Archive for August, 2010
whats in a name? (part 2)
August 30, 2010
Yesterday I made my way over to the DMV to get a new driver’s license. Whether you are aware or not, I when I was born, my parents gave me a first, middle and last name. Those are the names I was known by for 25 years. I was fond of my name, and each of them had a purpose. You see, my middle name was my mom’s maiden name. My last name, of course, was my father’s last name. When I got married, I simply couldn’t choose between my names. Dropping my dad’s last name all together and keeping my mom’s maiden name as my only middle name seemed to not make any sense. How could I choose between the 2 families?
Well, I couldn’t choose, I decided to keep it all and just add my married name. This has never been a problem in the past. Whenever needed, I simply explain that I now have 2 middle names and I’m allowed to go on my merry way. Even the federal government didn’t seem to mind and allowed me to have all 4 of my names on my social security card.
Unfortunately, this weekend I did come across a problem. According to the DMV, I do not have 2 middle names. According to them, I have 2 last names… and to make it even worse, they hyphenated my last name! I tried arguing with the worker, telling him my last name was, in fact, only MERINO NOT MARTINS-MERINO. But he didn’t care. He said I wasn’t allowed to have 2 middle names, that he couldn’t put a space between my last names and that the only option was to hyphenate.
Uhhhhh, excuse me? Who does the state of Nevada think he/she is? Why am I not allowed to choose my own name? This is absurd. Luis’ solution to this problem is to have my name legally changed and drop my mom’s maiden name. I don’t agree. I think I need to change whatever administrative rule does not allow me to have 2 middle names.
date night
August 28, 2010
Following the counsel of our bishop, Luis and I have been trying to be consistent about doing more than just going to Chili’s and coming home to watch TV. But after trying to get some yard work done last week in 105 degree weather and feeling like I was going to either VOMIT, FAINT or DIE, I really didn’t think we would end up venturing outside of our cool house EVER AGAIN! (Ok, so I’m being a tad dramatic… but I really wasn’t feeling very good).
But by 7:30 p.m., having spent most of the day in my bed, Luis asked if I wanted to go take a dip in the pool before going out to get something to eat. I was game. So off to the pool we went. We enjoyed the next couple of hours cooling off and visiting in the pool with our neighbors/friends, the Bindrups. Eventually, the topic of conversation got to foods… more specifically frozen yogurt and good places to eat it. By then my mouth was salivating, so off we went to Yogurtland.
Mike kind enough to patiently wait for Luis to finish trying the flavors so he could get down to the tart yogurt he apparently always gets.
And after all of his taste testing, Luis ended up getting chocolate fro-yo with bananas, oreos and mini peanut butter cups
I got taro (I know, sounds nasty, but it was surprisingly delicious), peach, lemonade-passion fruit, and blueberry fro-yo with strawberries, mangoes, and white chocolate drizzled on top
Mike got the same thing he always gets: tart fro-yo with strawberries, coconut, and almonds (I think)
Suzy was more like me, choosing several different flavors and toppings including kiwi, white chocolate chips and mango
Looking through these pictures makes me want to run out and get some more right now!
the county fair
August 27, 2010
Tonight was our ward’s county fair. And let me just say this, we have some serious party planners in this ward. Attention was paid to every detail, from having adorable mini chalk boards identifying the lemonade and lemon water, to the different activity stations. There was something for everyone to participate in.
Everyone was given an opportunity to bring something. The sign ups went around for pasta salad, potato salad, watermelon, corn bread, and, of course, chili.
I signed up to be part of the chili cook-off. I was a little worried because my chili ended up being a bit on the spicy side. Fortunately, I wasn’t disqualified for this minor mishap, and although I didn’t win the blue ribbon, I did come away with a red “winner” ribbon (the same one all other 10 participants received).
In addition to the yummy food the members brought, there were also nachos, corn dogs, caramel apples, cotton candy, and snow cones in a cup.
The activities included a game room (I’m not exactly sure what was in there), face painting, a 4-way tug-o-war (Luis’ team won all but 1 of the games), t-shirt tie dying, and donut on a string featuring Krispy Kreme donuts and a poster made by Luis’ own two hands.
If you hadn’t guessed already, we had a really great time.
featured
August 26, 2010
Confession #8
August 25, 2010
My name is Luis Merino, and I have recently become captivated by (and possibly obsessed with) the 80′s Canadian ‘masterpiece’ known as Degrassi Junior High.
Natalia: Now, when Luis says he is “quite possibly obsessed,” what he actually means is he will soon be attending a 12-step program to overcome his addiction to the awful acting and cheesy plots that Degrassi Jr. High is known for.
Degrassi Junior High (DJH) was a Canadian television series that starred normal-looking and age-appropriate kids to tackle “real” and “serious,” issues that teens at the time seemed to be dealing with. Every episode was one of those Very Special Episodes like unto the sitcoms of the 90′s. Here are some of the Very Special issues the students of DJH have had to face:
- Being physically abused by a parent
- Coming to terms with being adopted
- Teen pregnancy
- School politics
- Teen drinking
- Dealing with bullies
- Depression
- Substitute teachers who are “too friendly”
- Ya know, everything that a normal, real kid has to go through (pfffft..)
Most of the reason I dig DJH is because the (very large) cast is made up of quite plain and even ugly looking 12-14 year-old kids with little-to-no acting experience, which makes for a delicious CHEESE-fest of a show. The clothes, the hair, the dead-pan delivery, and the stiff acting chops all add to the magic that is DJH.
Natalia: Unlike Luis, I personally may not know all 532 members of the cast individually by name (I only know there is a girl named Miriam McDonald in one of the Degrassi series). In fact, to me it seems they keep adding more and more members to the cast every time I see an episode. But for some reason, Luis really likes this about the show.
I have just finished the third (and final) season of DJH, and am ready to move on to Degrassi High, its sequel series. It is interesting that along the way I found myself caring about these characters. I do admit that their portrayal of school life (however cheesy) is more accurate than many similar shows.
These two series are predecessors to the currently airing Degrassi: The Next Generation (which, yes, I have and do watch). Don’t act surprised! This is the same guy who admitted to liking The Sound of Music, and watching soaps!
Natalia: And in spite of his quirky likes of tv shows, I still love him more than life itself.
Scott Pilgrim is my hero
August 24, 2010
A few Fridays ago, a little movie called Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was released to theaters. Before that particular Friday, I had heard little-to-nothing about the film, but had heard a few things about the graphic novel series upon which it was based in this article, which documents 25 of its biggest video game references (a very informative read by-the-way).
I read through the article but knew nothing of what the books were about. Then the movie comes out, and there are some raves about it on Facebook, so I decide to take a look at the trailer:
Instantly, I connect the article with the movie and think to myself… I HAVE to watch this movie! So, what do I do? That same Friday in which it was released, I look up the soonest showtime, and decide to go watch the movie by myself. And I tell you, there’s nothing like a morning movie to put some pep in your step!
Here’s an avatar I made using the Scott Pilgrim Avatar Creator:
Anyhow, the movie is absolute brilliance! The sounds! The colors! The effects! The characters! The fighting sequences! The music! It just all came together in this masterful fusion that is original, unique, and supremely entertaining. (Now you probably think I’m overselling it) …maybe I am. But I DID love this movie. What did you think?
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