My Desk
I have been writing a paper and I need a break. So today I write about my desk at GVSU, I spend a lot of time here and I thought I would introduce the world to my little piece of GVSU, my cube.


There is it. My desk. Let me describe. In the lower right corner are generally boxes of junk. Sometimes useful junk, there you see Sigma Pi boxes, I was their storage area while they were expanding. Now there is boxes of the old recruitment booklets left over from rush, it is trash, but I don't feel like hauling it out. I just wrote trash and them and hoped someone would move them for me. No luck yet.

Then you can see I have two computers. My office computer is a piece of junk, seriously. So I use my laptop for all real work. My trusty laptop, with wireless, is what gets me through all my work. I do not know what I would do with out it. I have many odd things on my cube walls, brochures for GVSU Greek life, a flyer from Greek Week 2003 I have yet to take down, lots of post it notes, thank you cards from people, my coffee mug, and the wax hand doing the Beta hand symbol.


Here is a close up picture of the right side of my desk. The piñata was left on my desk from Lisa, the grad who had my desk before me. I added the Mardi Gras beads to it, and lined up some Mt. Dew cans by the side. I need caffeine all day long... Mt. Dew is what I drink after the coffee is out. And yes, those are liter bottles not regular 20 oz. Next to that is the Case Study plaque, I was asked to help a Case Study group this week, which is cool that someone respects the 2003 Case Study winners (Becky and I won, we rock and will win again for 2004).

Then I have the Presidents Council composite, Betas don't make composites, so it is cool to finally be on one. I also look very republican in my picture, not that I don't want to look republican, but I generally do not wear a navy blazer and red tie. Next to it you see a stack of shirts. Some of those I designed, some were gifts. Once in a while it comes in handy to have something I can throw in of I spill coffee on myself cause of my shaky hands, but I doubt I will wear any of those any time soon.


Directly in front of my laptop are most of my pictures. I have some smaller pictures of Novali above my phone. These ones are random pictures I print out at work. I have a few of me in California, a few car races in the NX 2000, in Philly with Andres, and tons of Novalí. This week I plan to put some new pictures. To the right you see my NIC program flyers. I really push their educational programs for the IFC men here.

Next to my desk sits Becky, we have a big pole between us and a small table where Hermen sits when he comes to bug me at work. Right now he is there telling Bob Stoll, our director, that we need to have raft races during Greek Week in the Zumberg pond. And right now, guess what Becky is doing... yes twirling her hair. I am waiting for her to complain about my junk boxes, I know I need to move them.

That is my home away from home, my desk. I don't put anything up at my CompuCraft desk, so nothing exciting there. All my flare is on my GVSU desk. Hope you enjoyed this tour my small Cube at GVSU.

Good Weekend
Lots of driving. But then what's new? Friday went to Saginaw to see my family. Picked up Andres on the way from MSU and finally dropped off that iMac I fixed. Then the two of us headed to Saginaw to our parents house. From there we went to pick up Raquel and off to a family dinner at Red Lobster. Yum Yum. I had the admiral feast and the rolls there are still the best. Good family conversation.

Saturday, slept in! That felt great. Then a nice lunch with mom and dad. Talked about life, how my classes are going, mom's perm, and more importantly little Novali. Then off to MSU with dad. We met Andres at BW3s, I have not been to one since I left Kalamazoo. The spicey garlic wings were awesome, and makes me wish I lived closer to a BDubs now.

We went to the mall, I got my hair cut and highlighted. Turned out alright. Then from MSU back to Allendale. Relaxing night, got some rest for more driving.

Sunday got up early and drove to Chicago. Novali was jumping off the walls when I got there and we played for a few hours. Then it was off to go shopping. "Vamos a comprar un video." Novali really wanted a new video, she needed diapers and a winter coat, and for sure a halloween costume. So after a run to Old Navy, Target and Osco we finished. Novali got the Lion King new DVD, a cute little fifties girl costume (big pink skirt, white blouse, black belt, hair bows) and we headed home.

Novali did not follow the movie, but she kept asking what the names of all the animals were. She loved saying Mufasa and got scared by the Hienas. Then I headed home, back to Michigan.

All in all I drove a little over 750 miles all weekend. That equals about 11 hours in the car. Wow. It was some good quality time with the Nissan that's for sure! Speaking of the Nissan, I posted all new pictures on that page. NX 2000

This week will be hectic. Lots of meetings and some classwork due. Got to buckle down.

