Dudes.
So we decided we might be more effective posters if we took on smaller aspects of our days, and look— it’s already working!
Thursday was a special day for me. I say this because I spent over two hours riding public transportation (read: the shitty-ass bus). There were some highlights, including a kid who probably should’ve been in school (is that ethnocentric of me?) juggling flaming clubs at a busy stoplight ‘round lunchtime. Just before the light turned green, he characteristically stopped juggling to go around and collect for the impressive (albeit unsolicited) entertainment, only to find himself utterly stone-walled by the seemingly unimpressed motorists. Next thing I know, I'm watching myself sliding back the bus window hollering “JOVEN!” just as a nice fat ten peso piece flips off my thumbnail, arching over the cars of the ingrates before it’s deposited in his hand like the jukebox in “Smooth Criminal.” He’s down below me, beaming at me, I— the winking white guy in the bus that missed all but the end of the show— who in actuality just sat there wondering if the people ignoring him from their cars were actually taking a stand against his presumably unexcused absence from school; sad to see him walk back to the median with nothing to show for his sacrifice/effort.
In any case, the real reason I doubled my typical daily number of bus rides was to enjoy the two-hour descanso lunch with my sweet, Spanish lessons-taking girlfriend (not to watch an old guy clip his fingernails on the bus, which I got to endure anyhow— clippings flying [I imagined one hitting me in the face or landing on my lip and the foul things I would say to him when it did :\]). As an aspiring food blogger (you just wait; she’s bound to get started any day now), one of Sally’s faves is a certain New Yorker with a newborn babe who goes by the name of Deb. Since Deb’s come into our lives, things have certainly gotten better. Today for lunch this came in the form of eggs in tomato sauce with toasted french bread and sautéed spinach :). Perhaps a wee bit dull-sounding to read, but to see and to eat: deliciosísmo!
As time on our lunch-hour(s) respite expired and I gathered my things to head back for the final couple of work hours, I kissed my sweet ‘n talented Sally goodbye and prepped my iPod (the screen is starting to go on the old dear) for another 30-40 minute journey (during these bus rides I get to listen to a fair bit of [new] music, which I love, but I think I may save that bit for another post); almost done with another day.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
=4=
OOF! …been awhile, no?
Sorry for the absence, but getting thangs set up ‘round Querétaro, México, has been something of a full-time job (not to mention that pesky full-time job I’m also responsible for...)!
There are a great number of things to report (including not one but two sightings of Mexican Jeff Goldbum in one day in a city of 1+ million peeps!), perhaps not least of which being we’ve taken at least one great stride in the last week of life here: getting a place! Here 'tis:
Alright, so not quite... Ours is actually a bit more of a fixer-upper, but the price and location are right (oh are they! And the view!), the rental sitch is groobs (we know the owners and are getting a friendly deal, you might say) and we’ve got more furniture than we know what to do with— this in a town/place/country where you’re halfway lucky to have there be a stove in a rental (and more so an oven!) and can pretty well count on there being no way to refrigerate your food upon move-in day ‘less a) it’s really cold out (aka not here), b) you own a cooler (not us— yet!), or less likely, c) your butt or feet get so cold (I’m thinking at night, whilst one sleeps here) that they can keep dairy products from spoiling :\.
Fortunately, Sally and I are both excited and predisposed toward the setting up of living spaces, so it figures to be a fun experience— after all of the full weekend’s-worth of cleaning is done, that is. We’ll be sure to do some before/after photos for all y’all in the coming week(s), and rest assured that we can keep you and your three closest friends imbedded here (plus the couch!) when you come to visit.
Sadly, to this point we’ve skipped over our time in San Miguel de Allende: a place where we first went for a Spanish-speaking respite with parents’ of friends, and ended up with some fine new friends and an ultra-fab place to visit on weekends.
Some time ago, Don Cohen and Diane Berman, parents of one of our favorite new Denveronians, Julia Cohen (loves to Mathias too, whom we have to thank for knowing Jules in the first place— and lots of long-distance web laughs), put us up in their lovely modernista home for a weekend that turned into a friendship for which we’re most grateful. Aside from their myriad day-to-day kindnesses, these two introduced us to a beautiful home/art gallery outside of town, the best roadside gorditas known to man (I’m sure of this) and a network of people that nearly had us settling there, along with 10,000+ other North Americans. Obvio, we opted for nearby (and much larger/job-rich) QRO, but look forward to returning their kindness by hosting them some weekend post-Thanksgiving, which is almost sure to include delicious food a la Sally (me on dishes, yo!) and a Costco run for good measure. My favorite moments with the Mexican contingent of the Cohen/Berman crew included, but are not (thus far) limited to:
• Wine, cheese, chats and Don’s sangrita(!) on their pillowy 3rd floor/rooftop terrace;
• Planet Earth on a 60-some-inch flatscreen until we all almost fell asleep (The Bourne Ultimatum was good one night too, especially as Sally's inspiring smells from the kitchen lured us away from the action);
• The aforementioned gorditas and trips to Galeria Atotonilco (their [not our] grounds pictured above)— neat-o!
