Sweet!

It's really nice to have my laptop back! Now if only I could keep it from overheating. I'm sure it's just dusty... Now I don't have to go in that awful computer lab.

Right now I'm sitting at a table in the Moberly Library updating my computer, surfing the internet and observing the fine collection of books on the shelfs. There is a book here called Untamed by Gunther Gebel-Williams. Google it, it's a fantastic book I'm sure.

All is nice here in Moberly, MO. Right now it's snowing tiny flakes. I wish it would snow more though. People here are convinced that it's the arctic circle or something, that winters are amazingly freezing. Maybe I'm missing something but I think it's just as cold in Santa Fe. People told me, "oh it's a different type of cold, it's a wet cold". Hmmm...what's a wet cold? I haven't felt this "wet" cold yet. We'll see though, by the end of this week it's supposed to get down to 4 degrees here. I'll blog then to see if my mind has changed... I have experienced negative temps before, in New Mexico. I was driving once on my way to Wolf Creek and my thermometer read -25 degrees F. This was in Chama, NM. My breaks began to get stiff, I think my break fluid was beginning to freeze it was so cold. I also remember pulling into Angelfire, NM before sunrise and the temperature reading was -17 F. But it's a dry cold, so I don't have to worry. I'm not saying I can handle all weather, I'm just trying to bring awareness to the fact that New Mexico isn't always hot. New Mexico isn't the saguaro cactus with a vulture perched on it as some postcards like to depict. There are no saguaro cacti in New Mexico at all! Yes there is a part of New Mexico that is warmer, southern New Mexico. Las Cruces and Carlsbad, and Roswell. But...ah who cares. I mostly just do this for me anyway. I hope the wet cold sends my back to the west where the climate is warm and rainy...hopefully Portland.

I am really happy to be here dispite frustration about people not knowing about where I'm from. But I can't really blame them. New Mexico isn't really well known for anything important. Maybe the changing of world history in the development of and testing of nuclear weapons. (I'm not proud of that.) Maybe the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta... O'Keefe paintings? Meh..

Madness

Ever feel really alone, while being around a bunch of people? That's how I feel right now. I'm in the computer lab inside the Moberly library. I feel really alone right now for some reason. Well, sometimes when I'm at home alone for a long period of time I start thinking about some wild questions that will never be answered for me... I decided to walk to the library after I read a few pages of The Giver. I wanted to read in a not-so-depressing environment. I get serious cabin fever when I'm home alone with nothing to do. I used to get this feeling a lot when I lived by myself on High St. in Albuquerque. If only I was a coffee lover then, I probably would have spent much more time in Flying Star, or Winning, or even Starbucks. In Moberly we have no such coffee shops. The closest cool coffee shops are a forty minute drive away in Columbia. So I decided to walk to the library. I think way to much. I sometimes think that I'm not good enough... good enough to be married to a wonderful person. And other things. I like to try and improve myself by reading things. I think if I fill my brain with interesting things then I will be more interesting. I also ask many, many questions. God questions. Human questions. The cold weather doesn't help. It's dark, and cold here. It's probably the same in Albuquerque, but I can't call Joe and see if he wants to grab a pint with me.

These questions hang...unanswered. I don't even know if they're meant to be answered. I just wonder what's going on in my brain... what are these chemicals that are mixing and making me feel the way I do. Ugh...

So, I had this idea that I would type my blogs on my typewritter and then scan them and post them that way. Now it doesn't sound as interesting as when I thought about it. I'll probably post the two blogs (or journal entries) that I already wrote, but I don't think I'll do it a lot.

I really can't wait to get our computer back, and the internet! People in this lab are always talking really loud, or answering their cell phones, or just making noise. There are signs that say, "NO CELLPHONE use in THIS AREA. Make/Take calls in the lobby". I follow these rules, but everyone else has a hard time obeying. Also, the computers all have a really old version of Internet Explorer. It's seriously annoying.

So, I think I'm going to go back to feeling sorry for myself. First though I'm going to look at some New Mexico news websites. I want to find out what's going on back home. It's weird that I'm the one that's saying "back home". I usually hear other people say it, but I'm never the one to say it...