Missed Calls
Yes I know, I have not returned your calls. I forgot my phone yesterday. So I was phoneless. It is sad that it was so hard to go without it for a whole day. It was a relaxing break though from pestering calls about nothing, or wondering if Hermen called and I missed a chance to run to Burger King to get a whopper with cheese, diet coke (cause it offsets the fat in the burger), and onion rings. Don't forget the zesty sauce, extra zesty sauce... yum.

This morning I was at work bright and early again. I get so much done early in the morning, but I drink so much coffee my hands shake uncontrollably. Either way I like being here and I am starting to get all caught up with everything. Feels good. Back to work with my shaky hands.

Question
I am going to start doing some new things on this blog to get people to discuss a little. So today I pose some questions, these are from Hermen. He came by my desk to take a mint from the jar on my desk. I told them those are mad old and they are no good. So...

Do mints, the red (or green) and white ones in wrappers, ever go bad? Do they loose their mintiness? Will it still make your breath nice and fresh? How long do you think they last?

Saturday Night Live.
My younger brother Andres and Saloumeh came to visit on Saturday. I had a busy morning of running around Holland getting some stuff for my car. I cleaned the house and waited to see what was up for the night. I decided I would meet them downtown at my friend Heather's apartment... it is the first left, not the second left. No really, the first left comes right away, you went too far.

The group headed to my favorite place in Grand Rapids, the San Chez Bistro. It is a Tapas restaurant, which means you order lots of small sides and everyone picks from different things and tastes everything. A family style meal, very Spanish. The place has a calm atmosphere, great sangria, close to other nightlife and beautiful art inside. They have art from Jose Narezo, some awesome paintings on walls and some very authentic Spanish tile work around the walls. We had a great time, Andres got all excited over the Paella, I ate most of the Yucca Frita, Heather was brave and ate some calamari tentacles.




We ate for hours, and talked all night. References to TV shows, discussions about school, stories about being a server, and the age old question; When you go on a date, and sit in a booth, do you sit on the same side or across? For me, across. It just makes sense.

It was great, and we made it through everything we ordered. Calamari, yucca, paelle, patatas bravas, banderillas de pollo, and some bistec. Everything was awesome, even the bread and lemony butter. Then we took a walk.

The next stop was Bar Divani on Ionia Street. This is a classy place to relax, talk and try some great wines and drinks. There some more friends joined us, Andrea, Amanda and Paul. This place has a great wine list, and as Paul learned a beer list that was three pages long. When he asked if they had Molson, the waitress politely said, "No but we have some 'fancy' Canadian beers." He ended up with a Samuel Smiths, nothing like a beer with gold foil on the top. Then he found his beer, the McEwan. We had a great smooth bottle of Pinot Grigio.




At this point Andres and Saloumeh took off, they had to drive back to East Lansing. Thanks again you two for coming, it was a lot of fun. Paul walked home as well. The final four (three CMU grads, and one from WMU) decided to stay out a little longer. A short stop at Taps Sports Bar ran us into some people from GVSU. We lost the football game to SVSU that day, our rival school. So some talk about football ensued. We danced a little, Heather got picked up by some super stud with the, "You have nice hair" pick up line, come on guys we need to be more original than that.

Fun night. Glad to see my brother. Nice to chill with some GVSU folks. Today, got to catch up on school work and fix Ramiro's honda. Adios.

Just doing my thing.
It has been a typical last few days. My car was at SpeedWise getting work done, and something went wrong; meaning I need to cough up more money, that I don't have, so comprises had to be made. So I am still riding on my cheap coils, and will have to wait until spring to get the money to buy the parts I need to install the better springs I bought. I hate spending money on a part, and then not being able to afford to get it put in properly. But the Nissan is drivable, looking good (despite the back bumper), and bringing me joy.

Last night the Betas and Gammas had a great program. They brought the independent film Urban Poet. It was great, based in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago (Humbolt Park), it spoke to the issues of stereotypes and methods of expression for Latin communities. We had a packed house, and the students who came loved the event and many stayed to talk afterwards with the director. I want to tell Ramiro, Lydia, Santiago and Melva that they did a great job! For information on the film visit: New Film Productions

Tomorrow, my younger Brother Andres is coming from Michigan State to visit. I think we are going to San Chez, this great Tapas place, and then hangout downtown. Awesome Spanish food, the best. It is just like Cafe Iberico the place I like to eat in Chicago.

This weekend will be nice and relaxing. I will get to chill and catch up on some things I have been putting off. Like putting away my laundry and cleaning my room.

