Rambo Rampage

With "Rambo" coming out, I decided to check out the first Rambo's as I had never seen them. To say the least, I was in for a pleasant surprise. I do not know why I had never seen these or why they are rarely on TV, but they are well worth the infamy and hype surrounding the movies.

The series starts with "First Blood" (1982) (one of the reasons I had trouble finding this movie was that it is not actually called "Rambo" as I had thought). "First Blood" is a romp, but drastically different than what I had imagined.

Ex-green beret and Vietnam war hero John Rambo returns home to find that there is a small war in his own country with those dissenting about the U.S. involvement in the war. He is arrested on bogus reasons and beaten severely. He breaks free and escapes to the wilderness. He sets up jungle traps to take down the police. He quickly seeks his revenge by destroying the entire town with a side strapped M60.

It really was amazing and actually a pretty good action flick. Not a lot of back drop to Rambo's character and the series does little to develop him other than a semi-compassionate raging animal. There is also little explanation of what happens to Rambo between the movies.

Next, comes "First Blood II: Rambo" (1985). By now, the world is well aware of Rambo and everyone tunes in for this sequel. He is removed from prison on orders of a general who wants him to rescue American POW's in Vietnam.

This movie is more along the lines of what I thought Rambo was all about. A wild man in the jungle with a huge knife and awesome explosives. I was not disappointed. The action rages as he manages to hi-jack a helicopter to save his fellow countrymen from the Vietcong.

The ending to the initial trilogy was appropriately titled "Rambo III" (1988). This time around Rambo must rescue his general and friend from the Russians occupying Afghanistan. This movie has terrific action and Guinness Book of World Records labels it as the most violent movie ever made. It was awesome and the hanging of the Russian and then blowing him up with grenades was incredible.

All of these movies were made before I was born, so I missed out on the Rambo craze. But I tell you, that craze is back. The most recent "Rambo" is as extraordinary as the previous three. The action is terrific and the violence is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen.

Rambo mows down the entire Burmese army with a gun turret and the bodies just explode. It was extremely graphic and gory.

Rambo must rescue a group of missionaries from the Burmese army. He handily destroys anyone in a 50 mile radius. The action is great and even more violent than it's counterparts because of the improvement of special effects.

Certain trends were lacking, however, in "Rambo." He did have his bow, but he had no explosive arrows. His knife was machete forged of steel rather than the large hunting knife in the first three (that noticeably got bigger with each movie). He also did not run around with his shirt off. I guess that is because Stallone is 62 and not as ripped as he used to be. There were no scenes with him holstering a meant-to-be stationary gun.

Something strange to note about the Rambo series is his obsession of hammering. In each movie, he is hammering on something. Peculiar.

In this most recent Rambo, Stone proves he is a battle axe and he gets better with time. Though his movement and stunts is supremely limited in this one, he is still a huge bamf. He kills everything in site. Pretty stunning actually. The drama in this one is probably better than all but the first one.

To sum it up, Rambo is one of the greatest action series ever. The great thing about Stallone in these, is that he does not use the stupid Schwarzenegger quips and puns. It is just straight up murderous action. You have to love it. If anyone has not seen any of these movies, then get up and go see them. It will be awesome.

Oscalujah

Kinda getting a late run at this, but I've been supremely busy.

Oscar noms came out last weekend and there were some screw-overs and some unexpected nominations.

The first thing I noticed was the ridiculous amount of nominations for "Juno" (Actress: Ellen Page, Director: Jason Reitman, Best Picture, and Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody). This really makes me angry. Unfortunately, it will probably win best screenplay (I think the director made the movie work, not the screenplay, so I would not be too upset if Reitman wins, but he won't). But come on. Best Picture? Really? This is totally ridiculous. Did they see the same movie I did? Because I have already expressed my hatred for this movie for ruining the indie genre, I will just leave it at that.

Back to my world. A huge surprise to me is this hype on "Michael Clayton" (which was recently re-released in theaters, so maybe I will get a chance to see it). Clayton picked up seven noms right behind "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood." (Nominations for actor and supporting actor, supporting actress, direction, original score, best picture and original screenplay). I really can't wait to see this one. Very confusing to see this get so many because when it came out, it got mixed reviews.

