Delay, but finally

Whew. So where was I?

Oh yeah. Italy. After making it to the coast and spending the 1st afternoon at the camp site we headed to Cinque Terre the next day to catch these 5 fishing villages we had always heard so much about. We had a bit of a problem though as in my head we were always going to hike between at least two of the villages, cause that's what you do in Cinque Terre but because G Unit was starting school we had to lug the computer around with us as there was no where to leave it securely.

So we made it to Cinque Terre and did the Via dell'Amore which is the shortest of the trails, well paved and easy. We got to Manarola went down near the water and had some lunch.

G Unit may or may not have taken this video of me well and the view too I suppose.

One of the best things in Cinque Terre was watching all the tourists. And as I noted in the video, man was there a lot of them. The best example was a family of four who walked by us as we were eating.

The teenage daughter walked by first as she texted busily on her phone (who allows their child to text internationally? i ask you) with the mother walking by next saying, "Are you ever going to get off that thing? We're in Italy!" and the younger brother walked by saying "We could throw it in the ocean" and trailing them was dad who walked by us while rolling his eyes. GENIUS! Is this what my future looks like? I don't think I'm taking kids to Europe until they can afford to pay for it themselves. They're stuck with camping and Native American museums for their summer holidays. Fisher Family Shout-out!

After lunch we headed on the train to the next village, Corniglia as the path was closed. We had a drink in Corniglia and then decided to walk the path between Corniglia and Vernazza. I did check to make sure G Unit was ok with this plan what with the computer on his back and all. I think he knew I really wanted to do it though, so maybe he didn't give his real answer. So we started off in the muggy afternoon and three hours later we made it to Vernazza.

I can't say G Unit had a nice time, but I made him take some pictures and try to appreciate the scenery. It wasn't an easy hike but it was pretty. And hey we went hiking on the Italian Coast!

That's Corniglia behind me. I don't think we were even half way

G Unit was hot and sweaty and not happy but took
a picture to commemorate the hike with me anyways.

The End! That's Vernazza behind us. Don't we look invigorated?

After wearily climbing down into the town, we hung out at the harbor just to relax. About that time the sky decided to open up and the tourists were making a massive exit for the train back to town. G Unit and I had some drinks, met some Americans and then headed to dinner. We had some seafood and gnocchi with pesto. Nothing earth shattering but a nice end to a long day. Then we headed to the train as we had to get back to town and to our campsite before they closed the gates. And I end with a the photos as we waited to get on the train.

Yep we came from WAY up there

Looking tired

And Bored

Attack

Hee-Hee. I'm so tired I'm funny

Happy Happy

A year ago today I was heading to Morocco for G Unit's birthday and to get us out of dodge. This year instead of heat, ramadan and bureaucracy the agenda comprises of sleeping in, having a leisurely breakfast, some shopping, cooler overcast weather, and dinner at La Degustation Boheme Bourgeoise (the food part never changes). I think it's safe to say that during our year in the stable Czech Republic G Unit has seen enough of me to possibly be sick of me. I hope that is a good thing.

So Happy Birthday to my amazing husband who's support have made all our traveling adventures possible. Here's to year three abroad. I love you.

Spring, with a bang!

Spring has officially arrived in Prague and this past weekend was the kick off event.

G Unit ran his first 1/2 marathon. He's been training since January and Saturday was THE day. We got up early, I got dolled up and he got prepped to run. We left with plenty of time to get to the starting point. It was a gorgeous day, probably in the low 70s. I was comfortable in a skirt and light sweater. G Unit thought it was too hot. He's used to running in freezing conditions.

Man were there a lot of people at this thing. 9500 people running and then all their family and friends. It was intense.

G Unit packed up his stuff handed me his bag, took a mandatory pre run photo with the wife and then left me to go and find out where he needed to be and make sure he was all ready to go.

