mylifeinspain...

has moved. Please continue with us on our journey at the new blog (new address: www.mylifeinspain.typepad.com). I am still working out the final kinks, so thanks in advance for your patience! :-) hasta pronto, mylifeinspain

what's new/big jim's birthday

My apologies for the infrequent posts of late. Have been working to transfer the blog here (http://mylifeinspain.typepad.com/), so if you see the formatting has gone a wacky here, that is why. The next site should be up by the end of the week...will keep you posted. :-) For those of you who don't know, it's Big Jim's birthday this coming Sunday. Have been a tad flummoxed for gift ideas---the man has so much stuff, especially so soon after Christmas and the US shopping opportunities. But as I was perusing the latest issue of the Sur, I saw that Cirque du Soleil (http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/)was on in Seville. Couldn't get tickets for this weekend, but I could for the following. Yay! Just the remedy needed for the winter drearies. :-) The village is so bloody quiet these days. I miss the abuelas sitting on the benches gabbing all afternoon. Alas, they only venture out in January, bundled with their scarves, to buy bread and then hurry back to the warmth of the estufas. Will have to wait a few months for the chatting to resume. Hasta pronto, mylifeinspain

what's new/trip highlights, part II

Finally finished this book project I have been working on since early September. Good riddance to it, I say. It was a fairly tedious subject, with tons of graphical material, so I am happy to move on to something a bit more interesting. Otherwise, the days are just ticking by. No more news on the job in Prague (for those of you who never guessed the mystery location). From what Big Jim can gather from the agent, the company is hiring many, many people, and the process is taking longer than expected. Bit of a drag it is because Prague would be a great place to spend a year living, giving both of us a much-needed break from village life and the opportunity to gain some perspective. So we shall see. Big Jim has received a bunch of other calls for jobs in other interesting places; just depends now on the timing of the Prague project. The sun has finally returned after days and days of pounding rain. (No complaints as I remind myself the country certainly needs la lluvia.) Because the dreary weather causes many to hibernate and huddle around their fires, we have seen few of our friends since we've been back. But tonight we are having M.A. over for dinner so that we can finally catch up properly. Very much looking forward to seeing her. :-) Must go finish my work before her arrival, but for now here is the second installment of my Nostalgia Trip 2005 highlights. Hasta pronto, mylifeinspain
A Griswald-style Christmas house, albeit a bit more tastefully done than Clark's. *Spending an entire afternoon baking snickerdoodles and Tollhouse cookies...so much butter, but so, so yummy. *Lounging about coffee shops with Big Jim, with all my work deadlines far, far away in Spain.
Too much Christmas fun for my brother, my parents' cat, and my niece. *Eating sushi with M. at Koi in Northern Liberties. Philly people who dig sushi: you must try this place. Awesome lunch boxes full of delicious sushi for $9-10. *Spending time with my friend C. from college and J. from old Philly days and their families. So good to see them happy and enjoying life.
King Dad, with his Christmas cracker crown. *Dinner at Vietnam with S. and M. Thanks again for the great gifts. Big Jim loves his body butter (you know how the guy loves his "products"). *Strolling through the Reading Terminal Market and stopping by the Down Home Diner (okay, twice) for a bite.
M. and T., our fabulous B&B hosts. Thanks again! :-) *Watching "Ice Age" with my niece Cora, oh I mean the tiger (warning: don't argue with her about this point.) *Weird little family things, for example, finding out my sister and I recently purchased almost identical glass frames, me in Pakistan, her in Maryland....same brand, just slightly different color. You can put miles and miles between you, but you can't change certain genetic predispositions.
My dad again, this time on New Year's Eve, seeming surprised to find his Manhattan glass not in his hand. *Staying up until 3am on Christmas, catching up with my brother. *Fabulous NYE's dinner at one of those great old PA Dutch hotels.
A more-sober mother. (Dad, was totally fine, btw. Just a gentle rib. :-) *Amanda, the wonderfully friendly and nice worker at Enterprise Rent-a-Car. *Bagels, bagels, bagels.
Cora, the tiger, and her assorted animal friends. *Pizza, pizza, pizza. *Going for long walks with Big Jim in the cold, fresh air.
Beautiful sunset on the way to my sister's place in Maryland. *Shopping for foodstuffs that we can't find in Spain, things like orzo, Jelly Belly beans (for Big Jim, of course), etc. *Watching the View every day with my mom and Big Jim.
Cora's "puppy" Otis, with his adopted stuffed Lab. *Visiting my sister's place in Maryland. *Getting to know my niece, correction the tiger, better.
My sister and Cora having a little "discussion" about picking up toys. *Seeing my aunt and uncle and cousins, although too briefly. *Pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day, an old PA Dutch tradition.
Laughing at Cora's silliness, although judging by her mother's expression, it might have involved a "potty word." *Embracing sweatpants as a fashion item. Especially useful if you gain 2 kg (life I did) and 4 kg (like Big Jim) did during a 3-week holiday. :-)

