start work tomorrow (after class). I got a job at the library… in the Serials Maintenance office. Basically I will be doing a bunch of office work. The cool thing is they are only open from 8-5, Monday thru Friday. So I won’t ever have to work weekends.

Well, it’s time to wrap up another one of these… until next time!

One of those things...

Basics
-Your Name: Brandon
-Your gender: Male
-Straight/Gay/Bi: Straight
-Birthdate: Nov 5, 1983
-Your age: the BIG 21! I am lovin’ it!
-Age you act: depends. Anywhere from 17-late 20’s haha
-Age you wish you were: my age I am now… forever!
-Your height: 6'4”
-Eye color: Blue
-Hair color: light brown
-Lefty/righty: Luey lol… that would be lefty.
-Your family: Mom, Dad, Chris (brother) and Robin (sister-in-law)
-What's your job?: Student for quite a while.. with the occasional job
-Piercings?: toung
-Tattoos?: nope
-Obsessions?: Music
-Addictions?: um Thefacebook.com and I like the OC a little too much….
-Do you speak another language?: Well, I just got back from Spain.. so hopefully Spanish… so what if it is choppy! haha
-Do you have a webpage?: yea, this one. The blogspot! Rock on!

Deep Thoughts About Life and You in it
-Do you live in the moment?: it's a hell of a lot better than living in the past or the future...
-Do you consider yourself tolerant of others?: Yes... or i try to be!
-Do you have any secrets?: Who doesn’t
-Do you hate yourself?: No, but who hasn’t…
-What is the compliment you get from most people?: um that I am incredibly attractive… and that I am the coolest person alive! Ummm…or not. people tend to think i am "the nice guy"...
-If a movie was made about your life, what would it be called?: The Diary of Brandon, you think you know but you have no idea!
-What's your biggest fear?: um. being alone. and a failure.
-Can you sing?: My mom tends to think so… shh don’t say anything she will make me sing for you
-Are you a loner?: Nope
-What are your #1 priorities in life?: God, family, friends, school, music, etc. (not necessarily in that order… although maybe it should be…)
-If you were another person, would you be friends with you?: yeah.. infact I would stalk me!
-Are you a daredevil?: Only in certain situations, when it feels right.
-Is there anything you fear or hate about yourself?: I wish I was more motivated at times… but I guess that is me…
-Are you passive or agressive?: i find myself somewhere in the happy medium...
-Do you think you are emotionally strong?: Yes, for the most part. I have my days.
-Is there anything you regret doing/not doing in life?: sometimes I think “what if it were different…” but I guess u can’t be living in the past!
-Do you think life has been good so far?: Yes… and I think my family and friends!
-What is the most important lesson you've learned from life?: wow that is a hard one. Probably… just follow your goals and do what you want to do. Be a good person and believe in something.. this world is too hard not too…
-What do you like the most about your body?: I am working on it…
-Do you think you are good looking?: uhhh.. who doesn’t? just kidding. Um, I don’t know. I don’t think I am a mutant.. everyone has problems with their looks I guess..
-Are you confident?: Sometimes, people tell me I need to be more confident…
-What is the fictional character you are most like?: hmmm…. Sometimes Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I can be a wallflower sometimes. It just depends on who I am with. I know u’ve seen me zone out. I am not really zoned out. I am thinking. :) and other times I am completely opposite.
-Are you perceived wrongly?: actually… yes. People seem to think I am a nice guy. I am not I am vicious… and mean. You should definitely be afraid. Haha.

Do You...
-Smoke?: Nope
-Do drugs?: Nope
-Read the newspaper?: yes
-Pray?: Yes
-Talk to strangers who IM you?: sometimes
-Sleep with stuffed animals?: Nope… just a lot of pillows!
-Take walks in the rain?: what is this… a Disney movie?
-Drive?: Yes, the Camaro
-Like to drive fast?: Yes by default… I’m a guy.