Another out of nowhere nomination is Tommy Lee Jones for best actor not for No Country, but rather for "In the Valley of Elah." Another movie we did not hear much about. "The Savages" seem to come out of nowhere as well (I guess because it wasn't released anywhere near me). Laura Linney gets her third Oscar nom in 7 years, which is pretty impressive (maybe she will win this one). Savages also picks up original screenplay (pray it beats out Juno).

I was glad to see 'The Bourne Ultimatum" get a few nominations even if its for the really technical stuff (which is very important for a film's success). Matt Damon's third installment picks up sound editing, sound mixing and film editing. Usually a movie that gets nominated for both mixing and editing will one of the two.

I was pretty disappointed "The Kite Runner" did not get more nominations. It was nominated for original score which was beautiful. I thought it should have gotten a shot at best foreign language film or best adapted screenplay. It really was a delight.

Another screw-over is leaving Eddie Vedder out of the list for best original song for his song "Guaranteed" in "Into the Wild." That's alright though.

"Lars and the Real Girl" and "Ratatouille" somehow get best original screenplays (may show how far movies have sunk).

By far the biggest letdown in all of the Academy Award nominations was the complete snub of "American Gangster." I thought this was a sure lock for best picture when it came out, but no, we have to have Juno. I thought Russell Crowe would have been perfect with a supporting actor nod. Aside from a couple nominations, it is almost as if the movie never existed. I think the movie came out too early and it lost its hype and was forgotten in the season (though that did not seem to hurt Clayton which came out a month earlier).

Family Manner

Because I now have a family following, I thought I would post about this past weekend.

Saturday we had Grammy's 75th Surprise Elvis Birthday Extravaganza Party Surprise Thingy. To say the least, it was a very impressive party. The collaborative effort my mom and her sisters had was extraordinary. They had this thing planned down to a T. It was very awesome!

They had to organize catering, location rental, food, drinks, decorations, invites and also put up with old codgers. It was definitely an incredible undertaking and it was well worth it for the look on Grammy's face. She was thoroughly surprised and enthralled with the party.

Ha, and the party featured an Elvis impersonator, who was straight up awesome. I think Grammy really enjoyed that and seeing all the people that showed up. It truly was a great celebration for a much-loved mother, grandmother and friend.

We all have wonderful memories with Grammy over the years and there are many more to come. As kids, Ethan and I loved spending time out at Grammy's as we went on adventures and ate all of her food. That truly was a childhood joy.

Congrats on hitting the milestone Grams (I know you are gonna go at least another 75 because you just hit your midlife crisis)!

This weekend saw another big event in the fam. The Williams moved on to the brighter side in Albuquerque. We have shared many special times as a big family and that will continue as the years grow, but there is a pain in the side when some of us move away.

There will be that feeling that they are no longer across the street when we need to borrow milk or just hang out and talk. But the Williams have found a new home that they need to make their own. Plus, it is really not that bad. They will still be around for all the good times and holiday get-togethers.

I really think this could be a great opportunity for the whole family to thrive. Because it is a large Spanish community, I strongly urge the girls to learn Spanish and be able to fluently communicate to a growing number of people in the United States. If you are fluent, the job opportunities triple. And cultural awareness can help change the world and bring unity.

This really could be a great opportunity and I strongly urge the family to make the best out of it. You will find that if you accept the changes and immerse yourself in a new society, the rewards will be great. The benefits of your new experiences will outweigh the costs of moving away from the family.

To Grammy and to the Williams, who will be greatly missed. May you find all that life has to give.

Evolution of a Fight Scene

The other night, I went over to the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts to see Tony Woolf speak about his use of fight styles in film, theater and the opera. I had never been to this place, but it has a nice, cozy theater complete with a pet bat named "Kirby" that flies around as it pleases.

Anyway, on to Tony Woolf, the reason for the show. He gave his life story about his travels all around the world beginning with his childhood in New Zealand. He got his start as a stuntman and professional wrestler.

He said his most dangerous stunt involved jumping from six stories into an indoor Olympic swimming pool. The guy that was supposed to break the surface tension by turning on the bubble machine did not realize you had to hold down the button. So, Tony saw the bubbles and jumped down, but by the time he reached the water, the water had settled and he smashed into it at free fall. The next day, he had bruises all over his body. Sounds really painful!

Tony has worked all over the world choreographing fight scenes for theater and film. His most notable work in America was working with Peter Jackson on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. From the way Tony described it, the trilogy was the most exhausting thing he had ever done.

