Dia del Niño! Children’s DAY!

Check these out!

Dia del Nino explanation…

and another one!

In the middle of our Library Week, this is awesome to try and connect with everything in Mexico!

 

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GET IN, HOLD ON, AND DREAM? :)

And you think I am kidding when I say hold on?  Okay, get this, in the past THREE WEEKS – this is /has been the schedule:

Puppies growing as large as gorillas – IMG_4379and one going to a new home  (pic here)  and two hanging out with me and the farm, lol, I need a home for one of these cutie males…ahem, someone, anyone?

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Aside from keeping my apartment clean, we have had our ASF basketball team last week KICK major BUTT in the final seconds and win the ASOMEX basketball championship in the COUNTRY!, and I was there all through the competition!  This was following a fit of anger when hardly anyone from my staff showed up for a concession during ASOMEX, then following me not having to be the mascot  😉 (well, maybe except for one day!) – we are in the middle of Library week starting yesterday!  We need your help! – I need you to go into Twitter, and create a Twitter.com account if you do not have ONE! – and add to our ongoing Twitter short story!  This is what you do –

go to Twitter.com, make an account, then type this in exactly:

in the search if you want to see first, check out the lines already written at:

#asflibweek2013 and you will see the lines already started for this Twitter story – at the end, I will have a program randomly pick someone for a prized entry on top of that, I have a program that takes just the entries that go to that hashtag and put them together as one story, how COOL is that?  Okay so to add your line to our story…

Type #asflibweek2013   and then add your next line to our ongoing story

First day of Library week – Monday, we created ribbons IMG_4396thanks to Janet and Gabby and have people writing their recommendations for books on the ribbons, then posting them, it looks WAY WAY cool – so that goes on all this week.  THEN – we kicked off library week with author David Lida coming in at 2:45, to a great sized crowd, students, IMG_4395faculty, those outside ASF, he was AWESOME.

If you would have seen the involvement and questions the students asked, you would have been so proud to have been a teacher in my school at that time, he was AWESOME, funny, intellectual, involved, IMG_4383and everything you could hope for in an author.  He was just a perfect start to the week of Library week (Schedule here) ScheduledeventsforUSLibraryWeek

we are celebrating this week in Mexico City!  So today, yes, wee hours of Tuesday, we have the book swap again, so bring books to swap with others during lunch and Brunch! – and we have the ongoing ribbon recommendation, as well as the Reading marathon with our Kindles, first time in the library! – today!  from 8:00 – 2:45 – straight reading on the Kindles, in Spanish and English – way cool! – and of course, we need you, reading this now, to add to our ongoing short story on Twitter?  Don’t know how?  Silly, look above….

Okay, so that takes us to Wednesday and thanks to May day, we have OFF School giving me a chance to catch up with the last modules of my graduate classes this semester – did I mention that has been going full swing the last few weeks?  Oh well, as if that was not enough, our magazine, our INTERNATIONAL magazine, Repentino.,  being judged after being rated a silver medallist in the prerunning last year from Columbia University, so this year, we are serious about being officially in the top rankings!  We need YOU to believe in us this year and preorder

Preorder form

one of our Repentino. magazines!  I don’t guarantee alot, but I do this, you will NOT be disappointed when you see the submissions from around the world in this amazing magazine I have been lucky enough to advise and work with a staff that, well, just would BLOW YOUR MIND.  If you have not read our blogs about presenting at Columbia University, and putting together these artists from around the world, where have you been?  Please consider purchasing one which will support artists and our endeavor to spread art around the world….preorder forms are here…  and just forward to me, and I will get your copy to you, I promise, it will be the most amazing international example you will ever see…

Spirit Week at ASF then…The BLUE MOON AND the ASF Film Festival seriously…all three within two weeks of each other?..this past Friday (- Blue Moon Festival)  let me tell you, gaining the largest satisfaction from seeing this crazy amount of talent having performed at our Open Mic Nights from our magazine only magnified this one night of talent.  I used to think Battle of the Bands was amazing, and it was truly, that was an operation to put on.  Yet Blue Moon and seeing the talent for this one night show just blows me away, I walked away reeling.  Wait until you see the videos and pictures I will be posting, you will not believe it.