Would or Have You Ever?
-Been out of the country?: Yes… Mexico a few times. (do border towns count… and then there is Cancun…) I have been all over Spain… and to… Italy, England, France, Portugal, and Morocco! Can't wait to go back!
-Eaten something that made other people sick?: I dunno but Stephanie made me try a pear with mayo and cheese once. Haha it was gross!
-Been in love?: I have loved… never in love.
-Done drugs?: I am a good kid!
-Ran away from home?: thought about it
-Been on stage?: Yes
-Slept outdoors?: Yes, a lot … what? We were poor. jk we used to go camping a lot
-Thought about suicide?: Not seriously … I don’t think…(?) I have had my low moments I guess. Overall I think I am semi-healthy upstairs :)
-Pulled an all nighter?: all the time.
-If yes, what is your record?: a day and a half… I think. We used to have contests when I was little… to see who could stay up the longest.
-Gone one day without food?: most of the day I believe…
-Talked on the phone all night?: Yeah… when I was little.. my parents used to catch me on the phone talking to a girl.. and take it away
-Slept together with the opposite sex w/o actually having sex?: Yes
-Slept all day?: Yes
-Killed someone?: lol, no.
-Made out with a stranger?: um, does it count if you know them now.. but didn’t know them then?
-Had sex with a stranger?: Nope
-Thought you're going crazy?: haha… hmmmm?
-Been betrayed?: Yes
-Had a dream that came true?: Yes
-Broken the law?: Yes
-Met a famous person?: Yes. Walter Cronkite, Aerosmith, Sergio Garcia, Ryan Cabrera… before he was popular, News people, a few other people involved in the music industry… and a few people in the sports industry… and Nick Smith (he’s so hot right now)
-Have you ever killed an animal by accident?: No
-Told a secret you swore you wouldn't tell?: Yes
-Stolen anything?: Yes
-Been on radio/tv?: yea, does a radio mention count. You’re my boy jared! haha
-Been in a mosh-pit?: Yes
-Had a nervous breakdown?: came close haha
-Bungee jumped?: Nope
-Had a dream that kept coming back?: Yeah… I don’t wanna talk about it!

Friends...
-Who is your best friend?: that one is hard. I have lots of close friends… you know u are
-Who's your longest known friend?: uhh… that I am still friends with… hmm the friends that I still have from Elementary.. especially Steph!
-Newest?: um, I just met a lot of people when I got back to Lubbock… and then of course there are my friends that I made while I was in Europe this past semester!
-Shyest?: I don’t think any of my friends are shy. I guess Christy can be at times ?!?
-Funniest?: um… I have great laughs with all of my friends. I think the key component is me though… :)
-Friends you miss being close to the most?: The people from HS… man, how things have changed!
-Who do you talk to most online?: Oh, I talk to a bunch of people online, I dunno
-Who are you on the phone with most?: ummm….
-Who do you trust most?: if I trust you.. you know it.
-Who listens to your problems?: most of my friends get to listen to me vent. Most recently keith haha.
-Who do you fight most with?: Jessica… or Jennifer :) but not in a long time…
-Who's the most outgoing?: all of my friends are pretty outgoing…
-Who's the best singer?: Nick… I guess he is a good singer.. he’s in a band and all.. haha
-Who's your second family?: The Adcocks.
-Do you always feel understood?: Not really
-Who's the loudest friend?: Andrew, Jessica, and Heather
-Do you trust others easily?: I wouldn’t say easily, but I wish I trusted more.
-Who's house were you last at?: Kelly’s…
-Do your friends know you?: For the most part. I don’t think anyone will truly know me.
-Friend that lives farthest away: besides the friends that I made in Europe.. like jamesy and dave in Ireland…. It would be Kris. One of my best friends from HS. He is in NY

Love and All That
-Do you consider love a mistake?: Nope. My friend and I used to play this game... if u fall in love.. you lose. recently I think she lost. haha
-What do you find romantic?: different stuff.... music..
-Turn-on?: Sense of Humor… Honesty
-Turn-off?: Untruthfulness
-First kiss?: my kindergarden gf… haha
-Have you ever wished it was more socially acceptable for a girl to ask a guy out?: ahhh the girl is always the master mind behind it anyway….
-Have you ever been romantically attracted to someone physically unattractive?: yes
-Do you think the opposite sex finds you good looking?: I dunno, ask them…
-What's the last present someone gave you?: Sara gave me a Best Buy gift card. THANK YOU!

