Machu Pichu is Cool

If that doesn't look mystical, I don't know what does. An interesting fact I learned about the Inca's while in Peru is that they built these terraced lawns, not only for practicality's sake--living in the mountains makes flat space otherwise hard to find--but also to make the Machu Pichu golf course the most difficult, where even the emperor (called the Inca) might have a tough time sinking in the par fours....Ok, the golf course thing was a big lie, but the terraces are cool, no? And the dark, cloudy, rainy day made it look all the more mystical. Turns out Machu Pichu was the land for the elites, like astrologers, doctors, priests, and vestal virgins.

Machu Pichu also had some llamas rolling around there. Before this picture was taken, these Argentine chicas were taking a picture of one of their friends near the llamas, when one (not pictured) went running down the ancient gutter tot he right of the picture, straight at her. She freaked out, and SNAP; her friends took a picture of her terrified face while a llama ran past.


Atom and I also tried some Guinea Pig, or cuy. Not the most delicious thing on the menu. The alpaca was better. But all in all, not that bad. I think if it had a better sauce/seasoning it would have been better. And they say you're supposed to eat everything except for the bones. Gross. The leg I had still had some hairs sticking out of the skin, so I ripped that 'ish off before I munched on the little bit of meat left behind. One of my fake uncles, Tio Ivan, was sitting in front of Atom and left the able. Couldn't stand the look of the cuy. Can't say I blame him.



On a completely separate note, I'm off to NYU for an interview. I'm a finalist for the Root-Tilden-Kern Scholarship Program, which gives money to kids to are cool (like me) and will  commit to working in Public Interest Law for some years after law school. I talked to one of this past year's scholars, and she humbled me...aka made me nervous. I realize they must like something about me, but her experiences and qualifications made what I have done seem juvenile in the sense that she has lived more life and done more things and my adult life is just starting. She has shown years of dedication and service as a professional, while I am finishing my first year out of college. Still, I know and am proud of what I have done in the past, I have a strong sense of what I want to accomplish in the future, and (as I keep reminding myself) I was picked from a pretty large applicant pool to be a finalist. So wish me luck. New York, here I come....Friday.

Peace.

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To Peru and Back

My boy, Atom, has some pictures of this momentous trip. Alas, I do not. But it was wonderful to see my bro and spend time with my family. Here's the neighborhood in which my bro and his community work at. This dog isn't theirs, but the community, Family of Jesus Healer (FJH) has four of their own with the men and a few more protecting the women. My bro was in charge of training a few of them, which gave him a pretty wicked scar when the trainee fought back.

 

Below here is a picture of my bro and FJH. Notice how green the grass is, and compare it to the dusty, dirty, cactusy picture above. They are neighbors. It shows how fertile the land is, but how dry it is. The grass is green (or exists at all) only if you have water to keep it growing. The community takes care of their land to make it a haven for themselves, those they help, and because they can. They have dug a well somewhere in the back, so they have the access to water that some of their constituents don't have. In the picture is (from the far left to far right) Tio Jose, Orlando (Hno. Jose Maria), Hno. Pio, Hno. Karol, Tia Fatima, and my pop's left side.



This last picture is of my boy Atom and me, on our way from Lima to Cusco, right before we hit up Machu Pichu. Little did we know that what Cusco held in store for us was my vomiting and Atom wanting to.



All in all, a good trip. Glory to God.

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Mathew Celebrity Look-Alikes

Mathew Dutra's celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.



I love having fun with my roommates!

Let's Continue the Love

Well, you can obviously tell my fascination and excitement with what Alyse is doing, so here is a picture from her group, the Center for Development in Central America. Click on the picture to link to their current Newsletter.

New Friend

Hey, I'm really excited that I discovered a friend's blog. Alyse Rothrock (or something of that nature) is in mi patria, Nicaragua, saving the world. Read about it by following the link to the right or clicking on her name. Coolio!

So the decisionmaking begins

Ok, so as of now, all schools outside of Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia are not options. I doubt that will change, but only time will tell. The new developments are that both Loyola Chicago and NYU have invited me to interview for scholarships. Loyola has already offered me a pretty large chunk of money, so this could bring the total close to a full tuition. NYU is just offering me now, but there are 3 scholarships I'm applying for, and they all can be up to full tuition. They come with a catch, that I have to work in Public Interest law for so many years. I don't think it's such a big deal b/c I was planning on it anyways, but being forced and doing it how you want are two different things. So it seems that this month is being dominated by these two schools....and the tremendous amount of work I have.....and not going to the gym for this or for that (mostly staying late a work). You know, I get here at 7:30am. Yesterday I left at 6:30pm. Before that 5:30. Today, who knows. I just want to take a nap.

vs.

Busy busy

So, I've been very busy lately, so I haven't had time to internet much for fun at work, nor many trips to Marquette library to do cyberspacing over there. So here's the updated list of schools I am accepted to.

USC, Pepperdine, Loyola Chicago, Northwestern, Northeastern, Fordham, NYU, and Rutgers-Camden.