Then I pushed my way through the crowds and found myself a place to watch the start of the race. There were a lot of pushy people trying to get past me as they had to take a picture of their "friends". What the hell is my husband chopped liver? I unfortunately didn't manage to catch a glimpse of G Unit at the start. SO MANY PEOPLE but I did manage to catch the front runners and a lot of other random people

Look at those strides - crazy fast

After looking at all these random people, reaching the end of the group and not seeing G Unit, I grabbed my things and ran off towards work. I had a surprise. Secretly I had made signs. Oh Yes. G Unit had a "team building" dinner earlier in the week and it was perfect timing. I colored my signs while watching my tv shows. (side note: I think I may need to buy coloring books for myself. I found it oddly relaxing to be coloring in the lines.) Behold the genius of my signs, which I totally stole from other people. 

G Unit asked earlier where his sign was while traveling to the start

I played the horrified wife pretending that I had not thought to make him a sign
and now felt totally guilty at my lack of support - I'm sneaky like that

People at work totally appreciated my sign making abilities. I grabbed the signs and picked up Bara and Martina who wanted to help me cheer G Unit on. I was a little worried that he might have reached the bridge where we decided to wait for him before we got there, but I tried to relax while Martina and I held up the signs for others to read. 

This was probably the best part of the day for me. Lots of the runners going by smiled, smirked or out right laughed. I could see them reading the signs as they went by and they would then look up at me and I'd give them a huge smile. And Martina was cracking jokes next to me. It was great. All the while though we were frantically searching for G Unit. Do you know how hard it is to find a white with red trim shirt during a marathon? Practically impossible. I've already told him he needs to get a pink or purple shirt for the next one. And then Bara spotted him and then there he was right in front of us. He didn't even read my signs, but we yelled and screamed at him anyways as he went by. Apparently he could hear us giggling halfway down the bridge.

I had lunch with the girls and then headed over towards the finish. I got there around 2:20 which is about the time we thought he would finish. To make a long story short I had just missed him but didn't know it so I sat there with my camera waiting for him, hoping to get a picture of him finishing. I didn't get a glory shot of him coming in on the home stretch but I got these other random pictures.

And then I wondered where could hubby be. He should have finished by now. He said he would text me. And then I started to worry. What if he passed out somewhere. Who would I call? How would I find him?

This is me worried. I had my hand up like where is he?

And then I decided to text him. And then I heard a strange buzzing. Coming from his bag. Damnit! He had left his phone with me. So I ran over to where we said we would meet if I missed him at the finish. And there he was. Bad wife. I tried to cheer him on at the end and he ended up having to wait for me. {le sigh}. I'll do better next time. We got a picture of him with his metal even if it was delayed. Isn't he cute?

Now I'm trying to convince him to do the 1/2 marathon in Brussels. I've also told him he has to put a full marathon on his list. I want to make more signs. And get pictures of him finishing the race. And eat Belgian fries and gaufres. I like this whole traveling to cheer him on thing. He says he'll do the full marathon if I do a half marathon. I'm thinking I like the sidelines better.  

Virtual Coffee

Another week, another post. I'm feeling a little uninspired today. All week I've been thinking about what I would say today when we met for coffee but I've got nothing. Okay maybe not nothing, but nothing entertaining. Not really.

The big news is that Kept Man is a officially a Kept Man no longer. G Unit has made the move back to the daily grind. Two days strong and he's going back for thirds tomorrow. This past weekend was spent getting the house and ourselves organized as we knew that no one would be around with tons of time on their hands to clean and cook. I think we've done ok so far and feel as if we are both putting the effort in to do things around the house. Mostly me really since before I did not bother at all cause well...he was home all day. {sheepish grin}

As for the drama that is the Moroccan Embassy in case any of you were wondering, G Unit got an unofficial, "Well if you can't get it, but can prove you tried, with countries like Morocco we understand..." So it's no longer dire to get this piece of paper from Morocco. Thank the gods. Hopefully this is our last interaction with Moroccan bureaucracy. fingers crossed 

Besides that I'm back on the Weight Watchers wagon. Some of my work pants are beginning to feel uncomfortably tight. Apparently eating dumplings, schnitzel and strudel to your heart's content isn't good for your waist line. Oh and let's not forget the fried cheese. Apparently that's not calorie free either. Go figure. The Farmer's Market here in Prague officially opened the location near our apartment last weekend.