On top of that, yeah, we are planning the Vince Morris and Dr. Betts 5k May 11th which I am flying back for May 10th – and I am going CRAZY trying to not forget the little details – and when I received the trophies I commissioned to be made here in Mexico, receiving them today, I almost passed out, NO ONE will believe how amazing these turned out and people will be scrapping for these, I GUARANTEE THAT, especially that they are homemade…AMAZING.  If you are in the DE area, Chapel Branch, and can run the 5k in memory of Dr, Susan Betts and Vince Morris May 11, you should be there it is an event you will NEVER forget this year, promise.  Dr betts and vince morris app

Okay so is that enough going on in the last three weeks?  Don’t forget the comical adventures of me placing sets of my boxers out on the window to dry and one falling down and me seeing it hanging on the ledge two stories down, wondering “Could I get those?”  why yes I could, I climbed to the roof, lowered a rope with a hangar on the end of it, and BINGO!  I just was able to grab the boxers by the edge with the hangar and pulled to my safety, YESSSS.  Can you imagine the neighbor looking out their window and  seeing a pair of boxers going up past their window – priceless I was laughing the whole time or I would have taken a picture. I think I invented a new competition, long distance crane cranking….I could do it.    There is so much more, but I am ending with the strangest thing, if we actually wrote down our dream that would be amazing, they are forgotten so quickly…I actually took an afternoon Saturday nap, and had the dream I tell below, I promise I did.  It was soooo….just well, you’ll see, I have NO IDEA what it means, but I thought, if I kept a record of writing all the dreams I ever had, I would have quite a crazy book  – no kidding. Next post I will expound on the topics I did not last time, mainly Tesla and Chapel Branch updates before the big 5k May 11.

And before you get tripped out from the dream I had below – get to that Twitter and participate in that ongoing short story, it will be great to have you involved.  🙂  9711 views on my blog to date, just saying…:)

Dream – “In the Roman period, a young man was brought before the ruling party at the time, held firmly by guards.  His punishment was death, and his body would be thrown into a box beside him that contained a contraption that would kill him at the bottom.  He knew this governing group of officials believed in the afterlife, and he bravely stood his ground accepting his fate. He looked around knowing they believed he would be pursued and tortured in his after life as he was being put to his death by force.  He also was aware of their strong belief in their God in the afterlife.  He asked who will be in charge of governing/guarding me in the afterlife?

He looked around, and everyone pointed to a guard of the highest command to his right.  The man looked directly at the highest in command and told him you will be disgraced as I am already chasing your God and putting him to death before you have any chance to protect him, just as you have failed to protect an innocent man here.  Caught unawares, he leaped to his death rather than fighting against the guards who did not expect him to loosen from them to jump to his death.

Without a blink, the emperor looked shocked, then turned ashen.  He had not had a chance to praise his God before the sacrifice of this man, and in turn was disgraced at the hands of this man you showed so much bravery in light of his death.  From then on, the court looked upon the emperor with disgrace and distaste due to the lack of ritual that had been not done before this man’s sacrifice, being worse than the death the man leapt to.

Did he chase this God after his life on earth?  One thing is for sure, his bravery and existence was remembered in a totally positive and different light than the emperor himself.”

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Mane de la Parra, Chapel Branch, and Tesla.

 

I have gone to Tom Petty, Phil Collins, Jimmy Buffet, Van Halen, Slash, George Strait, Amy Grant, The Eagles, Sheryl Crow, Clint Black, Hilary Hahn, Michelle Branch, the Hooters, lol, Tom Petty, Bruce Sprinsgsteen, the Dixie Chics, to name a FEW, met them talked with them, attended as a concert goer – and well, I have to say, this is a FIRST – attending a Ticket master…

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…event of someone that is the SISTER of the performer.  (Mane de la Parra) I have to say, this concert was unlike anything I had ever seen.  That is a tough act to fill, ranging from classical, to rock concerts I have attended, how can one, be everything. Yet it was.