I don't know where I will go next year, but the more likely cities are Chicago, NYC, and Philadelphia. I am waiting to hear back from UPenn, BU, BC, and UChicago. So far I have had tremendous luck with there colleges and getting acceptances. I feel very blessed, but have a tough decision to make. Hopefully it can be done before the end of this month. I'd like to begin planning my life past August '07.

Sorry to keep you readers waiting and bored and reticent about visiting me again. I'll try to keep more up to date, though work is full of....work.

Updating

Work has been very busy, hence not much posting. To update the college list, here is where I am in so far:

Florida State, Rutgers-Camden, Pepperdine, Loyola Chicago, NYU, and Fordham.

Yay

Accepted

Today I was told I was accepted to Rutgers and Florida State law schools in Camden, NJ and Tallahassee, FL, respectively. To celebrate, here's a picture of an animal that London is trying to save. I think it's well worth it.

Nice Story

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6788291

Lethal Injection

For all those Pro-Life or just Anti-Death Penalty:

The Executioner's Wrong

Jan 4th 2007 | WASHINGTON, DC
From The Economist print edition

Florida, California and Maryland suspend lethal injections

ON DECEMBER 13th, Angel Diaz, a convicted murderer from Florida, became the latest victim of a botched lethal injection. The doctor who served as executioner bungled the first set of injections, sliding the needle straight through the vein and pumping the toxic chemicals directly into the underlying flesh. Mr Diaz writhed, grimaced, andattempted to speak until a second dose killed him. That was 34 minutes later; the execution should take only a fraction of that.

Two days later, Jeb Bush, in his last month as governor, suspended all executions in the state. He also set up a commission to consider whether Florida's lethal injections are constitutional.

Resolutions and Photo

Really quick, because I got a client coming in in less than an hour, here is my New Years resolution. I resolve to live the rest of this volunteer year to the fullest I can, especially with regards to things that may not be as accessible to me in the future. What that means is that I will try to use more time to read, to write, to learn guitar, to pray. I will start spiritual direction to see how it goes. I will try to sleep at a reasonable hour because I wake up early. I don't know what else I will do, but I'm sure this list is not exhaustive.

For those of you that don't have facebook, i.e. Orlando, I include for you the new profile picture I have. I had some free time the other day and got a little happy with Microsoft Paint. It combines 3 pictures for both Monica and me, though my legs haven't looked like that in a long time. I thought it was fun and funny. Hope you do too.

Feliz Ano Nuevo

How obscene is the Spanish word for year with the funky 'n' (pronounced enye, but I can't write it here. Merry Christmas to all those around the world, and happy Epiphany to our Eastern friends. In Tampa, the Greek Orthodox Church has a big event where a bunch of youngin's dive into a deep lake to find a cross, and the person who finds it gets a special blessings from some cool guy with a sweet beard.

While in Tampa for a week and change I sent out 8 law school applications, and then 5 more in Milwaukee. There are divided up into 5 cities, plus a straggler. Two cities had 3 applications, but the rest had two (and then the straggler). So the total now is 13 schools. The cities/schools are:

L.A.- USC and Pepperdine (Malibu)
Chicago- Loyola, U Chicago, and Northwestern
Philadelphia- U Penn and Rutgers (Camden, NJ)
New York- Fordham and NYU
Boston- BC, BU, and Northeastern
Florida- Florida State

We'll see what the future holds for Jorge.

New Years resolution....to be continued. My boss is giving me a ride. Peace.

What have I been up to?

I know all of you have been asking yourselves that. It's only natural when you know someone as coolio as me. Well, the 17th we had an ugly sweater party at our home in Milwaukee. Lots of ugly sweaters, deserts, and holiday beers to be had. Sunday, after church and football, I went to my first Posada. I didn't know it existed. Maybe it's a Mexican thing.

You go door to door with Mary and Joseph lookng for a place to crash before she burst. You get a lot of 'no's and 'not here's until you find that special lady who says you can use their garage/stable. Jesus is born, then you beat up pinatas and eat candy. Just like 2000 years ago. Monday was work and celebrate my roommate Kyle's birthday. Went to a bar called Wolski's to play darts. Tuesday, Marquette basketball with floor seats c/o my coworker. Dwyane Wade was there, but I was too busy to say hi to him. Plus, he'd have a hard time getting through my security. Wednesday was a Christmas dinner chez JV Milwaukee. We had all seven of us, one of our community-night helpers, her son, and a friend. True to Polish tradition (c/o Dorota) we had an extra place-setting in case any body showed up, in honor of those that can't join us, and of course for Elijah. Maybe not that last part. He never makes if for Christmas anyways. Thursday was to celebrate Erin, my coworker's birthday. Went out with another coworker and my roommate Mathew to do the trick. And yes, she was there too. It'd be weird to celebrate a birthday without the birthday-ee. Though, my mom and dad did it this past Thanksgiving. Friday I went to work and then home. Yes, home. Tampa. Since then I haven't done much. Watch some football today. Shopping with dad yesterday. Beach today, though most of the time was putting together an electric grill. Kinda felt like the stereotypical assembling of the bicycle Christmas present.

The needy

The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
(Is 41)