Rear ended, fighting in the homeland, and "When Santi met Stupid."
It has been an interesting last few days. Some drama (my car got dented), some funny times with the brothers, and suspense over the Bolivian political situation. So here is a quick recap.

The NX is injured, call 911!
Yes folks, the NX, which I love so much, has been dented. On Monday I was driving back from CompuCraft when I was rear-ended! This dumb guy in a Ford Explorer decided that watching my brake lights was not that important, so BAM! He hit me. I hate Lake Michigan Drive, it is the worst road and there was no turn lane. We pulled over and there was very little damage to my car, and none to his truck. My insurance rates are high enough, and no matter whose fault the accident is my rates would go up, so I did not call the police. The damage is not bad, just some paint rubbed off and a small dent in my rear panel. Hopefully I can get a warm day to buff it out and pull that dent out a little. Just when she was finally getting all done, she gets hurt. Just my luck. But I still love my baby, even dented.


The NX is in the shop right now as well. Getting new shocks put on her. She was riding really rough with the coils I put on, I was going to switch the coils for springs but not anymore. When I got the coils put in, they removed the spring mounting brackets, and now when I want to put springs back in I do not have the mounting brackets cause they got tossed out. Ah! I can not afford to spend much more money on the car right now, so I am just leaving the coils in there and just putting the new shocks on her. Will I ever start having good luck? I also am getting all my logos made right now for the car, and getting her ready for the winter. I painted my original rims and once snow starts to fall put those winter tires on. I hope my baby makes it through the winter without getting hit, or hitting anything! No more dents on the NX!



Bolivia, Mi Patria!
My homeland is in turmoil, and my brother Miguel is right in the middle of it all. He is there on a Fullbright Fellowship working on his dissertation. The country was and kinda still is being threatened to fall into civil war. I got some pictures from the BBC and Miguel's blog. American media sources still have not covered the stories very well, surprise surprise... CNN posted one or two articles, but not much. Miguel is having a hard time getting food and bread right now, but at least he still is able to find a 56k internet connection. Us Centellas boys know what the essentials in life are for survival. "Who needs bread? Give me internet, or give me death." Well maybe it is not that important... Living in the USA we can not understand what it can be like to be in such a situation, I hope things get better for the country's sake, my brother and family down there, and so I can travel down there this December.




Stupid and Stupider
This morning I felt like I was watching some movie, or comedy routine. Santiago came over early to pick up Ramiro and finish off the paperwork for Sigma Lambda Beta. Maybe cause we all got up before 7am, or maybe cause they waited until today to do it (paperwork must be postmarked the 15th), or maybe just cause they are still Neos. I don't know. But it was funny. They have to send 4 copies of tons of papers, they did not have a big envelop. So Santi said they could just put it in multiple small envelops and mail it all separately. What? I had an envelop so I saved them from that brilliant idea. Then Ramiro got mad and threatened to mess up all the papers (they were in neat stacks of four), but then he realized that it was his job to send the paperwork so he would be the one to reorganize them. Kinda like getting mad and kicking your own car, mess up someone else's stuff, not yours. Finally Ramiro forget the Dues Check (dune buggy?), he needs to get his hearing and vision checked. It was a funny thing to wake up; Ramiro tripping down the steps, Santi looking homeless, Hermen complaining about all the ink on his printer they were using, my sitting there feeling like I was watching the three stoogies in action. Good times. These guys crack me up.

Novalí
Sunday I spent with Novalí. I got up early and drove to Chicago. The drive has become so comfortable to me now. This year alone I must have driven to Chicago close to 20 times. Wow. Every trip is worth it.

When I got there she was eating. Well, mostly playing with her food and feeding it to her baby and minnie mouse. Once she was done we played with her blocks. I was amazed at how she is able to stack them now. It was just a few weeks before that I showed her how to stack them. She made a stack nearly her height, and then it fell. She also is learning her numbers visually now. When I showed her the block with the #1 on it, she held up one finger. She did that for 2 and 3, but no more. I was still impressed.

We played all afternoon, which meant I tossed her around cause she always wants to fly and I pretended to eat with her and the baby. We watched the Cubs game, her Tio Angel got her to say "Go Cubs". She slept through most of the game, and so did I.



When we woke up, we had some Chinese food I ordered, and played some more. Once her mom and abuela got home she took a bath and got ready for bed. And then her papi (thats me) had to drive back to Michigan. Long day. Fun day.