Moberly, MO...I can't believe it's true.

I've spent the last 25 years of my life in The Land of Enchantment. I love New Mexico, don't get me wrong, but this is awesome. Missouri is so far a really nice place. It's something new. The scenery is different, the people are different, everything is different. I'm not saying New Mexico is bad (although I know of a lot of people who do), I'm just saying I needed this out-of-state living experience. I enjoy learning about this new area. I watch the local news, I read the local news paper, I observe...it's really a blast.

So far the weather here has been chilli, but not as cold as I expected. I expected it to be fridgid. It's still fairly cold... but not as cold as Santa Fe. Santa Fe is expected to drop to a low of 9 degrees farenheit tomorrow night with a 50% chance of hippies. Moberly is hovering around the freezing mark. **yawn**

Moberly is cool, it's refreshing to experience something new. I like not knowing where I am. I like not knowing what to expect from people, it makes life a little bit more fun. Also, I'm picking up a new hobby...typing letters! It's so fun. I inherited a typewriter from my grandpa and I've written two letters so far, one to my parents and one to Joe. I want to write letters to all of my frinds.

I want to write a letter to New Mexico telling her that I miss her and to stay enchanting. Also, not to worry about all of the haters who tell her that she's "entraping".

p.s. Abover are some picures of Columbia, MO (where I work), Moberly, MO (where I live) and some New Mexico shots.

Burritos and Bathrooms

My lovely wife is convinced I'm obsessed with burritos and bathrooms and that I need to share my expertise in a blog. So I'm taking her advice and I'm going to do reviews on different burritos I eat and different bathrooms I visit.

The first burrito reviewed is from Harry's Roadhouse on Old Las Vegas Highway. This burrito is still in my belly, and let me just say that it feels good! What makes a good burrito is what it's wrapped in and what it's coved with, ie the tortilla and the red chili. The tortilla was mediocre but the red chili was different. It was tasty and a bit spicy. Not as spicy as I would like, but still good. The chicken inside was a bit rubbery, but there were black beans to accompany this chicken. I love black beans. A big plus was the sour cream and guacamole that came on the side. Yes! I love them both. The restaurant itself was nice too. It was an older building with great art pieces on the wall. Overall I give the burrito from Harry's Roadhouse 3 1/2 beans out of 5. :)

I Don't Have Pig Fever and I Don't Need the Vaccination

It's official! I have proof that I graduated from a university. I think I just might make copies of this thing and hand them out to random people on the street. I don't know what I'll say when I hand it out...I probably won't do that at all. I don't feel like I really accomplished anything. People aren't giving me jobs yet. I think I would like to get a second degree... I want to study something that I'm actually interested in now. My econ degree is just my safety net. Now I can study things I really like...MxPx, maps, the weather, phone books, 8-track technology, motherboards, AMD chips, nvidia, Urban Terror, the forest... Maybe I can become a roady for some rock band. I know how to tune a guitar, I know how sound levels are supposed to be. I can learn. I can travel with any band and tune your guitars, and make sure you can hear yourself. ...A degree in the forest would be cool. Or maybe a degree in Ski Resort management. That would be sweet. I could live in Vermont or Utah and do that.

Last night Lindsey and I went to Camel Rock Casino. We joined the players club and received ten promotional dollars to gamble with. We didn't win anything, but we did have fun, and we didn't spend any of our own money, except the money we used in gas.

Right now I'm blogging and she's watching True Blood on the laptop on the bed. I think I could get into that show, but I just don't have the attention span to just start it. The only shows I have really immersed myself in were Scrubs, The Office, Spin City, and of course Family Guy.

I can't wait for tomorrow! We're going to be on a plane for Vegas! I'm going to eat so much crab and lobster! I'm going to ride some roller coasters. I might even dance a little. I'll even do the C-Walk for some of my old friends. But first I'll read some books on theology and philosophy. I want to know more. I want to ponder things. I want to be skeptical, but I want to find answers. I want knowledge.