View towards our Apartment from market

There's not much in the way of vegetables yet, but we should start seeing something in the next few weeks that will help us eat a bit healthier. That and G Unit not having all day to make home made tamales or lasagna. {sob} In the meantime we're making do with grocery store veggies and trying to eat better (read eat less cheese).

Ratatouille tonight!

Farmer's Market fish from last week - Healthy except for the fact that we covered it in broken beurre blanc sauce - Fail

My new resolution didn't stop me from buying this awesome smoked cheese from Slovakia called Ostiepok at the Farmer's market

Mmmm cheese

It's so yummy when you heat it up in a pan and let it get all soft and gooey and then place it on some fresh bread....num. My idea of heaven involves non stop food (read cheese and carbohydrates) with no repercussions. 

And on that note I will leave you with a memento (laugh) from St. Patrick's Day. Green teeth. And me finishing a book...in bed. A party animal I am.

Thanks for joining me for coffee today. I hope your past week has at least been as relaxing as mine if more interesting. Head over to Amy's for more virtual coffee.

Home Sweet Hotel

As many of you know Kept Man and I made it out of Morocco alive. Not only did we get our stuff packed and shipped out, but we managed to get a reimbursement and our deposit back. All in all a successful finish to our year in Africa. (It still feels strange to say we lived in Africa, yes it was North Africa but still...)

We've had no word on when our stuff will arrive, but the moving company assures me that the received the magic paper that allows our things to leave the country so I'm assuming it will show up eventually. I have a second magic paper (I got a back up just in case. When in doubt in Morocco always have back up copies) so if there is any trouble I'm prepared.

Now we are just trying to settle into life in Prague. The weather has been on the colder side. Apparently autumn has come early but Kept Man is pleased with this change after 100 degree weather in Marrakech. We have also found a place to live. A friend is sadly leaving Prague in the next month to head back to Hong Kong, but conveniently leaving when we need an apartment that is a 15 minute walk or 5 minute tram ride to work. And is furnished. And bigger than our last apartment. And includes wireless internet.  And doesn't involve paying a commission to an agent. We move in the first weekend of October. Just in time for me to do some fall baking. As long as I can find canned pumpkin. I hope I can find canned pumpkin. Of course I can! It's not like this is Africa or something.

As you can tell things are settling down. I've got Kept Man here with me full time. I feel more secure in work knowing I'm here for the long haul and that I'm not going to be shipped back to Marrakech anytime soon. Kept Man is also starting to look into schools and applying for jobs. Which he's able to do here in the Czech Republic since I have French citizenship and we're in an EU country. We're exploring new restaurants and locals in the city. All in all it feels nice to be making a home again. Just a few more weeks and we'll have an apartment instead of a hotel room and I plan on hibernating at home through the winter. With maybe a weekend or two in a nearby city.

So if anyone wants to see us I think you need to plan to make a trip to Prague. I'm done moving this year. No more flights! No more limbo! This homebody has got a home again!

What a difference a year makes

Last year on this day Kept Man and I flew to Marrakech for the first time. I was nervous, scared, unsure and uneasy.

And it was Kept Man's birthday.

This year on the same day I am again flying into Marrakech but for the last time. I'm coming to officially say goodbye, collect our things, my husband and move our lives out of Morocco and into the Czech Republic.

This year Kept Man and I will celebrate his birthday in better spirits. At a restaurant we've been trying to eat at for the past year even though it is around the corner from our apartment. This is going to be a better year. Things are settling down.

So Happy Birthday Garren! I hope that this year provides you with the opportunities you want and that we're together so much you're practically sick of me. See you in a few hours birthday boy.

Bastille Day

**Begin sappiness**

A year ago today I said, "I do" to Kept Man. It was the most perfect day shared with family and friends and I think back on it often knowing that it was everything I could have wanted and that he is everything I will ever want.

