mylifeinspain

happy thanksgiving!

Well, the potato filling is in the oven, and true to form, our Thanksgiving plans have been changed fifty thousand times in the past week as the other organizing Americans in the village can never stick to a plan. Currently, we are set to have Thanksgiving at the home of a couple we have never met, whose house is at the top of our "El Monte" neighborhood, which means that Big Jim and I have to schlep all of our hot casseroles up two very steep pedestrian streets. The original plan was to have the meal at our friend (the dearly departed) L.'s house just around the corner because some of her family is staying there while they visit from America. In the spirit of the holiday, Big Jim and I are trying to overlook the fact that we weren't consulted but rather just told that the dinner had moved and more people had been invited, etc., etc. The kicker, though, is that the new hosts aren't even American! (Big Jim isn't either, I realize, but he serves as our honorary Pilgrim, complete with silver foil buckles on his shoes.)

I suppose it could be worse. After last year's narrow escape from a complete debacle, when everyone else decided Big Jim and I would be hosting, yet neglected to mention this critical factor to us until people actually arrived at the door with hot dishes, my clever husband devised the following plan:

What a perfect week to paint the house! Very sly. :-)

Enjoy your turkeys and pumpkin pie, everyone!

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

foto friday

Big Jim snapped this foto of Ayers Rock, or Uluru, as his flight jetted across Australia.

Have a great weekend!

mylifeinspain

secret to a happy marriage #347

When the husband returns after a long time away and within eighteen hours already begins to complain about not having a functioning dishwasher, my advice is to let the man buy a new dishwasher, even though you personally prefer to wash dishes by hand and find the machines wasteful of water. Besides, you can always compromise and buy one of the new super-efficient models, so the latter is not such an issue.

Also, to avoid any potential arguments as to how dishes should be stacked in the new washer, please refer to the handy guide that came with our new machine (click on image to enlarge).

(Twenty rupees if you can guess its country of origin based on the attention to detail on the above. :-)

Big Jim may chose to freestyle stack, but I am CMA and following the diagram to avoid potential conflict regarding appropriateness of placing a cereal bowl in slot c versus slot e. (Consider this a bonus tip.)

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

life is good, v. good

• Most importantly, my husband is on a plane to Singapore, the first leg of his journey home. :-)

But the icing on this week's cake:

• Nancy Pelosi, the new Speaker of the House, yay!
• The super-scary Rick Santorum---fired!
• Current favorite buzzword of the press (and me, too): rebuke/d
• Rumsfeld---fired! (cuz you know he was, although my Rep. neighbor here insists he has "retired")
• George Allen---fired! (now he has plenty of time to reorganize his Confederate flag collection)
• Remember Tom DeLay, the disgraced former Congressman and gerrymanderer extraordinaire who redistricted Texas so that it would be nearly impossible for a Democrat to ever win there again? Well, his former seat was won by a DEMOCRAT!
• Karl Rove apparently learned "the math" on Bush's "No Child Left Behind" education reform program. ;-)

Oh, I could go on, but I have a curry to get in the slow cooker so it's ready by Big Jim's lunch-time arrival tomorrow. Seriously, though, I don't believe I have been filled with this much political hope since 1992. A heavy veil has been lifted, and I finally believe the United States is on the right track again. :-)

(Note to George: please tell your speech writers to stop using the damn cowboy references [I heard that ridiculous "rodeo" comment at your press conference yesterday]: the bull has more than thumped you, buddy; plus, it's just so lame, this faux rancher exterior you cling to. NOBODY believes you ever participated in a rodeo, except maybe as a clown, ok?)

Finally, perhaps one of my favorite 2006 voting stories, from my home county of Berks:

Content on voting, Pa. woman, 95, calls 911

Associated Press

READING, Pa. - Anna Urban has been voting since Franklin D. Roosevelt was president and wasn't about to miss an election.

When the 95-year-old Reading resident didn't have a ride to the polls Tuesday, she didn't hesitate. She dialed 911.

Dispatchers forwarded the call to the Berks County Election Services office, where it was considered a compliment.

"To call 911 and ask for help to vote really says a lot," said Deborah M. Olivieri, election services director. "It meant a lot to everyone in this office; it made us feel what we do is worthwhile."

County Commissioner Judith L. Schwank immediately picked up Urban, and Urban walked to the voting booth at Millmont Elementary School on her arm.

"All my life I voted," said Urban, a Democrat, who cast her first ballot in the 1930s. "You need to vote to be a good citizen."

Bless every Anna Urban who rocked the vote Tuesday. :-)

Now, I really must get to that curry.

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

election day

Americans: make sure you vote today. Friends of Americans: urge your American friends to vote today.

My ballot was mailed back several weeks ago (she said almost smugly), and in an odd moment of synchronicity, I found myself in line at the post office behind most likely the only other voting American in the village (there are only five of us total), and he too was there to send his absentee votes back to Massachusettts. How weird or what?!

But those of you voting today, here is bunch of good information to have at hand:

Polling place location/hours: go here

To volunteer today for Dems: go here

Voter protection/rights: go here

Also, here's some more good information to pass along, from Howard Dean:

1) If you're a registered voter, do not leave your polling location without voting. Every registered voter is entitled to cast a provisional ballot.

2) If you're in line before the poll's closing time, you are entitled to vote.

3) You're entitled to view a sample ballot at the polling place before voting.

4) If you experience any problems voting or observe any irregularities, immediately call 1-888-DEM-VOTE to report the incident. In addition to providing your polling place information, by calling 1-888-DEM-VOTE you can record a complaint or speak with an election protection monitor. The line is available in English and Spanish.

And in case anyone still hasn't gotten the word, which is entirely possible with all the mud-slinging in recent weeks, here is a link to the Democrat agenda. If you're still an undecided voter, check it out.

The past few elections, I have stayed up to await poll numbers and projections, but this year I have decided no more of that. I am going to pour myself a nice glass of rioja and put the "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown" DVD in the player, except that I'll secretly insert "Rick Santorum" in place of CB, hehe.

Vote for change.

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

foto friday

Have a great weekend, everyone!

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain