COSICAS

A speedy update as February comes to a close, and in the order that these things come to my brain:

My living room has, over the past few months, slowly been transformed into a craft room or decoration station. It all began when Sara got me hooked on making bracelets with thread. I considered it a decoy so I would stop gnawing on my fingers, but I've only completed three and a half so, new methods are in order. Well, Sara came back from Christmas break with an entire bead store. She makes a piece of jewelry a day by now and splurged big time on some cheap Japanese beads via London. We needed a use for our dining room table anyways. Apart from that, our Carnaval wigs found a home atop the vases on display in the living room and because it's also consistently been freezing here, by the time one load of laundry is finished drying on the rack, on the chairs, on the doors, on the couch and on the tables, it's time to wash more clothes. So it's this magical dressing room space where, we have the means to bedazzle every piece of clothing we own. Maybe we should invite MIKA over.

Reasons why I love direct translations, SPANISH-ENGLISH-SPANISH part 83: It's verdad that I do get frustrated when students continue to make the same silly/easy mistakes time after time after time after time. But there are a few that make me smile rather than grind my teeth. For example: In Spanish, the word for parents is PADRES. "I live with my fathers and two brothers." Duh, I know you mean parents. Although, Spain is with it, gay marriage is legal and guess what, the world doesn't explode with legalizing gay marriage! And people are happy! Multiple jaws dropped to the floor when I sadly informed a class that not EVERYONE in the United States can legally wed. Right?!

This may come more as a shock to people that haven't seen much of me since high school, but... I wear my hair down almost every day. Sporty spice Karli has morphed from tom boy athlete to a sensible human that is extremely appreciative for having hair, in general. It's effing cold here. EFFING cold.

Remember how my family sent me one of those big bottles of Tapatío the beginning of January? the quart size? Well, we've (I've) been more than half way finished with it after the first month and I was really starting to get nervous about my remaining 3 months in Calata.. I'm a splurger, I hate rationing.. SURPRISE, my family knows me well, and God said, make it burn! Now I can make that soup-kitchen sized pot of spicy ass chili to get me through the rest of winter.

YA ES PRIMAVERA....(not).....travel plans: Having grown up in a small town, I can really feel at home living in Calatayud (population 20k but condensed into a mini sized city, so technically it's about 1/5 the size of Grass Valley). But sometimes I'm reminded of the downside of this sheltered childhood. Today, my students had to answer the question: "If you could live anywhere in the world, where you you live?" Survey says.... ZARAGOZA. Really???? It's 45 minutes away by car. They go every month for shopping and partying. It's like answering Roseville or Sacramento. Anywhere in the world huh? Hence, I'm looking forward to do some traveling of my own.
PLANS
Semana Santa (Spring Break): Sevilla, Cádiz (the dirty south), BARCELONA for Emily's birthday (24, puag)
May: San Sebastian, Bilbao and Santander (All in the pretty pretty Norte de España ahh!)

Random week in April vacation package: Canary Islands, yeeeeeeeeeee... Here's what the islands look like now:

And here's what they need to look like by the time I get there:

¡¡¡¡FLOOD GODS, PORFA!!!!

The Carnaval Run-Down:
Lady Gaga, Hannah Montana and Michael Jackson dominated the scene. But there were definitely other impressive costumes. And, Calatayud throws a mean Carnaval parade. Floats and American marching bands toured the streets: Grease Lightning, 101 Dalmations ( I think they were a handful short), Egyptian mummies and my favorites of course were a group of my babies as little "Caperucitas Rojas" or Little Red Riding Hoods prancing around. I had a photo but that of course brings me to my next highlight of the evening. Adiós camera. Dishonesty brings gnarly Karma, no? Hay dos foticos:

We started another group English conversation circle (drums optional!) at the Official Language School in Calatayud for professors/maestros in the area. It's great. Last week we talked about Kobe Bryant, Valentine's conversation heart phrases, Spanish news programs (weather, soccer and more weather) Nick Nolte, John Travolta, colloquial Spanish phrases we need to know, stereotypes about people from California (my flatmates had lots to say) and our favorite colors. This week, I'll be bringing organic pumpkin muffins (thanks Kel) and who knows where the conversation will go. Spaniards are opinionated and proud people.


Los Amantes de Teruel

Emily and I ventured to Teruel (1 of the 3 provinces that divides Aragón) on Saturday night for a city wide festival known as "Los Amantes de Teruel," which celebrates the supposed history of these two lovers set in Medieval times. Serious flashbacks to 8th grade Renaissance fair and this time around, everyone is draped in coats and shields with swords strapped to their bodies, including babies, teenagers and grandparents. The best part is that for highschoolers, it's totally not UN cool to dress up in the garb with one's respective families, in fact, it's pretty cool. Faux-fur hats, broaches and tunic dresses, ummm yes! Who needs a bonfire with all those layers keeping you warm? Well, Emily and I did. So we two vegetarians found the perfect flame to help thaw our puppies:

EW

And of course, since we weren't dressed appropriately and wanted to blend in or at least get part of the Medieval experience, we just hiked up a mountain, retrieved a long stick and tied our picnic bag to it.