While our wedding day was as close to perfect as possible our first year of marriage has been less than stellar logistically. A move to Morocco, lack of work and stability, separation, and a general feeling of uncertainty about where we will end up has lead to a frustrating year abroad as newlyweds. Despite all that we still adore each other, (At least I do. I hope he does.) and while we miss our friends and family I think that our first year of marriage alone in a foreign country together has been good for us. You might think that a couple would get sick of each other in a new country with a small and/or non existent social circle, but I find that it has made us appreciate what we have together. Shared jokes, frustrations, discovering a new culture, forging new friendships, and various travels together and apart make us realize that we both have the one person who knows us the best and that in itself is amazing, but it is also a huge comfort in a new place filled with changes.

So while we are sadly separated on our first anniversary, I can't wait to see what another year with my amazing husband will bring with us together, settled and happy in one place. Happy Anniversary Hon! Here's to year 2. I love you.

**End sappiness.**

Matches and Anniversaries

A while back a friend introduced Kept Man and me to the Globe Bookstore and Cafe here in Prague. It's a nice little place with decent food and English books to browse through. They also do lots of weekly events and seem to be a general gathering place for expats.

In addition they also have a projection screen that they use for movie nights and sporting events. Can you guess where I'm headed tonight? That's right! Big screen watching of the final World Cup match between Spain and the Netherlands. If you're wondering I'm rooting for Spain.

On a side note today is also the 2 year anniversary of one of my favorite couples - Toby and Jade. Happy Anniversary you wild and crazy kids. I hope you're having fun on your cruise.

July 11th is apparently an important date as another one of my favorite couples - Christine and Adam are getting married today. Congratulations! I'm looking forward to celebrating with you in Barcelona.

And speaking of weddings and anniversaries, Kept Man and I are celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary in 3 days. Unfortunately we are separated at the moment with me in Prague and him in Marrakech. While we won’t be together on the exact day of our anniversary which is sad we will be together for a weekend in Barcelona at the end of the month. For a couple who never celebrated an anniversary of any kind prior to their marriage, in fact Garren revealed in not having an anniversary, I think we’re doing okay celebration wise.

So that’s me in a nutshell for those of you who were wondering what I was up to. I’m watching world cup games in Prague, missing my husband, and looking forward to a weekend in Spain. Not perfect, but not so bad either.

A Yummy Little Whale

Kept Man and I have periodically been attending some events here in Prague hosted by InterNations and MeetinPrague. It's been a good way to meet other expats in the Czech Republic and while I was in town on my own it forced me to get out of the hotel and interact with people besides my work colleagues.

A few weeks ago the event organizers posted a 'Secret Dinner' which was limited to under 15 people and was to highlight a lesser known restaurant in the city. The name of the restaurant was not to be revealed until closer to the date. I thought it looked interesting and right up our alley. Food + drinking + limited number of people = good times. We managed to secure a place at the table and then found out that the restaurant was The Little Whale (U Male Velryby) which is right across the street from the hotel and a place I had been telling Kept Man we should try.

I had a bad day Thursday and I almost didn't want to go to dinner but I had been looking forward to the night so I ran out of work 15 minutes before we had to meet at the restaurant, did some speed dressing out of work clothes and into normal clothes, and we headed on over. I'm so glad that we did. The evening lifted my spirits and got me out of the stressful mood I had been feeling all day. The restaurant in a word is YUM. I mean super good, and in my humble opinion it was Wood Tavern good. I can give no higher praise.

The chef is Irish. He said a quick hello, but he could have a rat under his hat whispering cooking techniques for all I cared, as long as everything I ate that came out of the kitchen continued to be lip smacking delicious. The waitress was also wonderful and managed to keep everyone in a larger group very happy. And her husband is from Morocco. Marrakech is always a source of conversation wherever we go.

We had a set menu for the evening. For starters I had the octopus salad and Kept Man had sauteed duck livers. We both had the cod with mash potatoes (lumpy, ah yeah) and a creamy mustard sauce and some sort of crunchy light bread topping for our main course. The steak was also apparently very good which had a side of corn on the cob. And for dessert it was a chocolate torte with brown bread ice cream. Weird right?! But incredibly, it was amazing.