Who Was the Last Person...
-That you laughed at?: Shelly. (Errrbody in the club gettin tipsy)
-That laughed at you?: probably grant… at something stupid I said… he is the last person I was with… racing to subway before they closed…lol
-You went shopping with?: Tyler and I went to walmart tonight…
-To brighten up your day?: Shelly L… she had a lot of nice (tipsy) things to say … she made my night. I love those talks…A LOT!
-That you thought about?: Shelly. I just typed her name lol
-You saw a movie with?: Kelly, Christy, Heather, Nathan, Skyler, and a couple other guys I don’t know… we watched Garden State (again)
-You talked to on the phone?: Keith… for about an hour.. I am really excited about the NS promotional stuff!
-You talked to through IM/ICQ?: Andrew
-You saw?: Grant

Right This Moment...
-Are you going out?: nope, it’s 3am and I have a 9:30am class in the morning!
-What are you wearing right now?: shorts and a wife beater
-Body part you're touching right now?: my toe
-What are you worried about right now?: getting a job at the library.
-What book are you reading?: Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me (The Autobiography of Marlon Brando)
-What's on your mousepad?: my mouse… (the pad itself is blue)
-Use 5 words to describe how you're feeling?: tired, a little worried, full, deep, loved (ok that is more than five)
-Are you bored?: Quite.
-Are you tired?: See above question
-Are you talking to anyone online?: nope
-Are you talking to anyone on the phone?: nope
-Are you lonely or content?: Both
-Are you listening to music?: Yes, Damien Rice, Foo Fighters (acoustic), The Damnwells, Nick Smith, Glen Phillips, and Coldplay (they are on the play list… been playing all night)

THE LBK!

I moved back to Lubbock! It is so weird being here. I have not been here since July! Almost 6 whole months! Crazy huh? I got to hang out with my roommates and a couple of friends last night. We didn’t do too much. After all that was over I went to Wal Mart late night! I had to re stalk the pantry and fridge. I got a lot of cleaner and stuff… and stayed up late disinfecting my room and bathroom. Then, we went downstairs to the neighbors, they were having a little shin-dig. It was okay…

On the schedule….
Apply for jobs
Get my books for class
Do laundry
Go out and party tonight!

If I can complete a few of those things I will be happy with today!

New Year's and Me

So things have been pretty crazy lately. It's kinda hard to explain. I've either been sleeping way too little.... to waayy too much. I have gone out just about every night for the past couple of weeks. It has been fun. and repetitive.

New Year's Eve was a blast! Andrew, Jordan, Kacy, Katie Nassif and myself went downtown... one of Andrew's friends was throwing a party in this loft apartment bldg. on the roof/ club house. It was crazy. They had a cop working the door... with a "list" to get in. inside the club house there was a bar filled with food and drinks. They had a couple of kegs. Outside on the rooftop there were a bunch of tables set up. It was really nice. I had fun meeting a lot of new people and ringing in the New Year with the people I was with. We ran into Carey and Hollye too. We all did a champagne toast at midnight. So adult like and fun haha. After that we stopped off at the Crave in Deep Ellum for a couple more beers. Once they closed I headed back to M-town ... some other friends of mine were throwing a party. All-in-all, it was a better night than I expected.

Today, I slept until 9pm. Isn't that ridiculous. I don't care though. I don't know what was wrong with me... I just wasn't in the mood to face the world today. I hope I am not the only one that does that from time to time.

I guess I will see how tomorrow goes.

D-Town Fun

Christmas was great. I had a lot of fun seeing all of my family and friends. I am still in Dallas right now... where I have been living it up! This is the fun part about being back to the States. Over the past couple of weeks I have seen so many people that I haven't seen in forever. It crazy!

I haven't made any New Years Eve plan yet. Part of me wants to go up to Lubbock and celebrate with all of my college buddies... and the other part wants to stay at home and enjoy it while I can. It's still up in the air!

One this is for sure I am NOT ready to start school again! Spanish 1 and 2 wore me out! By the way, I made a "B" in Spanish 2. I am pretty excited about that one!

Well, I guess I will go and do something productive while the day is still young

Brandon

HOME!

So, I got back to Texas yesterday! It is waay crazy being back. I am glad to be home for the holidays! I kind of miss Europe, but I really feel comfortable now! I am home!

I had a long long travel! I left my apartment around 9:00pm (Spain time) and went to Santa Justa Train Station. Took the AVE (High Speed Train) to Madrid. Once in Madrid we made our way to the Aeropuerto... where we stayed the night! It is "fun" staying the night in an airport. haha. Well, we made it fun!

The next morning we boarded our flight to Miami, where we went thru customs and then caught a connecting flight to DALLAS! home sweet home!

My parents picked me up and helping me with ALL of my luggage. We went to dinner. It felt great to share some of the stories I had. I know no one will ever get to see Europe the way I did... through my eyes. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I will never forget it!

