Thursday, August 14th, 2008
Logan and I - Day Two - Vacation.
Currently reporting from Tepoztlán, Mexico. Family vacation is going great. Right now, we are all sitting by the pool waiting for some chips, guacamole, and limonadas to arrive.
Básicamente, perfecto. = Basically, perfect.
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem.
1692 - Salem witch trials: Bridget Bishop is hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem, Massachusetts, for “certaine Detestable Arts called Witchcraft & Sorceries”.
1793 - The Jardin des Plantes museum opens in Paris. A year later, it becomes the first public zoo.
1854 - The first class of the United States Naval Academy students graduate.
1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Brice’s Crossroads – Confederate troops under Nathan Bedford Forrest defeat a much larger Union force led by General Samuel D. Sturgis in Mississippi.
1898 - Spanish-American War: U.S. Marines land on the island of Cuba.
1935 - Dr. Robert Smith takes his last drink, and Alcoholics Anonymous is founded in Akron, Ohio, United States, by him and Bill Wilson.
1940 - World War II: Italy declares war on France and the United Kingdom.
1942 - World War II: Nazis burn the Czech village of Lidice in reprisal for the killing of Reinhard Heydrich.
1944 - World War II: 642 men, women and children are killed in the Oradour-sur-Glane Massacre in France.
1967 - Six-Day War ends: Israel and Syria agree to a cease-fire.
1977 - Apple Computer ships its first Apple II personal computer.
1980 - The African National Congress in South Africa publishes a call to fight from their imprisoned leader Nelson Mandela.
1997 - Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot orders the killing of his defense chief Son Sen and 11 of Sen’s family members before Pol Pot flees his northern stronghold.
2003 - The Spirit Rover is launched, beginning NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission.
But more importantly, in my history, today the 10th of June is significant for other reasons.
1972 - Parents-to-be (in eleven years), Jim and Janel get married!
2008 - Parents celebrate 36 years of being married!
(I’d like to insert a dorky picture of the two them here, maybe something nice from their wedding day, but I’m in Mexico, without access too all those hilarious photos.)
Happy anniversary to Sunni and Jimbo!
Friday, June 6th, 2008
I’ve been enjoying this song so much recently. Watch it on YouTube.
Dame tus ojos, quiero ver / Give me your eyes, I want to see
Dame tus palabras, quiero hablar / Give me your words, I want to speak
Dame tu parecer / Give me your likeness
Dame tus pies, yo quiero ir / Give me your feet, I want to go
Dame tus deseos para sentir / Give me your wishes to feel
Dame tu parecer / Give me your likeness
Dame lo que necesito / Give me what I need
Para ser como tu / To be like you
Dame tu voz, dame tu aliento / Give me your voice, give me your breath
Toma mi tiempo es para ti / Take my time, it is yours
Dame el camino que debo seguir / Give me the path I should follow
Dame tus sueños, tus anhelos / Give me your dreams, your hopes
Tus pensamientos, tu sentir / Your thoughts, your feelings
Dame tu vida para vivir / Give me your life to live
Déjame ver lo que tu vez / Let me see what you see
Dame de tu gracia, tu poder / Give me your grace, your power
Dame tu corazón / Give me your heart
Déjame ver en tu interior / Let me see what’s inside you
Para ser cambiado por tu amor / In order to be changed by your love
Dame tu corazón / Give me your heart
Dame lo que necesito / Give me what I need
Para ser como tu / To be like you
Dame tu voz, dame tu aliento / Give me your voice, give me your breath
Toma mi tiempo es para ti / Take my time, it is yours
Dame el camino que debo seguir / Give me the path I should follow
Dame tus sueños, tus anhelos / Give me your dreams, your hopes
Tus pensamientos, tu sentir / Your thoughts, your feelings
Dame tu vida para vivir / Give me your life to live
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
So now that I am able to go up and down the stairs without cringing, it’s time for a new blog post about my recent adventure. Aerobics.
My friend Guadalupe invited me to attend aerobics with her here in the community last Wednesday. Since I’m a pushover and can’t say no, especially to a new friend, I said “maybe” for a little bit, before finally giving in. So, Wednesday evening I suited up in my gym clothes and prepared to jazzercise with some short women. I honestly couldn’t stop laughing while I walked to Guadalupe’s house. I just kept having the image of my big white head towering over a bunch of short little women. (In case you didn’t realize it, I’m huge here.)
It ended up being quite a fun experience and was MUCH more difficult than I expected. I stupidly thought, slum aerobics can’t be so hard. Well, the instructor proved me very wrong. Doing lunges with 5 kilo weights in each hand was enough to kill me. Finally, yesterday, using the stairs didn’t fill me with dread.
But I must admit, my very favorite was doing a sit-up routine to this song. Now, I just have to decide if I’ll be doing more aerobics in the future.
(This is one of the most popular songs here right now. I easily hear it two or three times a day. I hadn’t seen the video though, but now I am happy that when I hear it in the neighborhood, I will be able to get the visual of the band members dancing.)