Besides the great food and service we had a great time with the group of people put together by the InterNations Ambassador and we got to know some of the people we had met in passing at these events a little bit better.

Kept Man and I had previously avoided the Little Whale because we found the pricing to be a bit high, but now having gone I can say that it was definitely more than we usually spend during a night out for dinner in Prague but was much less expensive that what we regularly spent at our favorite restaurant in Berkeley. While dining we noticed that the restaurant has a tapas menu and reasonably priced wine by the glass so a sunny afternoon sometime soon we plan to head across the street to sit on the patio and partake in some delicious bites offered from the Little Whale kitchen.

U Male Velryby
Maltézské náměstí 15 | Praha 1 | 420257214703

Married Talk

"You're feeling better" I say to Kept Man as he's smiling and joking with me.
"How can you tell?"
"Well you're not talking about your liquid poop anymore."

After that the conversation decended into a fit of giggles with incoherent exclamations about Kept Man's recent tummy troubles.

Apparently there are no boundaries in our relationship anymore

So Much to Say

...except not really.

I'm still in Prague. Kept Man is back. Yeah. But I'm super busy at work. boo. Truth is I haven't been much fun. I'm working crazy late hours and am exhausted when the day is finally over. And to top off the crazy work week hours I worked a half day on Saturday.

So here I am on a Sunday, laying around in bed, catching up on tv and doing a token post so my mother knows I'm alive. There are many things I want to be doing in Prague. The Zoo. Wine Tasting. Castle Viewing. Paddle boating. I mean when will I ever have the chance again to possibly be semi-living here? Probably never. But with the work craziness thrown in getting motivated to get myself out of the hotel room is sometimes a huge task. Especially when Kept Man is not feeling so well.

So I leave you knowing that I am alive and well in Prague if lame and boring with non stop work. We did recently take a trip to Karlovy Vary. Spa town with lots of Russians. But I'll leave that for a more motivated post.

Gooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllll!

I thought I would stay on top of one of my goals by bitching about the fact that I can't force myself to do another one of my goals.

I am supposed to go to an Irish Pub tonight to listen to an Irish band. Who are starting to play right about now. But it's cold out. And I'm tired. And I don't want to walk across the city by myself. And I don't want to go to a bar by myself. And I'm all comfy in my pajamas.

But my husband is giving me a hard time and I'm feeling guilty about setting a goal and not achieving it. I still have more nights to try to make it to listen to a band. I don't HAVE to go tonight.

And let's talk about the things I have done.

• I've gone to the gym at least twice a week. 
• I've been blogging at least twice a week. 
• I went to brunch on Sunday which was part of the MeetInPrague group and met some people, had some food and got out of the hotel.
• I'm contemplating going to see the opera Carmen on Friday. 
• I'm also going to try really hard to go to spin class on Thursday.

Some of these things are a bit easier for me to do while doing anything involving any social interactions and/or exercise is harder. Such as showing up at a Pub by myself, ordering a beer and then sitting alone, by my lonesome, hoping that no one comes up to talk to me while at the same time trying not to look anyone in the eye in order to avoid any potential social contact. Look at the baby! Look at the baby!.........

Does it show that the thought of this makes me uncomfortable? Sure listening to the music would be great, but my social awkwardness (read fear) is totally winning. 

Yeah. I'm totally not going. There is always tomorrow. It is St. Patrick's Day after all and maybe I'll be able to blend in the background and just enjoy the music. Yeah. Tomorrow sounds like a much better plan. If I can't make it to an Irish Pub to listen to some music on St. Patrick's Day then I don't deserve to call myself half Irish anymore. 

Hold me to it people! I obviously did not cave to my husband's peer pressure, but maybe your peer pressure will make all the difference!

I would totally be going if my husband was here. Where is my social crutch when I need it? I miss you honey!

Alone Time

As many of you know I'm back in Prague. Alone. Kept Man is back in Marrakech taking care of the apartment, cooking, running, biking and hanging out with some friends.

I'm working, catching up on TV that Kept Man hates and holing up in my hotel room. A bigger hotel room than last time I might add. Same category but just a little more space. And larger windows. Kept Man is going to smack me now.