I will go back one day. soon.

I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday! I wish the best for you and yours!

Hasta Luego!

Brandon

Spanish Holiday Fun!

"Spring Break, High 5 WOO!" haha... These past few days have been really cool. Last Thursday in class we had our oral exam. It was pretty rough. I was really nervous studying for it. Aaron was my partner and we pulled through it pretty well. We don’t have our grades back yet, but I was just relieved that it was over.

Friday there were only 4 people (out of 24) in class... and I was not one of them. We were just reviewing some stuff that we went over previously. So I had off school Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday (Spanish Holiday), Tuesday, and Wednesday (Spanish holiday)... and it has been great! I started reading an autobiography. Marlon Brando: Songs my Mother Taught Me. I started on Sunday, and I am about half way through the book. It is kind of weird reading all about someone else’s life, hearing the stories, and perspectives of others. He (so far) led a very different, yet extraordinary life.

Other than that, I have been studying for my Spanish final (which is on the 15th) and hanging out with my friends here in Sevilla. Some people traveled this weekend. I decided to hang back here and enjoy this last break in Spain. I have had a lot of fun going out, and having nothing else to do. No worries. Just enjoying the company of other college students from all over, and meeting new people.

Tomorrow it’s back to the daily grind. We have evening class tomorrow night, but I have to go to the consulate tomorrow and renew my student visa, because it expires before I go back home. Busy day. The countdown is on. I am really going to miss being in Europe, but it will be good to be back in Texas. 8 more days until I land on Texan soil. Until then, Hasta Luego.

(There are some party pictures up on the photobucket... check it out! http://photobucket.com/albums/v518/brandonstokes/ )

France & Italy!

WHAT A GREAT TRIP!

I really like to travel, but I just don’t see how people do it for years and years. Over the past 8 days I have been to two different countries, and back to Spain. My roommates and I took a train to Madrid and then flew to Paris, France for 4 nights at the beginning of our trip. I really enjoyed myself in Paris. The we continued onto Italy for 4 nights.

Some of the things that I saw in Paris include: Arc de Triomphe, Palace of Versailles,The Conciergerie, The Louvre, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Orsay Museum, Rodin Museum, The Eiffel Tower, La Place de la Concorde, and I also walked down Champs Elysees. Pompidou Center. It was a blast. One of my favorite things had to of been the Rodin Museum. I always like this work, but the pictures do it no justice. Some of his sculptures are so detailed. I must have taken so much time to complete each one. Everything else is pretty much what I expected and more!

We met some guys from Ireland and a girl from Australia. They were really cool. I was great to hang out with people from other countries and see their views on things and how they live their day-to-day lives. I met some really interesting people in France.

On the 5th day in Paris we did some laundry and last minute running around town, and then headed to Italy.

Now I must say that Italy is one of my favorite places that I have been to so far, and I was only in Rome and the Vatican City. There is still so much more that I could have seen. I really enjoyed myself there. The food, the culture, the history! Together they combine to be a great 4 night trip.

Some of the things that I saw in Italy include: The Colosseum, Vittoriano, San Pietro, The Imperial Forums, The Trevi Fountain, The Roman Forums, Piazza di Spagna, Castel Sant’ Angelo, Arco di Costantino, The Pantheon, St. James’, The Sistine Chapel, The Vatican Museum, Museo e Galleria Borghese, and The Picasso exhibit.

I couldn’t get enough. I had to see it all. No matter how exhausted I was from walking around all day and touring things... I kept telling myself "When in Rome..." haha. No really, I didn’t wanna miss anything, in both Italy and France. I wanted to consume as much as I could (in fear that I might not make it back for a long time).

Thanksgiving night we met up with some other Tech students and ate at this great little Italian place. I really enjoyed being around a lot of other people. I made it feel a little like home.

Traveling back home was a horror, but I think after a long trip like this, when you are constantly on the go, and you have more things on your list than you have time for, it is always going to be like that. It was well worth it. I would do it all over again in a heart beat. I am thankful for the opportunity.

I had to start a new photobucket.. cause the other one was FULL! haha. here is the new link... http://photobucket.com/albums/v518/brandonstokes/

OH yea, did I mention I got an "A" on my midterm in Spanish 2! Rock On!

enjoy!

Merchant's & Mid-terms

"It’s times like these you learn to live again, it’s times like these you give and get again. It’s times like these you learn to love again. It’s times like these time and time again."

