nova, pilar and cindigo new years 2007
Originally uploaded by cindigodotcom.

I’m in San Diego with my mom. We drove here early to look for a place for her for the winter. It was basically the plan all along, but we did it a little sooner. She found a really cute house in an area that she’s familiar with.

It sounds perfect. This guy made and furnished it for his mom who’s in Phoenix. She’s having trouble selling her house and for sure won’t be here the next three months my mom will be staying. It’s fully furnished and even a little less than she estimated for rent.

The picture above is from New Years 2007. It’s 80’s party time again. The paint is drying on my Rubick’s Cube head costume right now. I can’t say for sure how it’s turning out. This is the third year in a row I’ve spent with *(name with held by request). It’s becoming a tradition.

In some last good news, I think we’re coming to San Diego to stay for a while. If we have to be in Vegas for “work” (work meaning super secret gambling projects that Andy is working on), then we can go back for a few weeks at a time. San Diego (and *(name with held by request)) is saving my life.

*edit: in future posts, this annonomous person that does not want to be crawled on by internet spiders will be refered to as “N to the B”, unless “this person” wants another title. If so, “this person” can contact me on the phone, downstairs or in the car about it.

I feel like I should update because I might loose all the hilarity that ensued this week. Or I might loose all the drama, pain and irritation that I will spin into hilarity to make it easier to take.

The highlight of this week came last night as my mom drove back from dinner and a movie with us to the Golden Nugget at eleven thirty pm to find that her reservation had expired and they had her room booked for someone else. So sorry lady “Scram!”. She drove across town, back to us and spent the night in the RV bunk on top of the driver and passenger seats. She was mad and flustered and didn’t want to deal with checking into another hotel. I wish I had taken video of me trying to push her up into the “loft”. Comedy gold.

It’s a good thing we weren’t smoking weed, eating Cheetos, watching season five of Family Guy and planning a night of sexy time because having your mom basically in the room with you would really put a damper on things.

I have taken to calling Andy (he suggested it) “Your tallness”. As in, “would you like something to drink your tallness?”

While we were driving this morning, his tallness pressed the eject button on the cd player in the Cadillac. There was nothing in it. He said, “look, this car even has a sobriety tester”. The LED read “not loaded”.

*insert rim shot here*

I feel a little weird now that we’re logged in the Matrix. Not only logged, but logged as Republican. We got and sent the proper documents from the post office this morning. I usually try to stay as far away from the Matrix as possible. It has not been good to me in the past.

Speaking of the Matrix, my mom is flying in to Vegas tomorrow. I must be ready with the bingo schedules.

I don’t think that in all of the years I’ve had this blog I’ve written one political thing. I’m 36 years old and have never voted. The candidates (both sides), the debates and the coverage have always disgusted me.

Monday I’m registering as a Republican and voting for Ron Paul.

If you think I’m not a complete nutball and are wondering why after 36 years I would change my mind, you should check him out for yourself.

THNK POS
Originally uploaded by cindigodotcom.

We’re back in Vegas. I’m laying in the puffy RV bed waiting for the heater to heat. The Cadillac as you can see is in desperate need of a car wash but otherwise made it through the trip with flying colors.

Vlad and Andy have been plotting, planning and scheming all things gambling and I am ready to get back to the gym.

All is right in the world.

New Years is coming up. Usually I think long and hard about my resolution and make it a year long intention rather than a strict “lose ten pounds” or “stop being irritated when people crowd you in lines”. For the past four years or so these directions have just come up naturally. This year, not so much. I hope this means I have reached Nirvana and no longer need to strive in these earthly matters.

Any suggestions? Or, what are your potential resolutions if any?

Vladimir
Originally uploaded by cindigodotcom.

Denver.

*edit*

Denver!

*Please disregard this personal message. Or, don’t if you want to come to Lebowski Fest.

Portia,

I can’t find your email address.

Lebowski fest….in Chicago.

The road has been cleared and we’ll be on our way in an hour or so. Yesterday we figured out how to upload video from the phone. Not great quality but I think a good trade off for the ability to always have a tiny video camera with me. Here’s a boring test video of the drive from Farmington to Pagosa Springs before the rain really turned to snow.

*edit:

The first video sucked so here’s a link to a better quality video. Be forewarned, it’s not very interesting. Just mountain scenery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go8g_R6JxqI

and if you really want to see the bad quality one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAuOEKPxTXg

humpa_phonecam_4741.jpg
Originally uploaded by cindigodotcom.

We’ve made it down the mountain. Twenty minutes away from where I took this picture there was no sign of snow anywhere.

I’m glad we got snowed in. We’re staying here for the night. The road is open so we can leave for Denver in the morning.