His main duty for the movies was to create cultural fighting styles for each of the different creatures. He had to create unique styles for the elves, orcs, hobbits, wizards, etc. He had to figure out how each character moved and walked. Then, he had to train the actors.

Tony's unique approach to choreographing fight scenes involves directing the movement first as opposed to the actual combat. He wants to make sure that his actors have the movement down before incorporating the actual fighting. The man is very smart and definitely knows what he is doing.

He was done work on almost every continent as he spends time traveling and conducting workshops to teach his fight styles. He also continues to work with film and theater. Tony claims that theater is his favorite, especially Shakespeare.

From what I can tell, his job is pretty sweet. He said he spent a period of time in Japan where he worked one day a week choreographing a 37 second fight scene, and the rest of the time he explored Japan. Sounds awesome!

Tony is at Oklahoma State teaching some students his styles and collaborating on a book about his approach. He was a great speaker and with so many questions, the presentation dragged on for over 2 hours.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

So I went to Ryan Adams and the Cardinals concert the other night and it was pretty good. I love Ryan Adams, but I have a few problems with the Cardinals.

Before the start of the show, Adams was out there playing acoustic songs claiming to be someone else. He wore glasses to "disguise" his identity. Technically, Ryan Adams opened for Ryan Adams and the Cardinals. Pretty good stuff.

The show started heavy with some thick riffs to drown out the country slide guitar the Cardinals use. The second song they played was amazing (though I can't seem to find that song now). They played all of the greats including "When the Stars Go Blue", "Rescue Blues" and "Sweet Carolina."

The long set got rather repetitive with the annoying country slide predominantly featured throughout most of the songs. They played many from the latest album, "Easy Tiger", including "Goodnight Rose", "Two", and an alternate version of "Halloweenhead."

They left after about an hour and a half, but came back for an encore after about 5 minutes. The encore was the longest I've ever seen as it drove on for more than an hour. The encore was good, but they did not play his best songs. I typically think of encores that include the best work. I was slightly annoyed with a few of the songs.

Also, amazing how Adams managed to smoke like eight packs of cigs. He even smoke and sang at the same time (also had a cig in hand while strumming). I was kind of upset he did not play more harmonica. He only featured it on two songs and with that he did not use it much. I love his harmonica work especially on "Heartbreaker."

I will say one thing about the show, and that is that the songs sounded even better than their counterpart on the albums. I think that because Adams tries his best to make the most music he possibly can, some of his music is not as good as it could be. By the time the touring comes around and he and his band are clicking, the music actually takes form. Some of the songs mature to a state much above that which are seen on the album. For the most part, it really does sound better than his albums.

I do have one major complaint about the show, which was at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, and that was the crappy crowd. They were terrible! First of all, there were chairs set up in the space, which sucked majorly. Next, I looked around and realized the crowd consisted of a lot of older people (I guess that could be attributed to Adams' music as being accepted by a large variety of people). The worst part was the chit-chat going on during the concert.

Yes, people were chatting about unrelated events while Ryan Adams was performing!

I could not believe it. It was like we were at a bar, and there happened to be a crappy bar band playing. People all over the place were talking and laughing and hardly paying attention to the show that they dropped 40 bucks on. Ridiculous! I have never been to a concert where people sat around and talked and ruined the show for others.

I was peeved, but I tried to not let it ruin the show. This was my first time at Cain's, so it did tarnish my view on the place. Ryan Adams "fans" need to get with it and stop talking and start listening. Then, there were the country fans that danced. I think they were there solely to make me mad.

Ok concert, but not worth the $40 ticket, $20 T-shirt and hour and a half drive.

Writers Screw over Golden Globes

Instead of crying like a little child, I decided to crawl on here and take time out of my busy schedule to chat about this past weekend's Golden Globes. I, unlike the Writers Guild of America, found time and for no money jumped on here to simply write.

Because the writers are such cry babies about being paid 2.5 million instead of 2.4 million, the Golden Globes were cancelled. Writers and actors joined in boycotting the event, so they just cancelled it and announced the winners at a press conference.

Now to the part that matters, the winners (definitely not the writers).