The days are quickly slipping away and before you know I will be back in the States. It is crazy to think that I have less than a month here. This past week was really rough. We had our mid-term in Spanish 2, and I am not quite sure how good I did. I have been a little sick all week. The whole cough/cold/sore throat thing has been circling the center. So I just spent last week studying and recuperating. I feel a little better now... and I will be fantastic if I pass my test... hell, even if I came close.

On Wednesday we invited a class from UPO that is learning English to a local Irish pub called Merchant Malt House. My whole class, some other friends of ours here... in different programs, and a class of Spaniards all got together. It was a lot of fun. We got to meet a lot of new people and practice our Spanish. We reserved the entire second floor of the pub and hung out.

Later in the night some of us went down stairs and ran into Sergio Garcia (he is a famous golfer from Spain...) I got to see him win the Byron Nelson Classic in Dallas this year. Sergio is in Seville because there is a big golf tournament here this weekend. We got to talk to him a little. He seems like a really nice guy. I got to talk to him for a bit and managed to get his autograph on a beer coaster.

After we left Merchant’s, we ended up at Club Catedral, and then to another bar we often go to. The night was a blast. I really hope we get to reserve that place more often. It was a great way to celebrate after that hard mid-term. The rest of the week has gone by pretty fast.
We have a break from classes. The group is traveling through Spain. I opted to travel elsewhere. My roommates and I leave in the morning. We are taking the high speed train (the Ave) to Madrid, and from there gonna catch a plane to Paris, France for 4 nights. Then we are flying to Rome, Italy for 4 nights. There are going to be a lot of people from our group in Rome when we get there. We are supposed to get together for a make shift "Thanksgiving Dinner" ... It should be a lot of fun!

Hasta Luego.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños a mí!

Someone once said... you are not getting older, you are getting better. As my birthday passes I find myself wishing time will stand still and I will stay 21 forever! I might be asking a little too much though. I had entirely too much fun celebrating my birthday.

Thursday night after dinner I went to the internet café to get online, and the e-mails had already started to come in! It was great to hear from everyone. That night after midnight we went out to start the celebration off right... (since it was officially my birthday!) We kinda hopped around from place to place. I didn’t get in until late. The majority of us skipped class on Friday (which I had planned on doing earlier in the week) ... I wanted to have a day off to do something different in the city. Only 10 people ... out of 24 went to class on Friday. The rest slept in! Haha.

Friday, I got up just before lunch and Isa made me a special lunch. She also had a birthday cake there for me! It was really nice. The cake was decorated really nice. She really made me feel special. After lunch I met up with a few friends and went down to Plaza Nervion... and walked around and got some ice cream. It was a lot of fun just walking around the city.

After I got home I hung around the house for a little bit and watched some tv. Around 8:30 about 15 of my friends went out to eat at this Italian place. It was really good. A few of them chipped in and surprised me with another cake. Haha. We went to the park near my house and cut the cake and ate it. Then we started to Botellion in the park (which is basically like a party in the streets)...

A Chinese lady walked by selling stuff. My friends thought it would be cool to buy me a "birthday hat" and make me wear it at every club we went to. I looked ridiculous ... but really too happy to care.

After that we just hopped around from bar to bar to club. I had a really good time. I got home around 7:15am and crashed out. Thanks to everyone for the gifts, cakes, chocolates (brought to me all the way from Germany), the phone calls, the birthday cards, the money, coming out and showing me a good time...and overall....making this the best birthday ever!

There are some pictures up on the photobucket. There are more to come! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/ "Birthday Pics"

Morocco!

I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning to leave for Tarifa (known as the Hawaii of Spain) ... I went out the night before and just before going home I had a hamburger from a street stand. Not a good idea. The weekend started off poorly. I found myself on a 3 hour bus ride with food poisoning, and I definitely paid for it. After we arrived and found our Hostal... and a Farmacia... I started feeling a little better. Ali and I went on the early bus, and everyone else came on the 3 o’clock bus. (Hunter, Christine, Candice, Mike, Michelle, Amanda, and Sara)... We went down to the beach and watched all of the Kite-Surfers. It was really cool. I have never seen that up close. It really looked like a lot of fun. There were a ton of billabong and hurley shops all along the streets. It really felt like Hawaiian atmosphere. We went into a lot of the shops and stuff and looked around. Once everyone else got there we went to the Surf Kebab place and got a Kebab Pita. It was so good... I love the kebab places. That night we didn’t do much. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get to keep my dinner for too long. Haha. We ended up just hanging out and hitting the sack fairly early. That night I ran a little bit of a fever.... from the food poisoning. Just my luck.