We are stuck in Pagosa Springs, CO. We left Farmington, NM this morning and ran into weather in the mountains. An avalanche closed the road that we need so we’re hanging out in a coffee house waiting to see if we’re going to rent a mountain cabin for the night or be able to push on through to Denver.

humpa_phonecam_4288.jpg
Originally uploaded by cindigodotcom.

Last night we went out with fellow Couchsurfer Lynn, her partner Katie and Lynn’s two grandkids to The River of Lights in the Albuquerque Botanical Gardens. It was a cool thing that we probably wouldn’t have done on our own.

We’re in the car on our way to Farmington New Mexico to see our friends Portia and Joe. Andy and I went to high school with Portia. It was a nice time in Albuquerque we mostly slept which was desperately needed.

humpa_phonecam_5555.jpg
Originally uploaded by cindigodotcom.

I just wish my phone cam was good enough to take a picture of this when it was lit up in the dark.

Happy Birthday Jesus,

With love from Albuquerque.

Cindy and Andy

We’re on the road to Albuquerque. We just at breakfast at the one of the only towns in between Amarillo and Albuquerque. Last night we stayed with Steve. We were his first couchsurfers and we had a blast. We brought over a case of Shiner Bock and the guys drank it sitting on the floor and the couch next to the Christmas tree in the living room. I had a little but, as we all know, I’m partial to mojitos and Amarillo (Canyon) Texas isn’t really a mojito kind of town (did that sound snobby?). After that we went out to Canyon’s only sports bar to have dinner and more Shiner Bocks. Texas is fried catfish territory and I was happy. Corn breaded, fried catfish is one of my favorite fishes.

I’ve been coming to terms for the last five or so years of my life that I might be a hippy, not a dirty, pacholi wearing hippy, but a hippy just the same. If there is such a thing as an urban hippie, punk rock hippie or some other such thing, I think I wouldn’t mind accepting the description. Now, since driving through the southern US I am thinking that I might be a southern punk rock hippie. I only have to talk to someone with a southern drawl for a few minutes when my voice just falls into drawling seemingly all by itself. Why not? It’s much easier on your face and it sounds friendly and, I think, a little hypnotizing. Who doesn’t want the power to hypnotize.

We watched The Patriot Baltimore football game and were the last three at closing standing around the bar and television set with the rest of the employees yelling and groaning at the screen. I’m not a big fan of football, but this game was pretty exciting and even I was cheering and jumping. The undefeated Patriots were almost defeated. We were rooting for defeat.

Steve invited us back any time and epically to go bass fishing. He doesn’t know it, but I’m already planing a trip in my head to come back and do it. I’ve written about it before but the short form is, my brand of vegetarianism is that I won’t eat an animal that I wouldn’t kill myself. For me, this excludes everybody but fish and insects. I haven’t eaten any insects yet because, well, you know, insects. I would, but I don’t want to be that crazy lady eating crickets. I would kill a fish, but I haven’t had an opportunity to do so. There are not many places to fish in Las Vegas. As of right now in theory my morals are sound. But in actuality, I’m a hypocrite until I get all Ted Nugent on the fishes.

*edit: You wouldn’t know it by me typing and all but, we made it to Albuquerque and I am sleeping right now.

I’m coming up with a “this is so crazy it just might work” plan in my head. It involves a BMW touring motorcycle and a trailer.

We’ve stopped for the night in Amarillo at Steve’s house. We were in Norman Oklahoma last night but didn’t have internet. A call to tech support tonight took care of the problem. We had a really fun time with Ana in Norman. No funny stories or hilarity but great Thai food and an evening of mojitos in the living room talking and laughing. I’m just giving in to my alcoholic tendencies this month.

I’ll leave you with a funny exchange from this afternoon before I sink down into this couch and let Who Wants to be a Millionaire wash over me:

Andy (after lunch): I’m stuffed.
Cindy: Want me to drive?
Andy: I said I was stuffed, not suicidal.

We’re leaving Little Rock today. Who knew that Little Rock was so awesome. We had a great time here with Ivy and Chris. I can’t even tell you which highlight of the trip was the best. We got in a day early and Andy hung out and recharged with pizza and tv while I went out to a art opening and then toVino’s to eat pizza and drink a beer with our hosts/new friends.

Yesterday we went on a short but kind of hard hike at Mt. Pinnacle. It was tough but worth it once we got to the top and looked down at the lake, forest and circling birds below us that floated around effortlessly in lazy spirals.

Later that night we watched 9 to 5 a classic that Ivy and Chris hadn’t seen and I made mojitos for them since they’ve never had them before. I make a pretty good mojito now. I’ve learned alot since the “simple syrup disaster” when I started.

Now our generous host Ivy made me a cheese and mushroom omelet, Andy is in the shower and we should be leaving for Oklahoma in an hour or so. This leg of the trip is a little more traveling that I would like but there was no avoiding going over the three hour on the road limit. It’s five hours to OK but it’s been decided that we’re stopping at three o’clock to watch the Broncos play somewhere.