Gainesville, FEST weekend 2009. American Spirit in the front, Austin in the back. Playing Yatzee, it was my first time.

Saw this last night. It was incredibly well done, very mature, capturing. I cried from beginning to end. Definitely in my top five. As painful as it was to watch the characters struggle with their personality disorders, it was truly beautiful and touching. Wow.

A scan of some things that are relative to me presently. Front and center: my newly arrived visa for India. Woo. Clockwise from there, labor hour tally, earrings, travel book, pocket purse (thanks MV), the best smelling soap (ever. thanks again), photobooth shots, beads.

I’m kind of obsessed with Abita. I ordered turbodog for the Jones, which is dark and full and delicious. Then I tried this pecan harvest at Alcove and wow, just perfect. A really nice balance between sweet and nutty and sort of exactly the kind of beer I enjoy most. After such success with the brand, I ordered the amber lager to have something new in stock at work. I was amazed at the smoothness it delivers - it tastes so pure, so delicate. Plus, there’s nothing like drinking a beer that satisfies your taste-buds and your esthetic pleasure. Design wise, my favorite is the pecan label. I love it so much I declined to drink it out of a glass, and peeled the label off and took it home with me.

My architecturally gifted sister and mother joined forces and entered the annual DawnTown competition. This year, the topic was to design “a new station for Metromover, Downtown Miami’s elevated public transportation system.” This is image two of their final board submission.

The ground floor contains a skate park and smoothie shop. The second floor houses a restaurant, coffee shop, kiosks and allows for visual enjoyment of the Biscayne Bay and Bicentennial Park through various viewing lawns. The steel and glass roof allow for the passing of light, without obtrusive direct rays.

The design is a representation of the modern and dynamic energy Miami is known for without sacrificing the quintessential naturalness the city has to offer: flowing curves reminiscent of the nearby water. Within minutes, I noticed the design resembled the anatomy of a fish - the obvious exterior by form, as well as the more subtle interior, which remind me of the thin bones in a fish’s framework. It is almost as if the fish is jumping out of Biscayne Bay and into the city and has become an architectural conflation between land and sea. I could definitely picture this design as both a practical and esthetic addition to the site. Much luck to Olivia and Kamala, you two never cease to impress me.

Draft 1.0 of my sketch for a prospective itinerary through India. Thought it might be apropriate to start planning considering I already bought my ticket and I just got this e-mail:

Dear Camila Ramos,
Travisa Outsourcing has received your passport back from the Indian Embassy/Consulate. We have verified your visa has been processed correctly. You applied for a Tourist Visa. Requested duration of visa is 1 Year Multiple Entry.
Your passport is being sent back to you via the following method:
USPS First-Class Mail
Please contact us if you have any problems or concerns about your visa. We appreciate your business, and hope you found the process easy and efficient.
Sincerely,
Travisa Outsourcing

For fuck’s sake.

Eating local in Gainesville, part deux. Click for the set, but warning, the photos are quite graphic. It is the documentation of the gutting of Cody and Veronica’s second pig. That evening we had some chicharrones, heart, and liver. We also fried some sweet potato fries in the remaining lard. Everything was delicious, but I really didn’t get to try any meat. Tonight I am cooking for Robin and I, and I am excited about finally trying some of this fresh meat. Along with this local Jones-fed pork, we will be having broiled calabaza pumpkin from Jeanne’s (Cody’s mom) garden, drizzled with honey from the bees in Cody and Veronica’s backyard. On the side, I was planning on sautéing organic greens from their organic garden. I went to their house yesterday and basically did groceries from their garden/backyard/freezer, it was awesome. They are awesome.

GPOYW: pseudo-booth, when the photobooth is broken. With Giuseppe and Dave.