• And a candle-lit dinner/lovely conversation that may or may not have been have had something to do with a late (read: UNPAID) electric bill.
Truly wonderful people and the best bit of San Miguel sans doubt (honorable mention goes to friends Chris and Veronica who stayed a couple days before heading back to San Diego, but not to the SOBs who wouldn’t quit blowing off not visually pleasing fireworks, but obnoxious aerial rockets [think “boom” constantly] of which the town seemed to have an endless supply both weekends [we were there two weekends] we were there! BALLS!).
I’m sure I’ve left a ton out, but in the interests of getting things back up to date to where we can relate even the more banal aspects of daily life in QRO, that’s where I’ma gunna leave it; ‘sides my TWO-HOUR lunch break is nearing its end (don’t worry, you just work later into the eves) and I need to get back to selling/teaching/training/translating my day away (‘guess I’ll talk about me job next time)! Love to all; thanks for sticking around ;).
-A
Sorry for the absence, but getting thangs set up ‘round Querétaro, México, has been something of a full-time job (not to mention that pesky full-time job I’m also responsible for...)!
There are a great number of things to report (including not one but two sightings of Mexican Jeff Goldbum in one day in a city of 1+ million peeps!), perhaps not least of which being we’ve taken at least one great stride in the last week of life here: getting a place! Here 'tis:
Our new digs/dog (Frida), bay-bee!
Our actual view (but a bit further away & on the other side of the street)— really.
Sadly, to this point we’ve skipped over our time in San Miguel de Allende: a place where we first went for a Spanish-speaking respite with parents’ of friends, and ended up with some fine new friends and an ultra-fab place to visit on weekends.
Also not our new place: the Parroquía de SMA.
Some time ago, Don Cohen and Diane Berman, parents of one of our favorite new Denveronians, Julia Cohen (loves to Mathias too, whom we have to thank for knowing Jules in the first place— and lots of long-distance web laughs), put us up in their lovely modernista home for a weekend that turned into a friendship for which we’re most grateful. Aside from their myriad day-to-day kindnesses, these two introduced us to a beautiful home/art gallery outside of town, the best roadside gorditas known to man (I’m sure of this) and a network of people that nearly had us settling there, along with 10,000+ other North Americans. Obvio, we opted for nearby (and much larger/job-rich) QRO, but look forward to returning their kindness by hosting them some weekend post-Thanksgiving, which is almost sure to include delicious food a la Sally (me on dishes, yo!) and a Costco run for good measure. My favorite moments with the Mexican contingent of the Cohen/Berman crew included, but are not (thus far) limited to:
• Wine, cheese, chats and Don’s sangrita(!) on their pillowy 3rd floor/rooftop terrace;
• Planet Earth on a 60-some-inch flatscreen until we all almost fell asleep (The Bourne Ultimatum was good one night too, especially as Sally's inspiring smells from the kitchen lured us away from the action);
• The aforementioned gorditas and trips to Galeria Atotonilco (their [not our] grounds pictured above)— neat-o!
• And a candle-lit dinner/lovely conversation that may or may not have been have had something to do with a late (read: UNPAID) electric bill.
Truly wonderful people and the best bit of San Miguel sans doubt (honorable mention goes to friends Chris and Veronica who stayed a couple days before heading back to San Diego, but not to the SOBs who wouldn’t quit blowing off not visually pleasing fireworks, but obnoxious aerial rockets [think “boom” constantly] of which the town seemed to have an endless supply both weekends [we were there two weekends] we were there! BALLS!).
I’m sure I’ve left a ton out, but in the interests of getting things back up to date to where we can relate even the more banal aspects of daily life in QRO, that’s where I’ma gunna leave it; ‘sides my TWO-HOUR lunch break is nearing its end (don’t worry, you just work later into the eves) and I need to get back to selling/teaching/training/translating my day away (‘guess I’ll talk about me job next time)! Love to all; thanks for sticking around ;).
-A
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