I can't wait for my glasses to come in. I can't see that well.

Here are some pictures of my house in Santa Fe and of my diploma and of my animal.

Borderline Hurricane, but Tropical Storm Santa Fe

Last night at around 3 am really loud and obnoxious storm rolled through Santa Fe, NM. Lindsey and I were already having a hard time sleeping when this monster arrived. Booming thunder, flashing lightning, pounding rain, and roaring wind. I felt like I should have been manning some sails on a pirate ship, but I was too sleepy.

So yeah, Missouri. I can't wait! Lindsey said she talked to Kelly about a house in Moberly, it's only $365 a month. I'm looking for a job out there now, no one has offered me anything yet. I'm thinking about asking for a transfer to the Starbucks in Columbia, MO. I would keep my benefits that I have now... But I do have a degree from University and I'd like to use it. I'm thinking about looking for a school that offers meteorology, the study of meteors. And if that doesn't pan out, then I'll seriously look for something in meteorology, the study of the atmosphere with a focus on weather. I just love the weather so much. If I had the funds I would put up my own little data collection center up. If I had something then I could tell you exactly how high the winds were at my house last night, and how much precipitation we received. I can tell you that it's 61 degrees Fahrenheit here now, and it's 63 degrees Fahrenheit in St. Paul, MN, and it's 59 degrees Fahrenheit in Portland, ME.


Here are some random pictures of random events from this last month:

Video and More Pics

Here's a facsinating video of our train ride! I'll also post more photos.

Photos of the Train

We had an amazing train ride on the New Mexico Rail Runner. We were lucky enough to ride in the very last seat on the very last car, so we had views of everything around us. I even had a great view of the speedometer. The train reached a high speed of 80 mph. I was really impressed, and I'm sure Lindsey would have been impressed to (or not) but she was knee deep in a book she was enjoying. I took many pictures and I'm going to post them right now. Enjoy.

Train

Lindsey and I rode the railrunner this weekend. It was an exciting weekend and I have a bunch of pictures. I'm excited to share them. But now I have to go back to work.

Rain

I want joy! There is so much negativity thrown at me all the time. A lot of people just don't care about anything. They have to get ahead, and they have to think about themselves. That's just how it is. Why is it so hard to just be friendly? It's not worth stressing about. Humans hate more than they love. It's sad. I want to try to bring love to people all the time, but sometimes I forget. Today was bad, but I hope I can be a better person tomorrow. I want to learn. ...

It's really overcast tonight in Santa Fe. I like it. It makes me feel like I'm in a different city, maybe London, maybe Berlin, maybe Buffalo, NY. I know those cities don't have adobe buildings and Mariachi music in the background, but it's easy to pretend sometimes. I made myself a soy mocha.. yum. It's a perfect rainy day weather beverage. I pray tonight is better than today was. Maybe I'll see someone who gives me joy... Who gives me a reason not to whine about the way the world is.

I was about to write about how much I love The Receiving End of Sirens... They're okay, but then I selected the song Glass to the Arson by Anberlin on my mp3 player then hit play and realized how much better they are. Anberlin is probably the best band that has ever existed. Better than the Stones, better than Zepplin, better than Nirvana, better than my cat Floofy (not by much). They're just so good.

We're going to Albuquerque right now. I'm excited to see our friends and hang out. Also, Lindsey has an interview for a job there. We're going to have a good time in ABQ. I hope it's not too hot there, I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt and jeans.

Missouri?

I don't know, but I think Lindsey and I want to move to Missouri. It sounds like a great place to explore. I'm sure there are bunches of misconceptions of the place. I know that some may be formed because I live in New Mexico, it's a huge misconception. Anyway, I'm excited to see what the future brings (besides floating skateboards).

Letter

Woo!

Dear Lorenzo Dominguez,

The University of New Mexico has posted your degree to your official academic record. You may now order copies of your official transcript that identifies you have graduated from UNM.
Each official transcript costs $5. You may request official transcripts at "http://registrar.unm.edu/trans.htm" .

