it's funny because it's true

I got this from my sister and couldn't stop giggling. Our parents are both from Mexico, we still have aunts, uncles and over 30 cousins living there, and we can honestly relate to every point. Man, I hated the chancla and really miss my mom's tamales!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE MEXICAN IF...

• You have ever been hit by a chancla
• You can play any sport wearing your chanclas
• You grew up scared by something called "El Cucuy"
• Others tell you to stop screaming when you are really just talking
• You use your lips to point something out
• You constantly refer to cereal as "con fleis"
• Your mother yells at the top of her lungs to call you to dinner even if it's a one-bedroom apartment
• You can dance ranchera, cumbia or salsa without music
• You call your sneakers "tenees"
• You have at least thirty cousins
• You can't imagine anyone not liking spicy food
• You are in a 5-passenger car with 8 people in it and a person shouting "subanse, todavia caben mas!"
• Tamales, champurrado, posole and menudo are must haves on Thanksgiving
• There is more Tequila than punch at little Juanito's birthday party
• There is at least one member in your family named Maria, Guadalupe, Juan, Jose, or Jesus
• You swear "Choco Mil" is the same as Slim Fast and try to lose weight by drinking it
• You have a drunk uncle/aunt
• You not only know who Don Francisco from Sabado Gigante is, but you tell people he's your tio!
• You have ever had to tell your kid /or been told not to walk the floor barefoot or they'll/you'll catch a cold
• You go to a wedding or Quinceñera, gossip about how bad the comida is, but be the first to take a plato to go
• Your cousins are delinquents / hoochies
• You have a chola in your barrio named "La Flaca" who's bigger than a house
• You need to point out how much something you just bought cost

!Viva Mexico!

fun lil' meme

Playing Pink Champagne's Game ...

My List of 5 Favs

5 Boy Names
Jordan
Michael
Hunter
Austin
Logan

5 Girl Names
Adriana
Ella
Aida
Austin
Eva

5 Books
The Time Traveler's Wife
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Notebook
The Red Tent
Ramona Quimby/Sweet Valley High series

5 Singers
Otis Redding
Louis Armstrong
Aretha Franklin
Salt n' Pepa
Patsy Cline

5 Films
Life is Beautiful
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (original)
Shawshank Redemption
Dirty Dancing
Grease

5 Drinks
Iced Cold Sweet Tea (from Texas)
Mojito (from Saba in Austin)
Watermellon Martini (from Eclipse in London)
Mexican Hot Chocolate
Mexican Martini (from Cedar Door in Austin)

5 Songs
Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye (wedding song)
Hey Ya - Outcast
Shoop - Salt n' Pepa
Crazy - Patsy Cline
Trailers for Sale or Rent - Roger Miller

That was fun! I'm going to make a quick dinner and then it's off to my new desktop publishing class -- InDesign. I love it so far! Unfortunately, I don't have the program at home (that's on my birthday wish list ... along with a new Mac to match!), but geeking out in front of the Mac at class is a great way to end a Monday night.

Now, it's your turn.

twins, separated by 8 years

this is a quick attempt to recap the first weeks of january ...

after new years, my hubby, my sister and i headed back to london.

poor J went straight to work ... and we continued to play!

my sister is 8 years younger than me. she just turned 21 and is seriously enjoying life in college at the UofA in Tucson, AZ. even with that big age gap, we are literally like twins (ok, maybe fraternal twins, but twins nonetheless).

(adri & me in the middle)

we have the EXACT same mannerisms, sense of humor, speech patterns, handwriting, love of cheese, ability to cry at the drop of a hat, long & lanky legs, funky E.T. fingers ... the list goes on and on.

it was just so, so, so wonderful to hang out together 24/7 for like 19 days straight. we stayed up talking late so many evenings, that i ended sleeping with her in the living room (my sweet J was so understanding and only complained a couple of times that the room and bed were cold without me). everything was so much more fun with her around. trudging around museums, hopping on the dirty #49 bus, inhaling strawberry dream crepes and lattes. even shopping at all the cutesy high street shops was fun because the clothes fit her size 2 frame perfectly (on the other hand, i'm lucky to squeeze into a size 14 or XL).

every day she was here, we had a proper vacation lie in. and just laughed and giggled our way around town.

when she left on jan. 9 -- i was absoluted devastated. i felt empty, lonely, and cried more times than i can count.

when J would see tears welling up, he's just nod and say, "you guys are simpatico" --funny little saying, but true.