Check out her pictures on her website. Novalí.

Catching Up
It is Saturday night, and I had a fun last few days, and tomorrow I get to see Novalí. Life is great for me right now. This blog is playing some catchup on the last few days.

Thursday
We chilled. Becky came over and Hermen help her wash her car and peel some stickers off of the back window. I finally started on doing my custom taillights for my NX. I think the NX will like the new lights. Now while we are talking about the NX, I want to clear something up. Yes the NX is female. Many of you have asked me (not commented on my blog about it) why I call the car a "she". Well there are a few reasons for that. The NX is tempermental, she gives me headaches, causes me trouble, costs a lot, high maintenance, I like showing her off to my friends, and no matter what happens I still love her. The NX is a woman, and we are in a committed relationship. My life is sad, I know.

Back to my story... We ended the night with a trip to my favorite eating place in Allendale, the Country Cupboard. Yes, I know mostly retired people go there, and the food is mediocre at best, but I like it. I feel at home, like a regular customer. As many of you have noticed I now have started to like that country feel. So I had the smelt dinner, some great homemade desert and got punches on my Country Cupboard diner card. Yes, I am a "regular".



Friday
Homecoming at WMU! This year WMU honored a Latino as one of the Distinguished Alumni. So of course I had to score some tickets to the dinner, the Betas and Gammas also scored tickets and got a shot out from the MC during the program. Nice to see Vic and Colleen representing. I love knowing the school thinks highly enough about our fraternity and sorority that we get free tickets to such a high profile event.

Then we went to the Firehouse. This was one of my usual hangouts when I was living in Kalamazoo. The place was packed, we had to park on a curb, wait in line for too long, and heard the same music from the same DJs who worked when I was there. The fun part was seeing all the old faces from WMU. Of course I saw Megan, and my Brothers Vic, Geo and Rey were there as well. It was great, running into old friends from campus and saying hi, asking what they are up to, and exchanging short stories in a loud bar. It was fun.

The night ended with a trip to Big Burrito for fatty Mexican food late at night. I felt at home again.

Saturday
I slept in. I should of gone to the parade with the Betas and Gammas, but I was tired. I deserve one day that I can sleep. So I slept.

Around 2pm I finally decided to do something. I was thinking of heading to the game, but I never went as an undergrad when the tickets were free, why would I go when I have to pay as an alum? So instead I made the trip to Waldo's to see Megan. I drug Colleen with me (all my Brothers were in the game) and it was great. While in line we made friends with some drunk Irish guy, he needed a lighter and he thought it was hilarious I was in a Latino fraternity and that I did not have a lighter. Once inside I saw tons of friendly faces, and was reminded of how many people I miss from Kalamazoo. I still never ran into Doogie, but I am sure I will catch up with him soon.




I then headed home to Allendale. The Latino Student Union was having a program, and between the dinner and dance portion the gang decided to swing over to the house. It was fun hanging out and relaxing. I was trying to get some homework done tonight, but they were a good distraction. They cracked me up, and Ramiro as usual admitted to crap most people would not admit to, like having overeaten reeses pieces and puking. Who does that? The other Neo, Santiago was dressed like an Old Cuban pimp, the light green polyester pants were great, he said it was for the island theme of the dance... no else was dressed up, so I think Santi just like the pants and did not want to admit it.

So now they left, I am going to try to study a little and then get some sleep. I am getting up early to go and spend the day with Novalí.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
For those who like old Western movies you get the title. Nothing like Clint Eastwood shooting up people. No shootings here, or dirty saloons, I just thought the title was fitting for todays post.

The Good:

My trip to Bolivia is official. I got my confirmation today, and I will be home bound in December. I will fly out of the Chicago-Ohare airport at 5:26 PM CST on December 15th. I will arrive in Bolivia the following day at 9:02 AM. Long trip, and this time I will do it alone. I can not wait to get there and see myfamily. It has been over three years since my last trip.

The Bad:

I got the NX running this morning. Took a few more tried to dry it out, and then I ran to Tolman Auto and had them shoot air in and spray some silcone sealer in there. She works now. But it looks like I will more then likely need new spark plugs now. The pic above is of the body kit I want to get... anyone want to sponsor me getting that body kit? I will put your name on the front of the car. I had to try.

The Ugly:

The Centellas family has bad luck with cars. Andy's luck ran out last week when he totaled his Civic. That is some impact there! Glad he was not at all hurt, and able to laugh (and cry) about it later. My sister Raquel totaled a car, Miguel totaled one in high school, and I totaled two so far. When it comes to cars, the Centellas kids have a bad record...

