Traditions, wow! In Mexico a little different! Halloween is still a big deal, but the week of Spirit week for Homecoming was great! 🙂 I did the days, Twin Day,

Pajama Day, Sport Day, and ASF color day, but despite nailing all the days, the freshmen came in last in points, 😦 I was sponsoring and supporting the freshmen as they had been the ones I went camping with but they were great and provided a shirt for me to wear that said, “I’m with the freshmen!” it was great…:) It even had my name on it!

Let me rewind as usual….:) Let’s work backwards this time! This weekend, minus proctoring the SAT test yesterday (7:00 AM should be nothing but I was BEAT the rest of the day and slept it, then also rested and laid low Sunday, wow! I got caught up on ALOT!) As you will find out, I entered into NANO, which is in November, all over the world, people enter to write a 50,000, (that is right) fifty THOUSAND, word novel, I am at 8000, right now, but I have until November 30st to get it all in, so around 17000 words a day MINIMUM and I am good. I chose to pick events that actually happened and turn them into a fictional story, so far, so good…I just hit mini roadblocks and that just comes with well being new to the process I think…? (fingers crossed!) –

Friday – I headed back to Delirios for dinner, wow. The thing about Delirios is you need to keep purchasing little portions, there really are not large portions of meals served, but what I had, a salmon sandwich, two rhurbarb tarts, americano coffee, it was all DELICIOUS. VERY busy around 4:00 until 5:00 then slowed off… but a very good meal in store for you, not to mention I think I fell in love with my waitress….:) She spoke English but that was incidental, she was beautiful! The last time I went there was for Sunday brunch, but again, the food is always fresh and always wanting you to order another!

The last week of October was fun as it was Spirit Week, Halloween, all wrapped up. Friday was awesome as I was invited to attend a friend’s Birthday party, and he had it all decorated for El Dia de Muertos too! During Day of the Dead, which was November 4th, I travelled to the Frido Kahlo Museum, as well as the Trotsky Museum as both lived close to each other. WOW! I learned so much! 🙂 Before arriving at the Trotsky and Frido Kahlo Museum, I arrived at a mall that was all Christmas! The mall, Palacio de Hierro in Coyoacan was AMAZING! I thought I was on New York again! 🙂 I hung out with Deborah and Michelle, fellow colleagues of ASF, and Deborah was going to kill me with all the text messages I sent!, but we ate at Meson De los Leones, a cool corner restaurant that was relaxing as the light shown in. The food was very good, I wolfed it in 8 minutes, but it was good. I can’t say anything stood out – but the bill was very reasonable and it helped cure a major hunger, and it was not anything I would not go to in Coyoacan again either! I loved the steady pace and oh! A MAJOR FIRST! At the end of the evening I went to UNUM (The Mexican University here) to see the many displays in honor of El Dia de Muertos. Very cool but crazy crowded, it reminded me of the Delaware State Fair!

I had my braces removed after over 9 years! It took awhile, but my gosh, not to have them or anything on my teeth, YESSSSSSSS! It is amazing and I think Dr. Castro is too! 🙂 It feels WONDERFUL!

I received by Saucony running shoes from Mom – from my house, WONDERFUL! My feet sooooo needed that! My shoes, I am keeping as a memoir, snce the soles are literally rubbed down to the sole almost! It feels so good to be wearing something with good support! Now I can run!

The Friday of Halloween week, I at at the awesome restaurant I mentioned in the restaurant part of this blog, Origenes Organicos, let me tell you, it as fantastic! All organic but the Campeche Sandwich I had there was awesome, and just, well it was the most relaxing Friday in awhile and it was food good for me! I lined up the staff that worked there and took pictures of them and they were great, I figured if I advertised for them they would not mind, and the food was so worth it! 🙂 The following night, Saturday, of Halloween weekend, I dressed up as Harry Potter, dyed my hair dark, and attended Amanda’s Halloween party, the costumes were a RIOT including the Michelin Man he was HUGE! lol…It was fun to see people outside of work and celebrating Halloween or really El Dia de Muertos!

Funny, here it is all about celebrating family that has passed away, ALONG with the rituals of Halloween a little bit, but more so the rituals of family that have passed away takes precedence. The offrenda (altars) that are made in honor of the are amazing! It was an awesome twist to the way the U.S. focuses on Halloween, yet Mexico focuses mainly on family. I thoroughly enjoyed the pictures I took to capture this!

As time draws nearer, I get excited to be able to travel to the U.S to present at NCTE in Chicago, and was even MORE excited to know my friend Natalie will be there at the same time visiting her brother, so we can reunite and catch up! WOW! I haven’t seen her since she was married several years ago! 🙂 I am also attending a luncheon after I present at NCTE (National Conference of Teachers of English) where author James Patterson and Anthony Horowitz will be speaking, so that will be a huge highlight as well!

It is unusual I will not be home for Thanksgiving, and I will miss this very much 😦 I have learned to value the time we had with our family and associated with Thanksgiving!
Natalie informed me I would be able to have Thanksgiving dinner with her and her brother, (I will be leaving Chicago, with my cat Blackie!, on November 23rd morning EARLY….:)

It seems there is so much more to say, yet with my writing for Nano, my arm and brain seem to be getting their share of writing in that they however had a chance to with the teaching I had done!

I am excited I am able to keep up with the winning the Steelers are doing, and am excited to follow their progress tonight against the Ravens, puts a whole new meaning on eating crow! 🙂 I am still amazed at the warm weather here and hard to believe we have cold weather in Delaware, it seems the weather is neutral here based on the altitude, and I can’t say I will ever complain! 🙂

Looking forward to bringing more news to you, from Mexico…:)

Ugh….:) Steeler’s loss last night was heart breaking to the Ravens’, 😦 but I love the rivalry, and the Ravens’ played worthy of that win!