“I have your ticket for you, do you want it now?” Camila came up to me Friday and gave me her brother’s ticket – and I asked, “My gosh yes, when is it?”  “Tonight!”  (Tonight I thought?  Really?)  I have a Sound of Music ticket tonight and realized I just made a donation without being able to go to Saturday’s concert.  Sure enough, I had my night switched, not upset, but hoping I could even find the Metropolitan Theatre, even though  knew enough that is was in Centro.

It’s funny, not knowing an artist is not why people usually go to concerts, they have a background before attending.  Being on the opposite side of that equation, well, I have never been in that situation, so not having expectations was a whole different story for me, and set up me taking in the audience before the stage would be set.  The audience was made up of mostly people in the 30’s at best – (as the oldest) some 50 ‘s alot of teens, I was impressed.  I thought, “I have NO IDEA” what I am about to see (lol).

I have to say, you take all those artists I mentioned at the beginning, and truly, you had that in one stage.  I honestly did not think that would be possible, for someone that is an actor, musician, guitarist, and singer to name a few, the whole package was at the service of all attendees.  I counted 11 supporting musicians at one point.  ELEVEN.  Add six dancers that came on at intermittent times, then three  more supporting singers later on in the show, and oh don’t forget, during the show at least three Mexican celebrity singers that made appearances, and you have a 2 1/2 hour concert that no one could touch.  I mean NO ONE COULD touch.  Period.

Audience members were up and dancing, and I have to say, the music ran deep – not just on the surface.   Have I seen better concerts?  I am not sure I have seen the depth and caliber, no.  Bringing someone up on stage from the audience and serenading them, as well as bringing 5 audience members up and having them as part of the dance group, on top of everything mentioned above, you find yourself EXHAUSTED when the end came, but smiling from ear to ear.

The Metropolitan Theatre instantly reminded me of Pittsburgh’s former Syria Mosque.  I had seen Duran Duran there and the place was breathtaking, I mean BREATHTAKING.  Same with the Metropolitan Theatre, the rising pillars, lighting, and architecture in general, is easy to miss, but once you take it in, you will never forget it.

So think about this, being the grandson of Yolanda Vargas Dulce, (if you do not know her, stay tuned but you need to do some research on her impacts on Mexico) and my student’s (Camila de Parra) brother, Camila is the editor in chief of our Repentino., can you imagine what things are in store when Camila goes off to her adventures after graduating this year?  We haven’t even talked about her sister yet.  Normally, you would think this would put pressure on her…yet, she has nothing to feel pressured about, knowing what can be done, even if she planned small or not at all, the future will be amazing with the enthusiasm and energy her family exudes. It’s funny, all I could think about at the concert was how hard it will be to let her go at the last Open Mic and graduation…crazy stuff. Her brother, amazing….:)   I find I can’t share the discoveries of Chapel Branch and Tesla in this blog post, as this one is strong enough on it’s own, and through the conversation in this blog, I have enough for the next 6, so remember…. Yolanda Vargas Dulce, research.  Stay tuned for the next fee discoveries that will make a change or that have already.

 

 

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Discoveries you can live with – WCMD, Open Mic Condesa, Samuel Beckett oh my!

WCMD Jazz, thanks to my former principal, Mr Clarence Davis, you can’t go wrong listening to his online refuel of Jazz at WCMD.  Wow, recalling the power of his voice at the basketball games, and now, at WCMD, his show will have you coming back for more 🙂  Definitely one of the best on line stations ever.