Your diploma will be mailed within ten business days, unless you made arrangements to pick it up when signing up for commencement. You will receive an email notice when your diploma is ready for pick up at the Student Support
and Services Center, located at 1155 University SE.

Respectfully,
Kathleen Sena
Registrar


That's an email I just opened.

Also, here are some pictures of Floofy playing with my shoes.

Iced, X, venti, 3P, SFV, S, L

It's dark in Santa Fe. Today was kind of a tough day at work... Well, relatively it wasn't bad. Relative to what other people may have to go though at their work. I don't have to do much manual labor. Well, besides cleaning the drains today. I don't have to use my brain that much. I have to remember some coffee shorthand. That isn't really hard. Except I was yelled at the other day for marking a green tea latte "GTL" when it was supposed to be marked "GRTL". "GTL" is the marking for green tea lemonade. People at Starbucks love to shout at me. I guess I'm the type of person that can take the yellings. I'm mostly silent about my grievances about the Bucks. I hate, hate, hate when I'm explaining something to a customer about tea or coffee when someone decides that I probably don't know the answer to their question and butts in and explains it them self. That bothers me. But then I stop and think for a second... My degree is in economics, not coffee. They can have their expert opinion on coffee. But still, I'm making coffee. I'm not even making coffee. I'm putting scoops of already ground coffee into a machine that heats up water and makes the coffee for me. I'm only a pawn. Working at Starbucks isn't all bad though. Some people actually want to know about me. Some people actually give me some credit for having a brain and let me explain what the tea is made up of, and how long it should be left in the hot water for before you take the tea bag out. They're cool. There are some people who actually take the time to let me know I'm doing a good job... Whatever. I want to look at statistics of weather and population and road maps all day. That sounds like fun! I'm serious. If I could tell where the weather is going to be good for coffee growing and how many farmers in the area where going to be producing and what their average incomes were for the previous year and what their expected crops were for the new season... (That sentence made no sense.) That sounds like fun. I want to life on a beach in Panama and talk to actual coffee farmers. I want to sleep next to the ocean, and I don't want someone yelling at me for marking a cup wrong. Most of the customers are cool. I think I can find a million different ways their 5 + dollars could go to that would actually benefit the world, but at least some of them can smile at me. I think I'm pretty lucky for the customers that come into my store. We have mostly tourists, so people aren't mean about their drinks, they're mostly just on vacation being leasurly. But we get tons of Europeans, and if you can get past the language barrier then they are real easy customers to satisfy. They don't want gigantic super complicated drinks like Americans. They just want espresso, with a little but of milk. The most common European drink is a short latte, or a solo espresso. Easy enough. Or a hot chocolate. They love the hot chocolates. They hate americanos and American coffee for the most part. I can't generalize all together, cause there is the occasional French group that wants venti frappucinos. It's really cool serving people from all over the world though. It's reminding me that I want to travel on a consistent basis. In a way I'm taken out of Santa Fe for a few seconds when I talk to these people. I especially like it when they dump all of their change on the counter and ask me to find the correct change. It seems like they don't know what coin is worth what... I'm certain that's what it is. I don't think they would do that at their local coffee shop. Good times though. I hope it snows soon, I can't wait til winter.

More Photos

Not So Tired

Sleepy

I am so stinking tired! Today I had lots of fun but it was all had with a tired body and a tired brain. Last night Lindsey and I decided that we wanted to do something. First we thought about going to a movie. Then we thought about calling Joe and Erin to see if they wanted to go to Brickyard. It was really nice sitting and hanging out with some familiar people.

We then went to Burt's and watched a really good DJ... Fun times in ABQ. Then we slept at the Freeman's house and had a full day with Nana. We went to Savers and looked at books and Halloween masks. Then we had a glorious lunch at Hurricanes. A good day hanging out with Mrs. Freeman and Nana and Linds.

Now we're back at home satisfied from delicious Chopsticks take-out...