Many of you may be wondering why I didn't just stay in Marrakech. Why go back to Prague. Why separate myself from Kept Man and our life in Marrakech. There were a couple of reasons.

1. I'm doing interesting and brain challenging things at work which is so much better than the current situation in Marrakech where I'm left with practically nothing but busy work to fill my time.
2. I'm raising my profile in the company. I hope. Which at this point in time is pretty important.

Things aren't looking so great in Marrakech. No opening date, lots of people leaving, lots of tension. Anything I can do that results in positive impressions of me and keeping me working in the company are a priority numero uno at this point.

Unfortunately the novelty of staying in a hotel and being in another city has worn off. Basically I'm bored an lonely. And while I tell myself about all the career pluses to being here, the opportunity to have a little alone time and pleasure of watching some tv shows without groaning in the background I miss Kept Man horribly. I miss the silly faces, and the hugs and the nightly cuddles. I also miss his not so subtle pushings to make me get out of the hotel on the weekends.

I am a creature of habit and I hate to do new things. I like familiar things. I like knowing where I'm going, who will be there, what the place looks like, what's expected of me and how to act. New places and experiences have none of these things and I therefore do not like to deal with them unless pushed, prodded, or accompanied by someone familiar.

I'm sure many of you are now thinking, "how did this girl end up in Morocco?!" The answer is I pushed myself to make the move to Morocco. And I didn't think. I leapt with out looking. And I knew I would regret not having taken the opportunity and adventure when I had the chance. And I had Kept Man who gave up his job to go traipsing around Europe and North Africa with me. I had a human security blanket.

But funny thing about taking a leap it can sometimes lead you to somewhere unexpected. And the leap to Morocco has now lead me temporarily to Prague. With no familiar people, places or things. With no Kept Man and a lot of time to think. And be lonely and feel sorry for myself and lay around in bed like a bed potato. And I've decided I need some goals. To push me. To keep me active. To keep me from hiding under the blankets all weekend with only a computer as a companion. And I hope that you my very few readers will help keep me accountable for these goals. Some of them are of course more long term but I'm hoping that on the way to reaching the bigger goals to tell you all about the short term ones when I accomplish them or more amusingly when they might blow up in my face.

So in no particular order, the goals, ahem:

• run or bike for a least 30 minutes 2 times a week
• make it to a spin class once a week while in Prague
• go to a Meetin Prague event
• go to the Irish Music Festival the week of St. Patrick's Day in Prague
• go to the opera once more in Prague
• finish all the books I have with me in Prague
• take a trip to the Sahara Desert with friends
• take a trip to Essouria with Kept Man
• try out Surf Berbere or something like it
• become better at French
• save for a down payment for a home
• find a hobby I enjoy. The following are ideas to try
• Knitting
• Quilting
• Biking with Kept Man
• Photography
• Gardening
• Ballroom Dancing
• Home craft projects
• go back to school and/or take classes to help better my skills for my career
• start a family
• blog at least two times a week 
• take a trip to the greek islands with Kept Man
• go see a leg of the tour de france with Kept Man

Hold me to it people! Or tomorrow being a bed potato is going to sound even more appealing than it did today.

*Suggestions for the goal list are welcome
**Obviously not all of these goals (even the shorter term ones) will be possible in Prague or Marrakech. They're to remember later
***Amendments can and will be made to this list
****Berating is allowed in order to get me to accomplish any short term goal. 

It's not a Wishing Well

A few weeks ago Kept Man and I took a day trip out to Kutna Hora. Mostly we went because I had heard years and years ago about a bone church (otherwise known as Sedlec Ossuary) with a chandelier made out of every bone in the human body and I wanted to take a look.

So what did I think of said bone church? Artistic displays of human remains? Pretty creepy. And dirty. No one dusts the bones. Ever. I mean they're on display shouldn't they be cleaned. Wouldn't that be a nice gesture towards those whose remains have been used? Another nice gesture might have been to not make them look like party streamers. But maybe that's just me.