Let's dive right into the big category, which is best picture - drama. "Atonement" took the award away from "There Will Be Blood","American Gangster","The Great Debaters","Eastern Promises","Michael Clayton" and "No Country for Old Men." The Globes usually screw this one up and the Academy tends to get this one right. I was not surprised at all by this. The Globes never pick movies along the lines of No Country, Clayton, Gangster, or Blood. From looking at the list of nominees, I knew it would be Atonement or Debaters (gladly it went to the better of the two). I did not see Blood, Clayton, or Promises. No question though that the best movie of this list is No Country.

I was shocked that "Sweeny Todd" won best picture - comedy or musical (though I cannot attest for the quality of the film). I figured "Charlie Wilson's War" was a sure lock. Thankfully "Juno" did not win - as it did not deserve to. Gotta admit, kind of a lame group of movies this year.

Daniel Day-Lewis got the victory that was determined from the initial preview months ago. No surprise there. The only shock will be if he does not win an Oscar. No one cares about the lame performances from the women this year. Johnny Depp finally gets him a win for best actor in a musical or comedy. He is well-deserving (so I'm told). Too bad, he still won't get that Oscar win.

Javier Bardem gets the supporting for No Country and he is definitely deserving. Cate Blanchett wins supporting for playing a man (pretty awesome).

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" nabs best foreign language film and best director. I definitely need to see that one.

"Atonement" grabbed the best score, which was terrific throughout.

And my favorite award, best screenplay, went to the Coen brothers for No Country. Not only was I excited that they won, but the fact that Juno lost was awesome. Seriously though, No Country is so good. The Coen brothers are geniuses and the movie is so multi-layered and figurative it is ridiculous. They should win solely on the ridiculous amounts of metaphors.

Good picks. And I hate the event, so I like that they just released them.

The Life of Riley

The weekend was surely a busy one, but with having no class on Friday, it was long and enjoyable. Saturday was a crazy day in sports as Oklahoma State had home games in both men's and women's basketball.

The general consensus about the men's team chance for success in the Big XII was that they would have little chance to actually win a conference game. They were ranked eighth in preseason polls, but due to poor performances, there was much speculation at whether or not OSU could live up to an eighth place finish.

If there was a chance to win a conference game, many said, that chance was the home opener against struggling Texas Tech. The first half was physical and tight and Oklahoma State took a four point lead by halftime. The second half, OSU came out gunning. Obi Muonelo hit 4 straight threes and James Anderson added another to give the Cowboys a huge lead.

The Cowboys went on a 33-6 run to start the second half. They would not look back as they pummelled Tech by 19. They held Tech to under 60 points. The best part was that Tech coach Bob Knight left Stillwater without his 900th win. Haha Bobby!

This was not even the best basketball game of the day. That happened in the evening as the No. 25 Oklahoma State Cowgirls took on the No. 6 Sooners in Gallagher-Iba. The bedlam match up usually brings the most attendance of the year for the Cowgirls with half the crowd being from Norman.

This night would turn out to be very special. Not only was the attendance record broken, but it was shattered by over 7,000 people. The gym was sold out at 13,611 people. The previous record had been around 6,000 people. The attendance was more than doubled the previous record. It was absolutely incredible. It was also a record for the most attendees of a girls basketball game in the state of Oklahoma.

There were more at this game than the previous men's game. For most of the girls, this was the most people they had ever played in front of. And for all those that came, they were in for a serious treat. Sophomore point guard Andrea Riley went off on a scoring rampage.

45 points!!!!!

That is simply unbelievable. I am still in shock about her performance. I have never heard of such a thing (after the game she claimed to have scored 52 points in a game when she was 13). This kid is amazing! She has a great attitude and loves competing. Very competitive and very tough. I have never seen anyone as fast as her on the court.

On one special play, she traversed coast to coast for a sweet layup in 9 seconds. She started from under her own basket with 9 seconds on the shot clock, put a move on every Oklahoma defender (including a sweet behind-the-back crossover to break a girl's ankles at mid court) and layed the ball in as the shot clock buzzer went off.

She was terrific. Congrats to Riley and the Cowgirls for their first win against Oklahoma in 10 years.

Interesting Note: Ben Roethlisberger's sister is a freshman forward for Oklahoma. I scanned the crowd, but no B-Roeth. O, and Hakeem Olajuwon's daughter plays for Oklahoma as well. Celebrity status does not seem to generate wins.