Go Team PLP!

Homecoming GVSU
Friday night started the weekend with a bang. The annual Lip Sync was that night, and I had been looking forward to the Betas performing with Delta Zeta and Lambda Chi Alpha. The event was great and they took third. Hermen, Ramiro and Santiago did an awesome job with it and cracked me up. Good work Bros!




The weekend continued as Team PLP flew into action. Saturday morning was car time and Hermen and I had big plans for our rides. I wanted to fix my rear bumper gap, reroute my seat belts, put in my side marker lights, paint my wiper arms black, clean my car, and start ideas on how I would redo the trunk. Well most of that did not happen.

For the new readers, you might wonder what is Team PLP. It stands for Parking Lot Performance. This summer Hermen and I started to race my NX, and work on our cars more. We worked on cars in my parking lot, and we tried to make our cars (or truck) have better performance, in my parking lot. Generally anyone pulling into my old apartment would see parts in my parking spots, hoods popped open, and one of us wondering how we managed to make those huge divets in the concrete with my car ramps...




For the old readers, I am sure you know the antics of Team PLP all too well. Saturday morning Hermen and I worked on the cars. I rerouted my seat belts to go through my new seats (looks great!). I started the work of realigning my rear bumper better, after a trip to True Value to get some hardware, she is done. Not perfect, but looks much better. I still have not gotten my front side markers back in yet, soon.

Then we ran into some issues. Hermen had the idea that we should clean our engines. That means spraying some Simple Green, letting it set, and then hosing it off. Generally not a problem. It was a problem. Both of our cars did not want to run well afterwards. Sputtering, back firing, and just plain acting up. Why you might ask? We were not sure. It took forever for us to try and figure it out. On Hermen's truck it was the PCV fitting that was loose. His truck is running fine now. The NX, that is another story. It is at least driveable, but not running well.

Team PLP did not know what to do. I posted a thread on my SR20 Nissan Forum online. Some guys gave me some good ideas on what could of gone wrong. We figured out that water got in my spark plug wells. I got it mostly fixed, I will mess with it more tomorrow, hopefully I will be able to finish it before I got to be to work. Wish me luck.




The rest of the weekend was laid back. Saturday went to the football game, it was my first at GVSU. I am not a big fan of being outdoors, in the cold, watching a football game from a terrible location. I had a good time out there with Hermen and the gang. Even the two SagiNAW people (Andrea and her friend) who also decided to attend and sit with us rowdy guys. And for the record, old school Louie was the bomb. We need to get him back for good, screw that new muscle Louie, he can't dance.

Saturday night was the homecoming dance. Nothing special.

Sunday worked on the cars some more. Got my wipers painted. Helped Ramiro try to figure out why his heat does not work. And then we all (four guys in the duplex) went to the store, bought some steaks and potatoes, cooked and had dinner together. It felt like I was home and mom called us all to dinner. It was cool. We watched part of the Cubs game.

Now I am in my office at GVSU. Trying to work on a paper, but perfering to Blog. I better write this paper...

Far from Western
It is a Thursday night. I had a fun day; was productive in my morning meetings, had lunch with Becky, office hours in the Student Organization Center (SOC) was a good time as usual, went shopping to the mall with Hermen, and got a different phone (hopefully this one will work better).

However, it is late and I am not going out. Why? You might as yourself, I ask myself the same question. When I got back from the store, I munched on some chips and salsa and chatted on IM with some friends, caught up with some olds ones, and got to know some new people better. I love AIM, I used to hate it, but I have grown to love it.

Tonight my excursion is to the laundry mat. Not just any ordinary place, it is in a Speedway gas station. I am not alone, Hermen is with me. If I am hungry I can grab a hot dog, microwave a sandwich, get a 64oz pop (who needs that much liquid?) or buy some animal crackers and bleach. This place has it all. But I am still wondering, why am I here on a Thursday night? And what does it have to do with the title "Far from Western."

When I was at Western Thursday were the big night out. We (Vic, Doogie, Gary, Megan, Rudy, or whoever was around) would generally start the night at good ol' Waldos. Mixed drink pitchers were like 5-6 bucks and it made a good place to meet up. Depending on the night, or who I was with would determine which location we would hit next. If I was with Megan and some other IFC/NPC Greeks we would hit up the Tap Room (affectionately called the Frat Room because of the high Greek attendance). If it was a night Vic and I managed to drag Rudy and Gary out of the house we would hit up Club Soda for Latin Night.