Coming back from an American Legion Open Mic Night, reading a portion from Samuel Beckett in tribute of his birthday last week,

“And in winter, under my greatcoat, I wrapped myself in swathes of newspaper, and did not shed them until the earth awoke, for good, in April. The Times Literary Supplement was admirably adapted to this purpose, of a neverfailing toughness and impermeability. Even farts made no impression on it. I can’t help it, gas escapes from my fundament on the least pretext, it’s hard not to mention it now and then, however great my distaste. One day I counted them. Three hundred and fifteen farts in nineteen hours, or an average of over sixteen farts an hour. After all it’s not excessive. Four farts every fifteen minutes. It’s nothing. Not even one fart every four minutes. It’s unbelievable. Damn it, I hardly fart at all, I should never have mentioned it.”

surrounded by friends, truly, the Open Mic we share one Wednesday a month in Condesa is JUST what the middle of the week calls for  Tonight hearing tributes of hilarity from Samuel Beckett, hearing Louis’s amazing imagery- filled short stories, Camila’s favorite saddest poem ;), and just all around sharing of things funny, serious, and dramatic, hands down the Open Mic Night in Condesa is THE BEST getaway for the middle of the week!

It’s exciting to know my former student, Alison was able to see Mrs. Obama today, Camila is going to be working in a field with someone that is so full of literary talent!, (and her sister is conducting the Paris Symphony tonight), Alyssa is “Outward Bounding” it living a dream of hers, Danielle has travelled and will travel even more and studying her dream courses, it is AWESOME that former students are stretching boundaries and LIVING, truly living and experiencing events they simply dreamed about before.

That might be one of the best “discoveries” ever, for them and for me!

 

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Discoveries TAKE THREE! English Theatre this weekend, SRU students this week and more…

Sitting in the Upper School Library today April 16, 2013, in walks a VERY familiar face and I am trying to place where at ASF she works, then it HITS ME….Jodi Kastafanas DOES NOT teach at ASF – she is at SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY!  It took me awhile before I realized the SRU student teachers are HERE, having flown in YESTERDAY – whoa!  I almost fell off my chair, I was so excited – funny it stunned me and took me awhile….and then Mr Gordon I met and all of a sudden, all the SRU students were there – like crazy – I was like jumping out my skin so excited.  Sometimes you get this inner discovery that some of the places you came from, are some very good places and you would not be the person you are today had you not come from those places, – very exciting discovery that often is taken for granted.

I have to look back to yesterday, walking Kinah through the park on Alvaro Obregon, and seeing Louis Cotto-Vasallo, an awesome and talented writer I met through the American Legion Open Mic Night in Condesa.  We just sat (not knowing for long time we lived one block from each other) and his stories just pilled out.  AMAZING stories of his positions as Immigration Officer and so much more – and just fascinated.  I discovered some of the best nights and time spent is when you push what you THINK is important and spend the time with friends that make those things LESS important.  The time hearing others’s stories is PRICELESS.  😉  I am HONORED to have one of his photos in our magazine this year….Screen Shot 2013-04-16 at 6.04.56 PM

An awesome third discovery was the attendance at the play “Woman in Mind” – Mr Webber’s experiment in community theatre with many of my colleagues in it!  I was in seconds surrounded by my colleagues’ children and we had a blast!  LOVED IT!  It is so exciting to see this develop and remember, tickets are still available this Friday, Saturday, Sunday!  Imagine the tension of relationships, the thrill of creative lives, and strength to fight back, and the disappointment of life as well, all wrapped together, carried by some committed actors, and the Off Broadway theatre feel, and you have one play worth attending!

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Three is enough, right?  For now?  Kinah needs walked, I need to finish my Mansfield Grad work, and I STILL can’t believe SRU is HERE!   YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH   🙂

Until the next post of discoveries, remember…”Don’t let your meat loaf!”  – (Someone wrote that in my yearbook).