happy friday/trip highlights, part I

Wow, again another week has passed and I have no idea where the time went! I have been busy catching up with work (still have a teensy bit of unpacking to do...disgraceful, I know). Big Jim has been fighting off the flu while also recovering from a little operation he had in the US (more in this some time in the future), so I have also been doing double duty as nursemaid when required. The pets have been professional sleepers. We did indeed purchase a nifty teepee bed for Mr. Beebs, but of course he won't go into it. (Nor will the cat for that matter.) Because he always creates little tents for himself by sleeping under the furniture covers, we thought the Beebman would dig the teepee. Apparently not. Advice? Have finally sifted through the photos from our US trip (notice how this was a priority over unpacking :-). Here are a few, plus the first installment of assorted highlights, in no particular order. * M's 40th birthday party, held at Isaiah Zagar's awesome studio (if you are not from Philly, learn more about him at http://www.isaiahzagar.org). Much fun, and nice to catch up with so many great people. Plus, the entertainment was fabulous. :-)
* Preparty dinner with Big Jim at one of Philadelphia's great institutions: the Melrose Diner (http://www.melrose-diner.com). Bought a tub of their chocolate cookies to bring back to Spain. Yum. :-) *Hanging out at M's on Sunday, eating bagels, chatting with B., while Big Jim was out Christmas shopping. * Ever need to find a hotel in Philadelphia? Big Jim and I highly recommend the Latham (http://www.lathamhotel.com). Great value, plus it is located right smack in the middle of everything. And everyone was superfriendly. The doormen's equestrian boots, however, might be a bit much.
Rittenhouse Square, all festive. *My parents' cat Gunther. He's 17, too, like C.K. Needless to say, he sleeps a lot.
*Snow, lots of snow. :-)
*Visiting my old drinking places, like Fergie's and the Khyber. Even if the crowds are all new (save Fergie), the people are still really nice. Plus, you can't beat the Khyber's happy hour prices: pint of Yards for Big Jim and a Chesterfield for me = $3. Ah, speaking of happy hour, that time has come to the village, so I must be off. Have a great weekend, everyone! hasta pronto, mylifeinspain

unpacking

Mr. Beebs, very proud of his new sweater, stealing some time in C.K.'s bed while she's off begging for more cat food. I think it is time we finally get the Beeb man a bed of his own. Have been very busy since we have been back. As I did a final check of my e-mail before we headed to the airport Wednesday, I received an e-mail from my editor titled "Emergency". Turns out he found a bunch of files that should have been sent to me months ago and now needed to be done "immediately". Couldn't get any work done on the flight to Paris because the woman in front of me reclined her seat and was out for the duration. Managed to get some done during our layover at Charles de Gaulle and have been working ever since. Err. Plan to tackle the unpacking today and perhaps spend some time with my new best friend, Clementine, the iPod. And sort through the vacation photos. :-) More later.... hasta luego, mylifeinspain

packing

I hope everyone has had a wonderful and happy holiday. We have had a fabulous time visiting and reconnecting with people, and I thank everyone who participated in my Nostalgia Trip 2005 as I went back to many of my old haunts to check them out. Great fun. :-) Big Jim and I have a day planned of packing and visiting my grandmother and then we intend to spend one last night chilling on my parents' loveseat recliner, which just sucks you in and cradles you off to sleep. It is divine. My last-minute decision not to bring my laptop has resulted in virtually no postings during our trip, but I will do a recap and put up many photos after we are settled back in Spain. It is always difficult to leave our friends and family here, but we are both anxious to see the pets and ready to get back into our regular routine (and I am itchy to really begin playing with my new toy---yes, the Big Jim surprised me with a super-cool video iPod for Christmas). We have had a wonderfully relaxing vacation, and we thank everyone who put us up along the way. Much love and best wishes for a super 2006! hasta pronto, mylifeinspain

back in the u.s.a.

Big Jim and I survived one of the most tedious Atlantic crossings and driving to the PA Dutch homestead in an ice storm. CDG holds onto its reputation of the armpit of European airports with a computer system failure and a 2-hour departure delay. We have been filling ourselves with bagels and bowls of coffee and generally adjusting to this novelty of central heating. :-) Spent a fabulous weekend in Philadelphia catching up with a few friends. Not enough time, though, to see everyone, so we are planning a second visit there later during our holiday. Heard from the agent this morning about the job in the mystery location (which we hope to reveal soon to all of you who still haven't figured it out). We are now 98.5% sure this is going to happen....the agent called to confirm possible start date and Big Jim's pay rate, which is obviously a very positive sign. :-) Must dash now as we are off to Target and then to visit my grandmother. Will write again soon. Hasta luego, mylifeinspain