Perfect Senses

He found himself draped over the remains of a skinned deer. He did not remember anything from the preceding week. He remembered everything before that, but for some reason, he could not remember what had happened in the last week.

As he staggered to his feet, he became aware of his senses. He had is sense of touch, smell, taste, and sight. His vision seemed blurred, however, maybe it was the low light and eerie darkness. Total silence. He stood transfixed, a being that had little conviction or fortitude. It was all he could do to just stand there as the sun began to creep up through the trees of the vast forest.

He did not know whether or not there was no sound or that he had lost his sense of hearing. He could now see more clearly as time seemed to age quickly. Unknown to him, but he had stood there staring into the distance for 4 hours. What happened next did not give him any answers to his unexplainable predicament.

The skinned deer rose from the cold earth floor right behind him and ran into the distance. He could not discern reality from fantasy. Just as he had thought he had clearly seen the deer rise and run into the distance, he looked back to the ground only to find the deer still lying there.

Within a matter of moments, the world around him changed drastically. From out of nowhere, animals came from every direction. He saw and smelled the animals, but still either they made no noise stomping through the forest, or he had gone deaf.

At first, he saw what you would expect to see in a forest: birds, deer, wolves, rabbits, and bears. He turned a out of the corner of his eye saw a giant creature splashing down to earth. He dove aside just in time. What looked like a building falling to the ground was actually a humpback whale moving through the forest. It seemed that every creature in the animal kingdom was parading through this forest.

Absolute silence. He feared for his life as creatures big and small landed around him in every direction. Still no sound. His dodged left, right, hid under a rock, and hid behind a tree. He furiously worked his remaining senses to avoid the seemingly crazed animals.

However, he was too late as he did not notice several elephants sneak up behind him and he was easily trampled. He woke again in a bright room. Actually, it might not have been a room, but rather just an area of complete whiteness. He thought that maybe his vision was now distorted. He looked for signs of animals, but saw none. All he could see was whiteness.

A voice rang out and he jumped out of his skin out of fear and excitement for his sudden return of his sense of hearing. The voice said, "You have seen the effects of chaos and the dangers of being ill-equipped. This is the kind of world you would find yourself in had the world not been created through perfection. Everything of this world has been created in absolute perfection. Down to every blade of grass. Everything has a purpose and follows the will of the Creator."

The voice continued, "Had you not been given the essentials necessary to protect yourself, you would find a world of chaos and death. Without even one sense, you are doomed. This is the Creator's will. Perfection not disorder."

He awoke and rolled himself off of the remains of a skinned deer. He stood to face the darkness and heard the sound of a stream trickling. As the light became brighter, he found the stream and followed it to a river. There he found people boarding a boat. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing flowed out of his mouth.

Get Out and Vote

To all those hesitant about stepping off of your porch and voting, hear this: Those who don't vote extinguish their very right to life.

Where do you come from? Not city, not state, what is your lineage? The truth is we all come from the same place. We are all here because of the brave men who stood up to tyranny and set up their own country that promised life, liberty, and the pursuit of not just happiness, but the pursuit of whatever you please.

The sacrifice these heroes laid down is something that should not go unnoticed. Many fought and died for the freedom of their children and their grandchildren and their grandchildren. Too many have fought and died to maintain a free country for today's society to not participate in the voting process.

The idea of free election and democracy is the most fundamental form of freedom. The forefathers set up a nation that could run itself and maintain the greatest right of people, to be free. As people, we deserve to be free and America has provided it for its people and for those that seek shelter.

So, not as a challenge from me but as a challenge from those that died to preserve your freedom, go vote. It is the single most American thing that you could possibly partake in. As a debt to your forefathers, it is your obligation to partake in the voting process.

Saying you are tired of political dissension or that you just don't care is foolish. You should care what happens around you. Whether you like it or not, the policies of office-holders directly affect your everyday life. Do not be lazy and do not exert apathy. It does nothing for you.

Search the candidates, pick the one YOU like most, and vote. Don't pick a candidate that the news says is best or the one that is favored. Pick the one with the best policies and ideals.

Challenge the political leaders and change the world. If you don't like the views of any candidates, then work your way into a position to change the United States and change the world. Thanks to those before us, we enjoy a free society.

It is your God-given right and your obligation to vote.

Return to Glory with "American Gladiators"

The world has yet again been (gladly) subjected to American Gladiators. The show made its return to NBC on Sunday and has already aired three "episodes."