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Discoveries Take 2

Continuing with the Discoveries series, here we go!  Several to mention – but before I forget – 40 – FORTY days old, are the puppies…revelations…webbed feet – well not like a DUCK, but the puppies, have connected digits, on their paws like, yes that is right, like a LABRADOR so people were half right, yes a Retriever but a LABRADOR Retriever, lol…if you would see the SIZE of these puppies at freaking 40 days – I mean, seriously, it is liked they have been sponges soaked in water and keep soaking it IN!  LOL….see?

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Okay – so Discovery 2, 3, 4, and 5 all in one blog!  (A 4 for one special, how cool is that?)

One of the most caring and conscientious places for your dog – has been the company Lucky Dog, literally taking Canine care to the Scientific Level.  After visiting Cynthia Kaplan in Parque Mexico, and her team, as always, being amazingly generous and inquiring about Kinah and her puppies, providing me this for Kinah and the puppies –

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they LOVE IT.  I said it once, and I will say it again, ANY and every time I have given Kinah and now her puppies food from Lucky Dog, I have seen a completely dog appear – in the shine and quality of their coats, their appetites, as well as their energy.  This is by far a quality find if you care about providing the best possible for your canine, hands down based on several trial runs!  Thank you for the amazing kindness every time I have encountered Lucky Dog!  Lucky Dog Puppy

Speaking of dogs, (I sense a theme) – while we were in New York, of course Kinah received a little shopping time – an amazing boutique for dogs called Canine Styles established in 1959.  With some help, I chose some stylish feeding attire and an amazing sweater I had been looking for.  Funny, I had NO idea what size, yet, the one I chose initially would fit the owner, lol as she stated.  So I decided one size smaller and no kidding, PERFECT!  What do you think ?

Sportin red

This is an awesome visit as they had so much to pamper you pooch, including a stylish grooming area in the back.

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So onto Discovery 3 – While in New York, and honestly unconsciously, I gravitated towards a place that made me feel at home just like it had a year before – Oren’s Daily Roast – let me tell you, this place KNOWS muffins, chair tea, coffee, EVERYTHING.  And service?  at 7:00 AM in the morning the staff never, ever fails to make you feel like a KING – last year and this year sealed the deal.  I could not walk past the store without going in, hands down undeniable. Their agreement to take a picture that early in the morning…

Orens

…this is the place you want to be at 7:00 in the morning if you have to be UP.  They ROCKED the state of coffee in New York.

Okay, so finally, let’s try to find a fourth discovery to stop at.  Definitely not in comparison to the above, by any degree, but, ever wonder (if you have cats) WHY your canine has this urge to get into the room where the cat litter is?  Me too, I thought I had some serious psychiatry time need for Kinah when in reality…

The cat litter dilemma and your canine…what the heck?

Okay, I can’t even really talk about that anymore, I am sorry I brought it up, but, um, it WAS a discovery…

I will close for tonight but you will definitely – DEFINITELY want to check out tomorrow’s series on discoveries 5, 6, and 7!  🙂

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Discoveries – No April Fool’s AMANDA! :)

Yes….by my standards and blogging it has been a LONG time!  🙂   Sorry!  April 1st just was hard for me this year, my Dad’s birthday was April 1st and literally, I was glad I had the day off before going back to school, it just crushed me this year.  Possibly a combination of having the puppies around me and always having puppies associate with growing up, be it St Bernard’s, yet the raccoons in diapers, deer nursed back to health, you name it, it had my Dad’s name stamped on it.  I never will get over the number of people I knew, and didn’t know, that my Dad had helped in his lifetime.  It still amazes me and makes in awe of the power of putting aside time to complain, and using that time not to be selfish, but selfless, to spend that time helping others, which he often did down to the seconds.  Amazing legacy he left each off us as his children 😉  So alot of that weighty information had been hanging on y shoulders, yet, I am still asked all the time, “Puppy pictures?”  So yes, this is an eye catcher…:)  at around 36 days old?  (I’ll have to go back and check my own blog!) – they are sturdy, gorgeous, and my number one discovery I am posting here since April 1 (No April Fools this time – nice try Amanda !)  – is the despite having more animals that I dreamed of, I can be amazingly thankful that they are quiet, loving, and allow a peaceful evening without even knowing they are here sometimes, and then sometimes letting me know they are here, they are amazingly thankful for the care and being taken in, and that is worth more than any amount of “Space” I might have gained without having them, I mean, look into these eyes!  🙂