Santa Fe

So I think I'm shifting blog gears. I was at a stand still for a month or so, mostly because I was trying to graduate from college and also because a friend or two told me to shut up. Well, I'm ready to tell everybody all of the meaningless thoughts that go on in my brain. Meaningless thought no. 1: MxPx rules and I love them so much. No. 2 I want to see Run Kid Run SO bad on Labor Day weekend. No. 3 I love coffee.

I'm downloading Picasa for Ubuntu right now and I'm totally excited. If you don't have Picasa, you're missing out. It's way better than any other default picture browsing program. I'm also trying to organize my hard drives right now. I have lots of duplicate songs.

Right now I feel okay. I feel like I hate work. I feel like I don't work very often, but I still don't have much free time. The free time is what I want to savor. The times after work when Lindsey and I can just chat about random junk. I think I could probably be chatting with her now... Yeah, she's on the computer too. Sometimes we need time on the computer.

Living in Santa Fe has been okay for the most part. There are some things that are awesome about living in Santa Fe. One thing is that there are fewer distractions for us. We are less likely to be focused on other things like the drama Albuquerque brings, but we are also trying to find ourselves here. We love our friends in the Burque, but it's really hard to go out there all the time, and it's really hard for them to come out here. I'm rambling...

Here are some a few pics of us in Santa Fe: ...
well, I'm still trying to figure out how to make my wireless card work on Ubuntu. They aren't uploading. The pictures are awesome though! I'll show them soon.

Yes! I have internet!

I just came back from camping the the Pecos wilderness. It was beautiful but it was cold and rainy. I'll put up some pictures soon along with some of mine and Lindsey's pictures of Taos, and Eagle Nest Lake. Fun times. I'm going to go to sleep now cause I didn't get any sleep last night.

buy us gifts please

Hello! Just to let everyone know in case you're wondering, yes we are registered at Target for the wedding. It's under Lindsey Freeman and you can check it out at Target.com club wedd:) Thank you! from Lorenzo and Lindsey Dominguez (Team double L)

weird

Here's something weird:

When I went to Chicago everyone was saying, "don't move here, it's too cold". Or, "yeah, it get's so freezing cold up here in the winter!" I'm sure it get's cold, and I have never experienced a "wet" cold. But I was looking at weather.com's "compare" feature and I compared Santa Fe, NM to Chicago, IL. It's telling me that Santa Fe, on average is cooler than Chicago, IL. The lows are lower in Santa Fe by 9 degrees and the highs are higher, on average, by 5 degrees. Interesting... But I still don't know what the "wet" cold feels like, and I'm sure that's all that's different.

rain, rain, rain

Vent:

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

I'm so crazy happy right now, but so crazy frustrated!

No. 1
I'm listening to MxPx, they make me happy. Everything from Washington state is wonderful, nay, the Pacific Northwest. MxPx, Lindsey (Portland), and Starbucks who just payed my bills.

No. 2
I'm finishing my last undergrad classes...ever.. It's taken me forever to finish. (In my defence, I really wanted to be an Architect, but my friend Travis who recieved his degree in architecture advised me against it, so that added around 2 years to my degree. Before I was a determined arcitect major, I wasn't sure/finding myself.) But the only thing that counts is that I'll be done this summer. The semester started in the beginning of this month and midterms are already next week. I'm excited to be done. Lindsey has been throwing out my resume to employers, including The Federal Reserve, the freaking American economy itself. That would be amazing if I got that job, but we'd have to move to Kentucky... Kentucky. I'm sure it's nice there.

No. 3
Financial aid made the hugest mistake!! They told me I was fine to get a loan for the summer semester. They told me my classes would be paid for by the end of May. I was expecting a few extra dollars to pay rent. It didn't work out. I had to petition for a loan. I had to write a letter. So frustrating. I couldn't pay rent! Things are getting better though.

No. 4
I just want to camp. I want to live in the forest for like a week, maybe longer.

Skateboarding

Last night, around twilight, I decided it would be a good idea to go skateboarding. I haven't gone in a while, so it was real nice to rip the concrete waves...bro. I took a bunch of pictures and a few videos while I was DT (downtown) and I'll post them here now.