We all got up early the next morning and bought a fairy ticket to the town of Tanger in Morocco, Africa. The boat that we went over on can hold 500 people and up to 40 vehicles. It was huge. When we arrived we met up with a man that was going to give us a tour. We all hopped into this Mercedes van and he took us all through the town and our first destination was to see some camels. I got to ride a camel! It was so weird... something I will probably never get the chance to do again. It is crazy because the camel gets down on all fours so you can get on its back and then stands back up.

Next we went through the city some more and saw a fruit and veggie market. The diverse culture was very picturesque for us. I took a lot of pictures hoping I would never forget seeing the things I saw while in Morocco. We had all been forewarned about safety issues while in Africa... so we all stuck together and made sure everything was stellar. We had lunch at a really nice Moroccan Restaurant. I got to try Cous Cous... and a beef kebab, and mint leaf tea. It was a really good meal. I was impressed with the place. There was a Moroccan band playing throughout our meal. Very impressive. The culture there is so amazing. Although a lot of the area lives amongst poverty and such... they really make and grow things themselves sufficiently. They are known for their pottery and hand stitched rugs and throw blankets.
After that we went to a lot of the Moroccan markets. I bought some Moroccan drums. They are so awesome. (I have no idea how to get them back to The States... but I guess we’ll see) Some of the other people bought some cool rugs, wood carved boxes, clothes, silver daggers, more drums, and jewelry. Some things were cheap... some of the things weren’t so cheap (especially the hand stitched rugs... they were truly amazing looking)

In the streets we were bombarded with people trying to sell us things. It was so crazy. All the kids kept coming up asking us for money. As much as someone might want to stop and give a kid some money.... you know better because it is easier for someone to steal your money or you have 10 other kids come up and ask for some as well. Our tour guide kept a lot of the people in check. If someone was bothering us he would help us tell them to leave. I honestly never felt like I was in danger. I am glad that we had a tour guide... but I don’t think it is as bad as people make it to be.

At the end of the evening we went back to the fairy and went back to Tarifa. I took with me some really cool purchases and a completely new perspective on life, and diversity that National Geographics cannot offer.

When we got back we grabbed something to eat and rested for a bit. It was Halloween night, and we saw a couple of kids running around with costumes ... but it’s not really celebrated as much here. That night we went to a place to get some food and a couple of drinks, and then went to a bar where it was decorated and the bartenders were dressed up for Halloween. It was pretty cool to see all of this going on! It made me think about home a lot.
We got up the next morning and caught the bus back to Sevilla. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to go to Africa. What an amazing weekend!

(Check out the new albums TARIFA and MOROCCO AFRICA! Those two albums have pictures from this weekend!) http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/

...and then there were 3

One of my roommates, Paul, left for the States yesterday. He only needed the first 6 credits of Spanish... so he is back in Texas! It is kind of weird. After class (the day before Paul left) we went all around the city because he needed to get some things to take back. We stopped and had a couple of beers here and there and then continued on. That night we went out to eat with some friends to celebrate Paul’s last night in town. Then we went to a couple of bars that we normally go to. At the end of the night (or early morning) we went back and I helped him get all of his stuff together and went downstairs and put him in a cab. Our Senora (Isabel) was really sad to see him go. The house is going to be different without Paul. Hell, Sevilla will be different. He is one crazy kid.

It is definitely more of a reality now that I only have about 7 weeks left here. Time is flying by, and as much as I miss all of my family and friends... it is going to be weird once I am back in the States. I have adapted (or at least I think I have anyway...) to the Spanish culture and lifestyle. I enjoy living in the city. Sometimes I think about what it is going to be like when I get back. Obviously I have grown a lot during my time here (and I am merely half way through) I wonder how different the people that I surround myself will be. 4 months (in college days) can really feel like an eternity. I am definitely going to sit back and watch things unfold.

Currently I am worried about my Spanish two class. I thought the other one was going to be bad. Hmmm well this one is going to be worse! Tomorrow I am going to Tarrifa with a group of friends. Tarifa is known as the Hawaii of Spain. It is going to be awesome. On Saturday we are going to take a fairy across the Strait of Gibralter into Morocco, AFRICA! Oh yea, that is right... add another country onto the count! :)

I hope all is going well with you all. There is a new album of Paul’s last night here in Sevilla. Check em out! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/

Portugal!