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
So part of living life in a developing country is that there are a whole new range of smells you must get accustomed to. From the smell of chicharrón to Fabuloso (although we had these both in Pomona), there are smells here I didn’t really come in contact with in the United States.
Since the plumbing can’t handle toilet paper, trash is a whole different ball game. And since I was sick for 10 days with what has been called Montezuma’s Revenge, frankly, poop has been on my brain. Since feeling better, and yes, I feel much better, it seems these poop related themes continuing following me. (I could start a whole diatribe here on the dog poop all over our streets, but I’ll refrain.)
The theme continues as this past week the construction workers have begun working on the drainage and sewage system on our house. This has unleashed a generally unpleasant scent. Today we found out the smell could get worse. They soon have to tear up our entire patio and disconnect then reconnect all the sewage and drainage pipes. Depending on the cost of a machine to tear up the patio and do the work, it could be anywhere from two to fourteen days. Two days is if the machine is affordable, fourteen is if they have to do it by hand.
To top it off, we are currently embarking on a reforestation project in the community. It is exciting to imagine 200 trees that will soon be planted in the dry soil of Chimalhuacán. Yet of course, for these trees to have a good chance at making it planted in the dry ground - remember, we do live on a dry lake bed - they need lots of compost and manure. Friday afternoon
On a completely different note, is it wrong that these two comedies make me want to come back to the United States? “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Baby Mama” - I’ll be scouring every roadside stand I find desperately looking for the pirated version. Until then, enjoy the trailers with me.
Update: I had to remove the “Sarah Marshall” trailer as the autoplay was driving me nuts. Then today my mom started quoting it from the beginning just from hearing it on my blog.
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
Cafe de olla: It’s a deliciously sweetened Mexican black coffee. With brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves, it’s a little spicy, but mostly sweet. So great!
Drinkable yogurt: I know Chrissie is gagging right now, but it’s true. Mexicans love drinkable yogurt and so do I. Refreshing, flavorful, excellent.
Old people dancing, actually old people in general: Obviously, my last post showed the greatness of old people dancing. But the best part of Mexican viejos is that they are called the 3rd age - “la tercera edad”. It makes me smile everytime.
Mantecadas con nuez: By the very Mexican Bimbo bread company, Mantecadas are these little muffins with pecans. Yum.
Huaraches: Not the sandals (although they are named after the famed Mexican sandals, since the tortilla looks like the bottom of your shoe), but a oval-shaped corn tortilla spread with beans, salsa, cheese, and your choice of meat.
Aguas frescas: Fresh fruit drinks, mixed with water. My favorite is lime, but anything will do.
Hand gestures: I never realized it on prior trips to Mexico, but they have different hand gestures than we do. Maybe this seems obvious, but it’s this slight little thing that is both endearing and occasionally confusing. Some examples, “Come here”, “Wait a minute”, “Yes”, “No”, “Thank you”.
Papelerias: Literally translated, a paper store. They are all over the place here. They are basically a small store front office supply store. They have all kinds of papers, pens, markers, folders, you name it. And they do copies, laminating, and binding. Very convenient for all your school and office needs.
So, yeah, it’s mostly food. I guess when you are finding your place in a new country - a cultural fascination with the food is an easy thing to gravitate towards. Maybe it’s easier than digging into the complexities of the Mexican psyche. Or the food here just rules. :)
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
I upgraded to Wordpress 2.5 today and decided it was time for a new design. Enjoy.
There are still a few kinks to work out, so if you notice anything screwy, let me know.
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008
A highlight of my Easter day was watching the dancing in the plaza in Coyoacán. The live music, large crowds, and everyone having a great time was so fun to see. I was surprised how many of the couples didn’t know each other, instead they were people passing by with their families and stopped to have a dance. One lady in particular - probably around 75 or 80 - was asking anyone and everyone for a dance.
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008
Today has been a most excellent day, thanks to an even more excellent friend.
Today, the director of SP arrived and came bearing a big surprise - a birthday gift from the one and only Chrissie.
Maybe it’s because it’s the first package I’ve received since being in Mexico, but I think it’s more than that. Knowing a great friend spent her time finding all my favorites, all while I was thousands of miles away, is a wonderful feeling.
So just as Chrissie wishes me in her card, I will “enjoy my little goodies, cook some good meals from my new mag, while chomping on pumpkin cookies, with my hair in a pony tail, lips nice and moist, wearing your uniform, drinking water from a red vines straw, and listening to her [and now my] favorite album.”
Thanks Crazy!
Friday, February 29th, 2008
One of the best video clips I’ve seen in months. Thanks to Chrissie for giving me a reenactment over the phone just a few days ago. Happily, I tracked down the clip via NBC (and unlike everything else, they don’t block shorts for international viewers). I’ve watched it about five times already. Remember folks, “Bitch is the new black.” Enjoy!