Skateboarding around Burque Town.

how?

I want to be the sun shining over the beach! I want to be a grean meadow in the mountains, with streams and trees everywhere. I'm such a hipocrite! I want to be fresh air for the people I affect. There is so much negativity that surrounds us, and I'm not going to lie, it has got to me. I've even contributed to it. Even though it may seem hopeless, or futile, I want to do good. It's what I want to stand for. I'll dedicate my life to this. I want to...let go. How do I let go? Inside I still want to be selfish. I'm fighting this.

Sean's comic

Check out Sean's website

It's Funny...

It's funny how we loose contact with people. Sometimes I look at old pictures and long to be who I was. It's not right though. People change. I have changed. I need to allow myself to improve. Who I was and who these past people were were friends, but we've all changed. It's difficult to move on sometimes. I miss people. But now I have to move on with my life. I have cherished memories that I won't dwell on. I need to let myself improve. And now I have someone to change with, Lindsey. Now it's not just me going through this life. We have to improve together, and we have to find a way to do it. It's really exciting to me. We're going to see new places, meet new people, and experience new things. But I'm still grateful for the people who have entered and exited my life.

It's Winter in Panama

Today I tried to edit the New Mexico Wikipedia page... It didn't work. It's really difficult to figure out how to edit Wikipedia. I read and I read. I finally figured out how to upload the photo I wanted to post (this one ). I'll figure it out, I'm determined!

Tonight, I have determined that I enjoy the music of Santigold.

Tonight, I have also decided that I want to do some traveling...lots of traveling. I'm so happy that it wasn't only my decision either. Lindsey is all for heading to Panama for a year or so then do some more exploring. It's not just for us, we want to spread some good while we travel.

state song

O, Fair New Mexico
Written by: Elizabeth Garrett

Under a sky of azure,
Where balmy breezes blow,
Kissed by the golden sunshine,
Is Nuevo Mejico.
Land of the Montezuma,
With firey hearts aglow,
Land of the deeds historic,
Is Nuevo Mejico.

O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
Our hearts with pride o'reflow,
No matter where we go.
O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
The grandest state to know
New Mexico.

Rugged and high sierras,
With deep canyons below,
Dotted with fertile valleys,
Is Nuevo Mejico.
Fields full of sweet alfalfa,
Richest perfumes bestow,
State of apple blossoms,
Is Nuevo Mejico.

O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
Our hearts with pride o'reflow,
No matter where we go.
O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
The grandest state to know
New Mexico.

Days that are full of heart-dreams,
Nights when the moon hangs low;
Beaming its benedictions,
O'er Nuevo Mejico.
Land with its bright manana,
Coming through weal and woe;
State of esperanza,
Is Nuevo Mejico.

O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
Our hearts with pride o'reflow,
No matter where we go.
O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
The grandest state to know
New Mexico.


The State Song of New Mexico was officially adopted in 1917.
About the author: Elizabeth Garrett is the daughter of Pat Garrett, the man who killed Billy the Kid.

Beauty and the Beast

I love that scene in Beauty and the Beast where the dishes start to wash themselves. The dishes wash themselves in a different Disney movie too. Do you know what one? That's right! Sword in the Stone. Merlin uses his magic so the boy can learn things. Point is, I wish dishes could wash themselves. It would also be nice to meet Gastolf, the bad guy from Beauty and the Beast.

reckless drivers are bad

Statistic

So I heard somewhere (actually in my Stat 145 class, yes I still have to take a freshmen class but it's one that I didn't know I had to take until recently) that people who have a car covered with bumper stickers are more likely to posses road-rage. I thought about this and it makes total sense. People with bumper-stickers tend to be more opinionated and therefor territorial. They want their word heard because they think that they are right. So if I cut off a person driving a car covered with bumper-stickers he/she is not going to think about how I may be right by cutting them off, but they will think I'm wrong. They have strong opinions and they want their opinions to be heard, especially the negative opinion they will project to me by giving me the finger and laying down on the horn.