The Tap Room trips meant talking about Greek stuff, cute sorority girls, fraternity guys hoping to impress girls with their car or buying them enough drinks so they do not realize they lacked personality, non-Greeks wondering why they came, and the DJ pretending he was in a real club like in Chicago or something. All around a typically good Kalamazoo time.

The Club Soda trips were something else. Glad we never paid cover, teaching gringas how to dance, pretending we were better dancers then we really were, seeing the same people who were there when we started Latin Nights there four years ago, half off drinks 'til 11, and trips to either Big Burrito or Chester Chicken before heading back to the Epsilon Estate.

But tonight, Hermen and I sat at Speedway, wondered why our socks and jean pockets never get dry, used lots of quarters, were impressed by how many other people eat their hot dogs besides us, and came home with some Burger King (extra zesty sauce, its the best).

I miss Western, Homecoming is next weekend there, I am very excited to be back again. I have made trips there a few times this semester, but I am seriously looking forward to seeing some old friends. I never went back to Homecomings for High School, I guess I am excited to make up for that and keep up with WMU friends. Tonight got me nostalgic, I know the Betas and Gammas from WMU are out at Club Soda, and I really wanted to be there, but I was at Speedway.

Well I need to finish my Burger King. Busy day tomorrow.

My apartment complex and the polar bear.
Colleen has requested I post the picture of the polar bear driving my car. So here it is:

Can you see him? He is doing the gangster lean over the center console.

Well I have received many questions about my apartment complex. It is an exciting place, most of the time. I have some very different characters there, which make it fun. I will start the description right inside my own apartment.

Four Betas live there, Ramon (UoM) and I are both alums, and Hermen and Ramiro attend GVSU. Our landlord is crossed eyed and did a terrible job of painting out apartment. Everything is off a little, and pretty much all the trim has some paint on it. Our kitchen counter tops are orange, and the corners are held together with yellow tape. Very classy. We painted the basement floor purple (we are Betas!) and we tried our best to make the place look presentable. I think we did a good job. And no, do not use the towels in the bathroom, they are for looks only. Towels are in the closet.

Our complex is a bunch of duplexes. The partners in our duplex are girls, five of them. Over the summer we made friend with Joy, Casey and Libby. The other two moved in late and we never see them anyways. Libby drives the Mitsubishi 3000GT, well I wouldn't say she drives it... Really she cleans it, washes it, loves it, and tries to drive it. Her skills with a stick shift are very limited, she is getting much better then before! Joy plays rugby, and I promised I would watch a game. I guess buying from the bake sale was not enough support for the team, I need to sit in the stands and watch a game I don't understand. Casey about drove Parking Lot Performance crazy this summer when Hermen and I racked our brains trying to hook up a cool sound system in a Cavalier. We made that job much harder then it needed to be. These were the neighbors who struggled over the weekend on how and where to hang their rainbow flag. Such a funny site, you had to be there.

What was more comical with the neighbors was when I met Joy's mom. She is a sorority advisor so I met her at an advisor dinner. When I told her I lived next door to her daughter she seemed very surprised and said, "I thought from their description of neighbors they lived next door to girls!" I was not sure if I should be offended, or flattered. Was it my dashing fashion sense with the curtains and matching towels? Hum.

Now the real adventure is with the guys down around the circle drive. These guys can party, the fact that most of them are in the mid 20s, and mostly high school girls hangout there... I won't hold that against them too much. I have never seen such responsible partiers. Seriously. When they party they stand out in the parking lot and make sure people do not take our parking spots. Then they get up at 10-11 AM and hose down the parking lots and clean up all the bottles. How nice is that? Then promptly at noon, once the place is clean, they pull out the ping pong table and start playing Beer Pong. Never too early to drink according to them, my favorite quote I often hear early in the morning, "Wake up and Drink!"

Now across the way... pugs. Yes pugs, and lots of them. You know, those dogs with way too much skin for their little bodies. I want to call it a Pug farm, but that does not sound right. There are about maybe 20-25 pugs over there. They yelp all day, but are normally quite at night which is good. One time the gate broke, and we had pugs all over. It was funny helping Casey chase a bunch of pugs around the complex. Ah good times...

The other best highlight of the new place, we are one block away from Tolman Auto, and Tolman Auto Supply. Oh yeah, very convenient. I got new wipers and turn signals bulbs on Saturday. Took 15 seconds to drive there. Nice, very nice.