As a kid, this show was the greatest thing on TV. My brother and I made it a point to watch the show at all times possible. It was great and we loved every competition especially the final obstacle course.

The show was so 80s, it's disgusting. Looking back at the reruns, you see the awful, mulleted announcers and big eyeglasses. The competitors were usually untrained, out of shape, middle-aged losers. That was the big attraction for the show. To watch the buff and toned gladiators destroy these everyday people was extremely exciting.

Now, the show and all of its glory is back with new hosts, Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali. It is still very intense and still very cheesy. The show accentuates the competitors and their life stories. I love to laugh in the face of their life stories when the gladiators pummel them to the ground.

It is just a good laugh to be enjoyed with a bunch of people as everyone laughs at the competitors and makes jokes about the steroid-induced (and disgusting and unattractive in the case of the women) gladiators.

The crowd favorite is Wolf, a crazed man with repulsive facial hair and long hair that howls at every possible moment. He destroys every competitor with ease.

American Gladiators - Monday 8/7 central on NBC.

The Great American Plex

So, I was too tired to put out a post yesterday because of my experience. This is how it went down.

I went out to the movie theater (AMC) with the ambition to see several movies. I got to the mall around 10am and purchased a ticket for "The Kite Runner" at 1020am.

"The Kite Runner" was terrific and is quite possibly my favorite movie of the year. It is a drama about two young boys who fly kites in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1978. The kids remind me much of my brother and I when we were younger. The little boy actually looks a lot like my brother. Anyway, terrific movie and I strongly recommend it.

Next, I had a 30 minute break before "Juno." So, I hung out for awhile waiting for it to begin. I was slightly annoyed with the movie and the character of Juno. She was an annoying, wannabe cool pregnant 16 year old. The whole I listen to old-school indie rock and watch old crappy horror movies is a really lame attempt by the writer to make Juno seem "cool." So she thinks she is all that and a plate of waffles. The drama and comedy do come together well, and it has a sweet ending.

When I left this theater, I grabbed some girl's large popcorn and drink to go get a free refill. So with my newly acquired refreshments, I went straight into "The Golden Compass." I was not very impressed with this one. It was one of those kid book adaptation in the spirit of Narnia. Whatever. Not that great, but I went to see it for the polar bears. And they were awesome in their fighting, so that might have been worth it.

O no, I am not done. Three movies would not be a record. Then, I went into "National Treasure" expecting only the most ridiculous situations and schemes. I was not disappointed. From kidnapping the President to breaking in to the oval office. It was good entertainment and achieved it's goal. I do not understand why Ed Harris was in this. Not the greatest career move. O well, his loss.

Four is quite a bit, but five is more than four. So, I went into "Atonement" expecting to see the greatest movie of all time (kidding, but it did get 7 golden globe nominations). It was a pretty good story and not entirely romance. It was more about the younger sister seeking forgiveness for what she had done. Keira Knightley does not deserve an award, but James McAvoy is good. The cinematography is terrific and will get a nom at the Academy Awards maybe even win. There is a 4.5 minute shot on the beach showing all the soldiers waiting for ships to take them home that is just terrific. The music is really good as well.

So, that's it 5 movies in one day. This is the greatest plex (walking into another movie, but only paying the initial ticket) I have ever done and I have not heard of someone doing more. I had a great time and there was not alot of downtime, so I was never bored and the day went very quick. I left the mall around 10pm, so I was there about 12 hours.

Ya, that sounds ridiculous, but I had a blast. It was something I had always wanted to do, so I am glad I have finally done it. I probably won't do that again for awhile.

Cheers

To Spain

January 3rd

The early departure was indeed tiresome and sad as we flew from Madrid to Frankfurt, Germany, and then to Dallas and then OKC. The flight seemed to take forever as we were all anxious to get home and get a good night's sleep in our own beds before school the next day.

I spent the trip sleeping, listening to my iPod, watching movies, chatting, and thinking about how much I would miss Spain. I wanted to stay for another month, our trip was just not long enough.

Today, I think about some of the little things about traveling to a different country and all the experiences that go with it. I remember the Swiss chocolate (Milka) that I bought on the airplane. It is still the best chocolate ever (and luckily I found some at Disney World 5 months later).

I think about the street performers and the exotic things they did. I think about the late night hot chocolate and churro treats. I reminisce on such things as the chapel in Barcelona where Christopher Columbus first announced his discovery.

