some memories

my mom called me this afternoon. i know this was at great cost to her, since the price of long distance phone calls is pretty exaggerated in Chile. she was calling to ask about my cold, how i'm taking care of myself, and some recommendations for how to continue doing it.

it was the sweetest thing.

my sweetest memory of childhood illness is not my own. it's my brother's. when he was around 2 and i was around 4, he used to get something everyone referred to as "croupe". he would wake up and with a very deep voice (for a 2 year old) he would say "mama, milk. mama, milk". then we would all go the children's in the middle of the night. i'm not sure what they did to him there. i remember seeing some sort of oxygen tent. i waited in a room with books.

This is us with a nanny, 1978.

i wasn't a very sick kid myself. no bone breaking, no operations, no accidental poisonings that i recall. what i do remember, and i guess kind of miss everytime i'm really ill (which is not very often) is how tender and united my family was. just like my mom calling today.

there's also a different memory that comes to mind, that sort of reflects my favourite moments, of when my family really felt like one. it's hazy because i was very young, but there was a little boy in a playground who had stepped on glass. i don't know who he was, but we took him in our car to the hospital. he sat up front with my mother. his feet were bleeding. it was a very unique moment when letting someone take that special place on her lap was ok.

Sick-O

My boss coughed on me.

Actually, people have been sick around me for weeks now, and I finally succumbed.

Th good news is it's all my chest, no stuffy nose or stuff like that that just makes you want to slice it off, or take off your entire head. Head colds are the worst. This is slightly better, but still quite gross. It's a slimy cough, if you get my idea.

31

I'm 31. As of yesterday.

I had a wicked co-party on Saturday with Grae, who you may recognize from previous posts as Groan. A group of 35 or 40 of us met at Sharx for some glow-in-the-dark bowling in disguise. I was Minnie Mouse. Tom was a pirate. He was going for "Mexican pirate" but the poncho was too expensive. Grae did a good job as a cowboy; Julie was wearing a poodle skirt; James was King Kong; Button was a golfer; Nick wore a Royal Tannembaums-reminiscent track suit.

But last night was my favourite. I baked a version of El's Death by Chocolate cake and watched Napoleon Dynamite (gift from T). The girls got me an orchid plant (!!!) which Tom & I named Napoleon and took back to my place. I was queen for a day, it was awesome.

Today was visiting-with-my-dad day. We went to IKEA for a good romping shopping spree (by me, of course. Dad bought 2 50-cent bowls, what else is new). If you care, I was into frames, a new duvet cover (I'm into green this season) and a little something for the boy (I can't tell what or he might read it before I give it to him).

I know I don't *have* to, but I really enjoy buying him stuff I think he needs or would like. He's equally generous that way, and it's a pleasure giving and getting these symbols. I'm not much for things myself. I had all my clothes stolen in Arica, Chile, a long time ago, and part of getting over it was getting over my attachment to things in general. Not that I was ever really into them, except for anything paper and a few "specials" (a particular bottle when I was 4, a pair of boxers from a trip to Florida, my scooter). Anyway, that's not the point. There is just something about gifts, bought or made, that is so... fun!

I like to take my time with them. I soak up the way it's wrapped, how much creativity or care went into that. I open it slowly, create a sense of suspense. And then I like to read whatever may be on it, smell it, touch it, imagine how many ways I'll be able to use it, or how it will remind me of whoever is giving it to me. I love gifts!

So, in parting, here is a little gift for you, to say thanks for reading and sorry I'm late updating.

more, just MORE

From an email written by someone far more senior than I:

"Should I update [...] and send a letter stating the fee has went up?"

AND

Quoted from a meeting and a conversation. Total occurrences: about 15

"pressident" instead of "precedence"

***
All from the mouths and keyboards of native English speakers. Kid, if you're in school: forget it. You're right. You'll always be allowed to use a calculator and Word has spell check, if you care to use it.

A must see

1984 : british school children interview Morrissey and Johnny Marr (that's The Smiths, for you young ones) and sing along to This Charming Man.

Nice to see Moz and Marr being friendly.

http://www.youtube.com/w/Who-are-the-Smiths-%3F?v=sSFtlwiT6ZY&search=smiths

no sólo en Chile

la gente espera hasta el último minuto para hacer las cosas. Hoy fue el último día para la exposición acerca de los pintores en Provence, en Francia, y el Museo de Bellas Artes estaba repleto. Cuando mi papá y yo salimos, había incluso fila en la calle. Con menos 10 grados al pleno sol, te puedes imaginar que es un sacrificio.

En todo caso, la muestra no era cara: $15. Canadienses.

Yo juraba que ya la había visto. *Algo* vi con la Button este otoño pero parece que fue otra cosa, y que lo de Provence lo vi en Ottawa en la Galería Nacional, porque recuerdo muchos más cuadros de Van Gogh. Quién sabe a estas alturas. Quizás fue en Nueva York...

Con María nos fuimos a Ovarium a hacernos masaje. Dura una hora completa. Es exquisito, pero me dio verguenza no haber hecho antes la pedicure. ¿Qué habrá pensado de mis pies las masajista?

Roomies

Julian, Justine, Tom and Amy: the coolest cats that you ever will meet.