Sword fights:

The English department at Leonardo de Chabacier shares an office with the French department. "Languages¿" Anyways, Pilar, a French (she's Spanish) profesora is an amazing woman. Her husband owns a very successful fruit business, farming, distribution, etc... They have a little country house where Pilar likes to host lunch parties with her ladies and fill everyone's tummies with the most delicious yum-yums and on top of it all, this woman is always laughing. I just want to be around her all the time. So I've decided I'm going to ask her to adopt me. She laughs and cooks, what's more? Oh she likes to travel and has house a beach house on the coast. Well, she invited me to lunch with her group of friends. It was... incredible. The house, the food, the ladies. We took group photos after a million rounds of soup, cheese, bread, vegetables, sausages, stuffed peppers, coffee, champagne, wine, tea, fruit and cinnamon rice pudding and instead of "say cheeeeese" they say: "CLIIIIIIIITORIS" which after some laughs turned into embarrassment because I had to inform them that it is literally..... the same word in English.

Almost the whole group.



Lovely Pilar is the woman in front of me



Here, I'm with Fina (in front) who is also a profesora of French at the high school.

Lastly, a CONGRATULATORY shout out to my frienders: Luke&Rachel and Ross&Renee who will be getting married this summer! Os quiero!

PRESENT CONTINUOUS BLUES

Fridays are my day off. I have a lot of time to unwind and reflect on my (hardly) work week. These are the highlights for February 1-5, 2010.

1. WATCH THIS

2. I accidentally joined the Twitter network and I follow 7 people through their twisted ideas and lives: Barack Obama, MIKA, Alex Spieller, Lady Gaga, Emily Thompson, Björk & Neil Patrick Harris. I think I got the # and @ tricks down. Not quite sure if I totally understand Tweets on the whole, but I'm intrigued for sure. How else would I have stumbled up THIS? If you'd like to follow the happenings of yours truly, find me: cabecita_loca

3. My girl Kendy just proposed this LIFE OPTION on Facebook.. It's just, I want to live everywhere in the world. Canada, Mexico, Every country in Central and South America, not really Russia at the moment, somewhat dreaming about spending my summer in Gulu, Uganda with a good friend, Brooke Hodges who is doing real good for the world and betters my life in many ways...to continue: the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Thailand, regular Asia & Emily T even suggested stopping in Iceland on a flight to or from Europe.. (it's only 3 hours from NYC!) etc etc etc.. Today is a beautiful day though, and that's the only thing I can think about. There is one wall of our apartment building that gets the best late-afternoon sun while blocking all the wind at the same time. I think this is the weekend to invest in beach chairs and get some quality reading time done on the curb of our street.. (Requiem for a Dream?) Speaking of ladies, that brings me to my next point.

4. Today is a fiesta, and it's all about the fem-bots with TETAS! Signs started popping up around town for different Saint Agueda celebrations tonight. Our female colleagues have made dinner reservation for a nice well rounded group of ladies basically ranging in age from 22-50's and we're hitting the town. Before dinner, we're starting the night out classy with a concert; pianist brother-sister duo notable for their classical piano renditions, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. A dinner break at El Pacha and from there... the night is ours. We can either cruise back across the bridge and catch a midnight drag show at the hotel by our house or head to the newly opened discoteca, Oxid, for a special ladies night. All we know is the elementary teachers want to go dancing. Done and done. Happy day, chicas!

5. I have a confession, and it's one I will have to shamefully admit to a class on Monday. You CAN use the present continuous to talk about future plans. Oops, sorry Adrian, you were right. Reasons I should be teaching Spanish grammar and not English.

6. I've been test driving one of my favorite Christmas presents ever. It's my soup bible. 1 stock, 100 soups. We've had to twist and personalize them a bit, especially because 2/3 of us in the house are vegetarians (for the time being, and hey, I feel great!) but so far, we've had no failures. Two weekends ago I was a bit under the weather and Sara bear mommy'd up on me and made a most delicious Tomato and White Bean soup. Last night, we took a different route... Squash & Lentil. I had to share the recipe, it was... Easy! and Jummy! Wintry and Hearty!

Onion, chopped. (calls for 2, I used 1.5)
Garlic. (calls for 2, I used probably 7)

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot and simmer Onions and Garlic until softened.

2 lbs or 1 kg of squash or pumpkin, cubed. (it's really however much you want/fits in the pot)
1/2 cup lentils. (I used dried lentils because they'll cook in the broth. but there's no need to go light on the lentils, so much iron!)

Add squash and lentils to pot, simmer for a few minutes. (5 maybe)
Add these spices to the pot, too: Cumin, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Coriander.

Add vegetable broth, 7.5 cups (7 cups couldn't fit in the pot so it really doesn't matter, plus, less watery more squashy? Anyways, you can pre-make the broth or just put the water in and drop the vegetable bouillon)

Bring to boil, then reduce to medium heat. Let cook for 45 min - 1 hr.

Then the fun part: FOOD PROCESSOR!! We have a hand held one, so that's way easier than transferring to the processor and back again.

Lastly, salt, pepper and the one ingredient that will MAKE OR BREAK your soup, I swear: LEMON JUICE, fresh squeezed trumps, 1.5 - 2 lemons will serve.

Wouldn't hurt to add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt (healthier alternative to sour cream) for garnish!

Now, this is a way to enjoy winter. Warm hugs to everyone, XOXO

P.S. I tried to get a trim as I am finally accustomed to and happy with long hair... She chopped it off. Guess 4 fingers is more than I thought