we never had the chance to really live together as siblings. she was born when i was 8, and i promptly assumed a mommy role with her. i can't remember fighting with her. if anything, i was probably a bit too over-protective. and, i was definitely the annoying older sister who was too good for her own good. i got straight A's, was a cheerleader, played in the band, acted in all the school plays and was even yearbook editor for two years in high school (think lisa simpson). i was the ULTIMATE dork (yes, i had glasses, braces and bad hair) and a parent's dream. that must have sucked to grow up with that as your model. fortunately for adri, i went out of state for college when she was 10 and never moved back. i eventually grew out of my angel wings and we developed a more grown-up relationship. now, i would say she is my most favorite person on the earth (well, tied with my hubby).

she left so many little things behind when she left -- a sweatshirt, a book, mascara, toothpaste -- and everytime i found an item, i'd start to cry again.

i'm back into the swing of things here, my normal routine. but, man, i wish we lived in the same town, the same state. shite - the same country.

adri's back in school -- back in the exciting madness of design classes, roomates and yummy boys.

our relationship is back to quick IMs, blogs and random phone calls.

lover you.

more later ... i'm 99.9% parched.

this is ridiculous

mice have taken over our flat.

i have to admit (and i'm sorry if you're an extreme animal lover), we caught Chloe the mouse over Christmas. those home base traps and a little bit of organic peanut butter really do the trick. she was a nice size mouse, so it didn't make me too sad to see her go.

we had been living in our flat for over 5 months without a problem. now, they are everywhere.

pest control has been to our flat twice. they have foamed, they have placed baits everywhere. but the little damn creatures keep coming out. and they have no fear or shame.

we've since killed 3 more. one in our bedroom, two in the foyer. the trap has become part of my decor.

as we speak -- another one keeps popping it's little head in and out of the kitchen.

i'm beyond the point of squeeling. dont' get me wrong, it disgusts me to my core.

the flat is spotless. nothing is left on the counters or floor. the pest control man just says our building (make that block) is infested and they are "working on the problem."

until then, we get to wake up every morning to a dead mouse in a trap. loads of fun.

[side note: we do have humane traps and sticky boards set out as well, but the mice are smarter than that]

before walking into a room, i'm now clapping my hands and shouting a bit.

and, my feet don't touch the floor when i'm sitting in a chair.

as i type this post, i'm sitting in an odd sort of fetal position. ugh.

!feliz ano nuevo!

happy 2006!

i have to say, 2005 was a pretty amazing year.

our wedding. J selling the company. moving to london. meeting new people from all walks of life. traveling.

and, i couldn't have imagined a more fitting way of ending the year and ringing in the new.

my mom & sister came out to visit us in london. mom was here for a week and adri stayed for 3 weeks total.

it was so great so show them our world and the life we've built here.

they experienced taking the tube. walking everywhere. hopping on red buses. walking down our little streets. new smells. multiple languages. the crumbly entrance to our red-brick building. the long haul up the stairs to our cozy flat.

of course, i did my best to have the flat in tip-top shape. hung a great photo montage from the wedding. framed some travel posters. bought yummy throw pillows. and decked out our living room and mantle with christmas gear.

it was a jolly time. we did all the tourist favs -- madame tussauds, london eye, natural history museum and tower hill. we caught a friday evening showing of mary poppings (loved it!) and sampled amazing indian, thai and italian cuisine.

i loved to see my mom's face light up around every corner. i'm so glad we were able to share such a memorable christmas together.

then, my sis stayed on for new year's and a few more weeks in london.

we took the chunnel to paris and landed at a beautiful hotel (www.tablethotels.com) from our fav website. met up with dear friends from dallas ... L is 5 1/2 months pregnant -- so amazing to see. i want a belly, too!

[side note: we're trying for a baby, and it's so much fun! i'll keep you posted!]

most of our time in paris was spent in the st. germain de pres neighborhood, buying chocolate crepes from street vendors and sitting in quaint cafes eating croque monseiurs. it was super chilly, but we enjoyed walking on the river, to notre dame, the louvre and the orsay.

we spent new year's eve night at a funky morrocan-style restaurant. amazing fixed menu. great friends. fun resolutions. around 11:30pm, we booked it to the eiffel tower and watched it twinkle at the stroke of midnight. we then made our way to the champs-elysee and back to our hotel to enjoy a yummy bottle of champers at the bar.

we caught a performance of vivaldi's four seasons on new year's day ... we're thinking this might be a nice tradition to start.

we said our goodbyes to L&C and heading back to london the next day. i miss them so much. L&C have the amazing ability to energize and excite ... loved traveling with them and ringing in the new year with their new bump!

wooh - so much more to say. taking a breather for now.