End of story. Tonight I am playing catch up. Fun.

Last Tan
It is getting cold in Michigan already. This weekend was a lot of fun, despite the cold, and the sun peaked for a few seconds when needed. Let me recap the weekend.

Friday the dance lessons went great. We had a good turnout, and everyone who came enjoyed themselves and had a good time. Santos as usual did a great job teaching the uncoordinated how to dance, but for some, like Santiago... the cause was lost. Hey Santi, don't try blaming it on the person next to you, that excuse can only get you so far.



Saturday woke up early and cleaned my car. Put my new clear front lenses on the car, and drove to Holland for the SpeedWise grand opening. It was a good time, the Nissan guys from the Forum were late, so I was representing NISMO, or more importantly the SR20 by myself. The rest of the SR20 Forum guys finally showed up though. Let everyone know what a real import can do! Check out the pictures, click on the SpeedWise link from my car page. My NX.

The sun came out a few times during the show. I got some sun, not a lot. Usually at shows I get a little burnt and then it turns into tan. No tan for the white boy this time. I am guessing no more tans for this year. Unless I fake bake...


Then Saturday Night was IFC bid acceptance. The event went off without a hitch, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. They made it more fun then ever and I was glad Hermen, Santi and Colleen saw it as well. I know often times the Betas and Gammas don't know what the "other" groups are doing, they enjoyed it I think. After that the girls next door had a party, we hung out over there, I watched them carefully decide were to rehang their Rainbow flag. Quote of the night, "Don't worry if it is crooked, the flag isn't supposed to be straight." My apartment complex is one fun story after the next.

Sunday was hard work... went with Hermen to help his mom move stuff. I never seen someone have so many heavy items. Beds, dressers, night stands... that couch, or sofa sleeper is a better description, weighed a ton and I think I pulled my leg muscle. It was a good work out, I needed the work out. Then to end that workout I cleaned our bathroom today (we finally started cleaning rotations, I got the bathroom). I did the tub. Four men live here. No one has done it in 2 months. It is clean now. End of story.

Homework time.

Big Weekend
This weekend started bad, but we got some exciting things planned for the rest of it. Hermen and I woke up late, we went to Kalamazoo for Latin Night at Club Coda with Ramiro and Ramon. It was fun, but we lost some valuable sleep hours.

Hermen knocked on my door and woke me up, yelling, "hey how we getting to campus?" I had not thought about this before going to bed. So we asked the neighbors. Joy, Casey and Libby were up and we chatted with them. Libby ended up taking Hermen to campus, and me to the shop to pick up my car. Thanks Libby!

Then it was off to CompuCraft for me, but I stopped to get some good Mexican food on the way. I was deprived of my usually Taco Bell craving at 2 am on the way home, so I replaced it with some real Mexican food from Tacos Ganaderos near downtown GR. It was good. Now my office smells like carne asada.... yum.

This weekend, well we got a lot planned. Tonight we (the Betas) are hosting dance lessons on campus. This should be fun, always way more girls show up then guys. Santos, a Beta from EMU, is doing the lessons. He is really good, salsa, merengue, cumbia... everything. Afterwards we will maybe take him to our favorite local bar, BFE.

Tomorrow morning we have to swing over to the grand opening of SpeedWise Motorsports. It is the shop I am going to, they are kicking off the new show room and having a little show. Some area Nissan guys are coming and we will relax and talk cars. Then I have to work at GVSU, the Interfraternity Council has their bid acceptance event. I am going to be there, making sure nothing goes horribly wrong, and I am sure nothing will. They did a great job with recruitment.

Then Sunday, I think Hermen and I are helping his mom move some furniture, and then heading over to the Delta Zeta chapter retreat. I might not end up making it to the Delta Zeta thing, we will see. They invited us because we are paired with them for Homecoming.

Back to work I go, yeah!

Four Betas, two cars and 3.5 licenses
Well juggling rides to campus, to work and to Tolman Auto (the repair place by our house) has been fun. There are four Betas in our apartment, right now we only have two cars (mine is in the shop again... and Hermen's). The other part of the equation is that Ramiro is on a restricted license and can only drive between certain times.

So what adventures are we up to? Tuesday night we got left on campus with three Brothers and only my car (which is now just a two seater). So guess who rode in the trunk? No not Hermen (he would not fit I think), Ramiro of course! So when we pulled into Burger King, our usually stopping place on the way home, the girl at the window commented on how cute he was all in the back of the car crunched up. Ah.... felt like I was in high school cramming all kinda of people into my little Honda CRX, the good ol' days.