The amazing streets and alleys and shops and the black market selling knock off Luis Vutton purses and Polo cologne. I think about our great guide Antonio and all the sponsors that helped make the trip possible. A big thank you to them for making the trip one of the best vacations and experiences I have ever had.

I think about the food and how we did not like most of it. I remember Ben Britton eating corn nuts at 3am and that still makes me chuckle. Ben was eccentric, but cool. All the people that went were just really great people and I love them all.

Los Conquistadors was so amazing that I cannot even describe the joy and happiness I had when hanging out with these guys. To Mitch Cook for his tireless preparation and flawless execution. To all my fears of being robbed (I never felt remotely threatened or in danger). To VIPS for showing us a true Texas burger unlike any burger I have ever had. To the idea that they serve tap beer at Burger King. To Magnum for opening my eyes.

To the greatest New Year's Eve I have ever seen. To the long and boring plane flights, for without them we would have never made it. To all the museums and Dali and Picasso, now I appreciate you more fully. To the Spanish people for being so interesting and beautiful. To Barcelona for being so glorious and beautiful and to Madrid for enlightening my mind.

To Spain for changing my life.

Last Day in Espana

January 2nd

The last full day in Spain and we are all a little sad. This day was an interesting case and I think this might have been one of the coolest days.

This was to be a free day that we could spend doing as we wished (with a sponsor of course). Some of us followed our fearless leader on a day of adventure through some of the historic stops in Madrid.

We subwayed and walked for hours as we moved in between the hot spots. We went to see the soccer stadium of Real Madrid and that was very impressive. We then went to Retiro Park and looked at the gardens and statues on the river. The gate in the city was also interesting.

This group we had (very strange- Tara, Kevin, Pratt, Dani, Parker, some sponsors - just a weird combo, but we all had a great time) walked to the Hard Rock for shirts and we saw a great view of the Spanish flag.

We visited the statue of legend Don Quixote and ate at VIPS. All in all it was a great day walking around enjoying the history (I had to coaxed into not buying a sword at an awesome store). After dinner, Mitch took the Conquistadors out to a local pub that was airing one of the college bowl games and we enjoyed each other's company until well after midnight.

We stayed up all night because we had to leave the next morning at 3am. So, we fashioned our own hot tub (in the bath tub) and build a fort with sheets. After less than 40 minutes of sleep, we went to get on the bus to go to the airport in Madrid.

Start of Something Fresh... In Spain of Course

New Year's Day

We rose early for a trip to the Royal Palace of Madrid where the Spanish king and queen reside for important state functions. It was so magnificent and the interior was very lavish. I thought the outside was impressive, until I went in and saw the ancient carpets, chandeliers, paintings, and thrones. It was all well worth it.

Next, we broke into small group and Los Conquistadors went out to see Madrid (this is what we called our group as we determined that we were the conquerors of Spain). We subwayed over to the museum that houses the infamous Picasso work "Guernica." I am ashamed to admit that I did not actually go in and look at it (I was tired of art museums and I did not want to fork over the 6 euro admission fee). So, Kevin and I looked at it in the gift shop.

We grabbed our new favorite treat, Magnum, a chocolate-coated ice cream bar, and went to look at the Atocha Train Station, which is infamous. We watched street performers and even purchased tiles that were painted on the spot.

Los conquistadors spent the rest of the day taking in the sights and enjoying each other's company as we stopped at various interesting shops and stores along the way. We enjoyed dinner at our new favorite place, VIPS. Though where near authentic Spanish food, we loved ol' VIPS (my companions were fed up with the strange Spanish dishes, so we ate here and Burger King for the remainder of the trip). I was upset with this because I wanted to try new things and get the full Madrid experience. But I couldn't complain because the "Texas Burger" treated me well.

After dinner, we caught a movie across the street from our hotel. The movie was King Kong and it was a terrific experience inside the theater (the movie was in English with Spanish subtitles). Next, we hit nightlife and enjoyed a hot chocolate, churros, and Tapas at the local cafes.

We hit the bed hard and we began to get the feeling of homesickness and also the feeling that the next day was to be our last day in Spain.

Los Conquistadors

From left to right: Jonathan Pratt, Me, Kevin Pojezny, DH Dilbeck, Mitch Cook