Well I can honestly say that I have been to the "End of the World" and back... Friday morning we set off for Portugal. Our first stop was for something to eat and continued on to Sagres. It is in the southern part where we got to see the "End of the World"... or so explorers used to thing before time (and columbus) would actually prove them wrong. Sagres was amazing. I kept singing "it’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine" Gotta love REM! We visited Prince Henry’s School of Navigation.

Next we continued on to Lisbon. We traveled into the city on a giant bridge that looked like the Golden Gate in SF... we also saw this huge aqueduct that was built in 1975 after a huge earthquake. We arrived and checked into our hotel. It was later in the day so we all went out to eat at this restaurant call "Chimarra’s". We have places similar in the States. Basically we paid 12 Euros and it was a buffet of sides a the men that worked there walked around and sliced all different kinds of meat off into your plate. It was great... and cheap! We all stuffed ourselves and headed out. We didn’t do much the first night... we just all hung out together and experienced the city a little bit.

The next morning the group left to go see a couple places on the itinerary... Jared (a buddy of mine) and I slept in ... because we wanted to do our own thing. We got up and oriented ourselves on the map... and went to grab a quick bite. We saw so much in the city! I loved it, and I am so glad that we didn’t go with the group. I feel like we got to see what they saw plus many other things that we wanted to. We allotted ourselves as much time as we wanted and saw everything! The Jeronomite Monestary was one of my favorites. We visited the building where they used to hold political sessions. Jared and I also went to this outdoor gallery they had. It was called From the Top of the World. And they were all areal photographs. It was really cool. They had a big picture of the Twin Towers.

That night we all got ready and went to the Docas (The Docks). Basically they are old warehouses that have been converted into fancy clubs, restaurants, and bars. We went to about 4 different clubs. They were all packed and hopping. The clubs in Lisbon are pretty cool. Then everyone wanted to go to The Lux. It is like one of the top 35 clubs in the world! Let me just fill you in on a little information first. The clubs there can charge basically whatever they want. Most of the time if you pay a 10 euro cover... it comes with 2 or 3 free drink passes. The Lux is a famous club, and it is also famous for being pretty cheap at the start of the night (around 12 euros) and once they start filling up... they are really expensive to get into. We get there (a group of about 8 OBVIOUS Americans) and it is well into the night ...(early for them) ... and we stand in line to get in. We approached the door ... and without even cracking a smile the door man said "that will be 180 euros." ...I automatically thought he was talking about the entire group. I was quickly corrected. Hmmm, 180 each! After we picked up our jaws, we hailed a cab and continued elsewhere. There were brazillian and Portugese people going in left and right ... apparently they were "members" haha. We got the shaft. Realized it and left! Haha.

We continued on throughout the night. Then headed back to the hotel and crashed out... only to get up a couple hours later and had breakfast and headed back. We stopped off at a battle field (Batalla de la Albuera, 1811) It was pretty cool. Dr. Ingles told us all about it. He brought a sword the was more than likely used in that battle and we got to use it chopping up melons. Some people in the group searched the ground for little buck shots from the battle.

That is all I have for now. I started Spanish 2 today. The teacher is going to be extremely hard... I can already tell! My trip is about half way over now! My 21st birthday is at the end of next week. I am pretty excited about that... but I am not sure what I wanna do yet... hmm ... Well, make sure you check out the Portugal album! http://photobucket.com/albums/v461/brandon5/

Hope all is well. Talk to you soon!

Brandon

Spanish 1 is OVER!

So I am officially done with Spanish 1! I took my final exam for the first 6 credit hours this morning. I am so glad that is finally over! This test just about killed me. I have been so stressed out about it. I still don’t know my grade in the class, but I know that I passed... and that is all that matters (right Mom and Dad? Haha)

So my photobucket site that I have been using... I went over the "free space" amount... so I had to delete a lot of the pictures off there.. So I could show post more for future trips... hopefully you all got a chance to look at them. About 1/2 of them are still on the site... There is a new pic in the Wake boarding album... of some of our friends from Gettysburg. They are pretty cool!

I leave for Portugal in the morning... It is going to be awesome! I am excited about going to another country... I will tell you all about it when I get back!