2013-04-10 13.34.35And thanks to Andres, who runs Walking Dog, let me assure, you, having him come into your home and taking care of these darlings, and Kinah, was the BEST investment I ever made.  He was AMAZINGLY careful, meticulous, and awesome when it came to the details of taking care of not only Kinah, her new family, but also of Dewey, Hangover, Miles, and Widow – all amazingly complex yet he was able to do so without blinking.  DEFINITELY recommended, I mean, check this photo below!  How could you refuse?  I definitely recommend his company for the care you might need, and then some!  His two Afghans, both rescues, are a testament to his commitment and Kinah was happy to meet others!

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So my first discovery post – Afghans, awesome caretakers of animals deserving a home, and puppies, I think winning combination!

 

 

 

 

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Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!  I get the question lot, does Mexico celebrate Easter!  Of course!  🙂  Predominantly Roman Catholic, you can imagine how important this is in Mexico.  What is called Semanta Santa, is our break, which starts Palm Sunday and lasts to Easter Sunday, so our Spring Break from school ranges about one week prior to everyone’s in the states.

Meaning, on March 24th was a half day for us at school, and we go back April 2nd to school.  A couple very good links explaining places to go, and what /how Easter is celebrated can be found below:

Pascua – (Easter) in Mexico

Mexican traditions with Easter

Reenactments and diets associated with Easter

More on Traditions and the “Burning of the Judases”

Wherever, and whatever your plans dictate, enjoy today!  I think I miss the marshmallow chicks, peanut and chocolate eggs, and the variety flavored jellybeans the most – let me take that back, I miss the jello eggs we used to eat and by brother Randy’s, (really Harry)  – that was a family tradition.

 

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I was only looking for one THING…and was disappointed…Ending out March…

Seriously, I even researched it  – before leaving for New York – and was PUMPED after realized it did not exist in Mexico, believe me..I asked…

FOUR different Mcdonald’s in Mexico for the Shamrock Shake, nada, they looked at me like I was crazy and I had to settle for a Oreo Blend shake.

Imagine how disappointed I was when I got to New York, MARCH 19, TWO DAYS after St. Patrick’s, and went to four different locations, and no, one, I mean NO ONE, had the Shamrock Shake.  It was freaking travesty.

Screen Shot 2013-03-30 at 7.44.54 AMHeck, even one McDonald’s had the sign up FOR the Shamrock Shake, yet no shake there at all.  Nothing.  I was so upset, so I did come close, at Mel’s Burger’s I ordered a Mint Chocolate Chip shake, it was DELICIOUS, but it was no Shamrock Shake.

Seriously?  TWO DAYS after St. Patrick’s ?  I still am burned about that as that was the ONE, single thing, I was looking for.  Thanks to this amazing recipe posted on Facebook, I would settle for this, but alas, trying to find rootbeer in Mexico?  Um, wow.  Dead end.  So on my to do list next week?  Make homemade rootbeer, make a homemade Shamrock Shake (Thanks Mrs Dixie!) , and make the recipe below.  Who’s with me?  We’ll make a day of it….:)

No kidding, this sounds amazing – and if you love rootbeer floats, um, DUH!?  WHOA!  Okay, so I was disappointed and trust me, even though tis was a HUGE, HUGE letdown, the trip overall with the amazing people, and being surrounded by an amazing staff?, it took the cake, so to speak.  So all ended well.  😉

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“I want to know about Malaysia!”

“I want to know about Malaysia!”.

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