9 course dinner

Oh my gosh, one of the best meals of my life, even though my mom kept saying that it was way too much food for any sane person to eat.  But man, was it good.

A jumbo shrimp (langostino en espanol) grilled perfectly to look like a star.

Fish stock soup with squash, goat cheese, and curry.

3 desserts:  an amazing cookie that tasted like pecan pie, fresh passion fruit and mango, and panna cotta with guava jelly.  YUMMY!!!!!

The Houstons go to Panama

 My parents came to Panama City for a visit this weekend, on their way to Peru to experience the wonder of Machu Picchu.  It's hard to tell, but the Panama City Skyline is behind them in this picture.
We spent two days on Santa Clara beach, which my mom said rated as "terrific for walking."  Also, my mom, who hates being cold (which is weird b/c she lives in Chicago), went swimming with me in the Pacific Ocean, which was as warm as a bathtub.  At least, she went swimming until the powerful surf sent her unintentionally bodysurfing.

 We saw some amazing old PT boats from WWII, and my dad told us that the P-109 (the one pictured here is the P-203) was the boat that JFK captained during WWII.  When the boat was broadsided by the Japanese, splitting it in two, Kennedy swam something like five miles in the ocean to get help while his crew hung on to the wreckage.  

On Sunday, my mom and I took a trip to Gatun Lake, and saw some amazing animals.  We kayaked through a swamp of lilies to find a hidden waterfall, and we played with monkeys and lizards.  It was a true Panamanian experience.

And it was great to see my parents!  I hope they visit again soon (even though the pollen in Panama seems to be the mortal enemy of my dad's sinuses), and we will have more adventures. 

Scuba Certification

 SCUBA certification was a long process, involving 20 hours of class and 10 hours of open water dive time.  But it was pretty great.  These are pictures from our open water certification weekend in Portobelo on the Caribbean coast. 

Our instructor was Manuel, a fascinating Panamanian man.  He is a US educated engineer who is a Dive Instructor on the weekends.  He was patient with us, and laughed along at some of our very stupid jokes.  And his pick-up truck held our 14 tanks, 7 sets of fins and BCDs, as well as all of the other miscellaneous gear that SCUBA diving requires. Bring on the coral reefs and gorgeous fish.

Visit to the Spanish fort designed to defend against the real life pirates of the Caribbean in Portobelo, Panama

Built right on the water, complete with watchtower, gun holes built into the walls, and cannons.

The cannons are still there, all covered in rust.  Considering that they are made of pure iron, it's not surprising that the Spanish left them there. 

It's a really old fort, built in the 1640s.  The best part is that visitors are allowed to climb all over everything... sit on the cannons, climb in the watchtower, walk up and down the boat rack, hang out in the dungeon.  Here, my friend Andrew and I were checking out the artillery ramp.

And here, my friend Ashley is peering from the officers quarters into the sentry station.  Nothing like direct interactions with history to make it come alive.

Team Scubateam!

The five of us (Andrew, Ashley, Austin, Mariah, and I), self titled Team Scubateam, spent the weekend on the Caribbean coast in Portobelo, Panama, doing the open water section of our PADI diver certification.  After four dives, ranging from 38 to 58 minutes underwater at depths of 10'-55', we are all certified open water divers.  It's pretty freakin' awesome, esp since we saw a lot of flourescent fish and amazing coral during our training dives. 

And with the free afternoon, we explored the old Spanish fort in Portobelo.  There were tons of cannons from the 1600s, all of which had fired at pirate ships trying to encroach upon Spanish territory.  We wandered in the hold where gunpowder was stored, as well as the chamber where pirates were locked up.  I love experiencing history!

It's a Walkout!

My camera is broken, so while I get a new one (or a new battery, I'm not sure which is causing the problem), I will again stand in solidarity with the Chicago Teachers Union.
- They are striking for the rights of Chicago children.  
- They are striking to bring more analysis, learning, art, and world language into the classroom, rather than just test prep.
- They are striking for humane conditions in the schools (my old classroom used to reach 97 degrees by 1pm each day in June and Sept).
- They are striking for good working conditions for teacher, and fair pay and benefits that will keep qualified teachers in CPS.

I've been wearing red every day since the strike started, and if my camera was working, I would post a picture of myself in my red sweater and big red earrings.  Stand Strong CTU!!!!

Mmmm, papaya

Twice a week, I walk a block to the local fruiteria, and buy a papaya.  I cut it up at home, put it in the fridge, and get to eat fresh papaya every day.  It's been over a month, and I still look forward to it, especially if it's a snack at school.  And you know, if I need one day off, I can mix in some fresh pina, banana, or mango.  Fresh papaya makes everything better.

Frank Sinatra's new bed

Frank has a new trick, a trick which has caused me to move all of my clothes out of the dresser, and onto hangers.  The dresser is now filled with non-cloth items, like shoes and extra bottles of moisturizer.  And here is why.  It takes 10 seconds to load, but its worth it.

Santa Clara Beach Saturday

Bored on Saturday?  Drive to the Pacific Ocean, get some Coronas, and while away the afternoon.