This morning Becky did me the favor of letting Hermen and I use her car to drop my car off to get the windshield replaced. It was fun having breakfast (really it was just coffee for me) with Becky and Hermen. Hermen made fun of my Novalí mug (has her picture on it), Becky worried if the mug we gave her was clean (I am 90% sure it was clean), and I used the last drop of the flavored creamer. Why do Betas have flavored creamer you might ask... don't ask cause I do not know.

So if you see one of us on campus, offer us a ride or something. For rides home we will offer our repair services for your car. Whether it is missing a rear view mirror or just needs to get cleaned. We appreciate the help.

Also, for the record, assuming nothing else goes wrong with project NX... she will be done in three weeks! Keep your jokes to yourself.

New Phone!
For those that mocked me over my old school looking phone... I finally got a new one, and no I did not get the Kyocera 7135 I have been dreaming about for the last year. I want the Kyocera 7135. It is a phone, MP3 player, and Palm Pilot all in one! Does it get any better? I highly doubt it. So what is the catch?

The phone costs five hundred dollars. I do not have five hundred dollars to spend on a fancy phone. I wish I had that money to spend on a phone. Generally I would of been impulsive and just gotten the phone (I was on the Verizon website and was one click away from buying it!). Then I sat back, thought about it, and for once made the good financial decision to not get the phone. Yes, I am sad.

So now I need everyone to help cheer me up. Since I did not get the fancy phone that integrates my Palm Pilot and transfers my phone numbers... I need to manually enter all those numbers into my phone. That sucks. I started doing it last night, took me forever to get just 40 names in there. I have a ton more to go. So here is where you can help me, call me! This way I can just save your number in my phone. My number is the same, so just call me. Text me to so I can save you in my text area as well.

Thanks!

You learn new stuff everyday
This weekend I learned a lot of new things. I thought that the things I learned are so important I would share them with you so you can learn from my life as well. Here goes:

1. Novalí is not only the smartest little girl, but the funniest as well.

2. When trying to pry an intake manifold off a truck, use a pry bar. A screw driver will break.

3. In the instance that you have a TV too big to fit on the entertainment center, you can try putting the entertainment center on top of the TV (Thanks for the entertainment center Santi, it looks great!).

4. Always take your keys. How many times have I left the house without my keys, thinking Hermen has his... I was wrong again.

5. If you run out of clean underwear, swim trunks are an excellent substitute.

6. No matter how many times I have seen Chris Rock's "Bigger and Blacker", I laugh every time. Livin' la Vida Loca!

7. You should never, under any circumstances, pimp out a Geo or an old Saturn. It is just wrong on so many levels.

8. Read the directions on taking off your distributor cap before you take it off. This will save you time throwing tools on the ground, getting mad, and then having to take the car (or a Blue Truck) back to the shop. So much for saving money doing it yourself.

9. Never try to save money on your car by putting in cheap parts. You will end up just having to replace those cheap parts with good ones (my KYB AGXs and HyperCoils came in this weekend!). I am tired of having to go over bumps at 2 miles an hour.

10. Talking is over rated. When you are good friends with someone, and something comes between you, don't try and just talk about it. Send each other emails, written communication often works so much better to get your point across (plus they (or I) can't interrupt you in the middle of a sentence).

11. You are never too young to feel old.

12. No matter how many quarters you put in the dryer, the pockets of your jeans will still be damp.

13. After you put chilly, mustard, ketchup, onions, and cheese on a hot dog from Speedway, it actually tastes pretty good.



I had a great weekend. Friday just chilled at the house, got work done and watched movies with Hermen and Becky. Got sleep early cause Saturday I knew would be long.

Saturday got up early and went to see Novalí. I have not been able to get away for an entire weekend, so going more often but for just one day is working out well. We played all morning with the set of blocks I got her. She learned all the animals on the blocks, and some of the numbers as well. I know she is only 2 and half, but it is never too soon to start teaching her how to read. I mean she is the smartest girl in the world. She liked building stuff with the blocks more then me trying to sit her down and teach her the letters on the blocks.

Sunday slept in a little, helped Hermen with the truck, did some homework, and most importantly got my laundry done. In the middle of the day, locked myself out of the apartment, had to run to Holland to get keys from Ramiro, and just happened to run into a cool car show at AutoZone.


Got to run... homework is calling my name.