Maybe I'm just being harsh. Maybe I just don't like being confronted with my own mortality. Maybe I'm just creeped out.

Despite my reaction to this church I still have to confess that it is fascinating to see in person. So if you're every in Czech Republic it's worth a look and the graveyard I found to be particularly interesting and pretty even in the winter. There is a also a beautiful church (St. Barbara) and a castle in the town that is worth taking a look at if you happen to be in that neck of the woods.

But I do recommend Spring...or Summer...or even Autumn....or really just not the dead of winter. The town was pretty much D-E-D as my Granda would say when we were there and it happened to be a particularly cold day. By the time we made it back to the train station we were like two human popsicles. But still we got out of Prague for the day! Yeah us.

So on that note, Happy Valentine's Day. And for those of you wondering, Kept Man surprised me with a watercolor of the Charles Bridge as a present this morning. It's to match my watercolor of the Bridge of Sighs in Venice which after 10 years I have yet to get framed. I'm hoping with a matching watercolor from another city I might make a better attempt. Kept Man does ok when we wants to. He just likes to set the expectations particularly low.

Kept Man and Me at St. Barbara's Church in Kutna Hora. See how cold it is?

Alive in Prague

Kept Man took me to the Opera last night. There was lots of pageantry, women with big boobs and obviously singing of the opera variety with subtitles for those of us who don't know what the hell they're singing about. All and all a good time.

No elephant, just tusks but some people shouldn't provide unrealistic expectations. I'm looking at you girls.

My favorite part of the evening was during the overture. We were up in the first gallery right over the pit and could see all the musicians. Watching them begin to play was like watching a wave. First a few on the right start, then some on the left join in then the brass section all pick up their instruments at the same time. It's mesmerizing. Or I'm just easily amused.

It only took me 2 months (according to Garren)

to convince myself to buy a kindle.

At first I thought it might be an option for an xmas present, but then we nixed getting presents for each other as we were traveling over the holidays. Then I thought, I don't need one, I'll just get the books I'm dying to read when we go to London. Then the books I wanted to read had not yet been released in the UK.

Then. Then I just got depressed. I mean I have books. Books that have been sitting on my shelf for months. And I bought one or two in London (which I already finished) but there is not a big selection of new choices in Marrakech and I won't have too many trips to London. And frankly with all the weight limitations these days on flights it makes bringing them or buying them kind of a pain.

And then Jade got one for xmas. And I asked her to tell me that she hated it. She didn't. She told me it was fabulous. And then I had to tell myself it was too expensive and remember I had a lot of books on my shelf at home that I could read. And then I remembered all the books I wanted to read and how they are oh so inaccessible. And then I started obsessively reading the reviews on amazon and comparing the kindle to the sony e-reader and trying to decide which one I would get, if I could convince myself to spend the money on it.

And I'm still not sure I should have spent the money on the thing. Garren finally decided for me and told me to shut up about it and buy the damn thing and soon so he didn't have to hear about it anymore. And secretly (Garren says, "Really?! Secretly? Really!?") I'm really excited to get it.

So it's arriving. In 2-6 days. Make it 2! Probably won't be until 6. sigh. And hopefully it's as fantastic as I hope. And I won't curse it for broken non instant access to books I want to read. Hopefully it will be magic instant access to books I want to read.

I'll let you know.

This was built

....in 2000 BC, says Kept Man as we walk towards the St. Vitus Cathedral.

I take a second to contemplate this and then look at him funny.

In defense he says, "Well that's what I remember from the book (Rick Steve's Guide to Prague) so it must be true."

Uh-huh. It's amazing that I ever believe anything that comes out of his mouth.

High Maintenance

Since moving to Marrakech, my beauty regime has not been kept up to previous standards. (Who knew I was so high maintenance?) Back in California I used to get my hair cut every 8 weeks, my eyebrows waxed every 3 weeks and have a pedicure around every 1-2 months depending on the weather.

I’ve managed to get my haircut since moving here, having found a French salon around the corner, but I still miss my hair time with Ashley back at Oxen Rose and with no curlers or flat iron here (the voltage can’t convert with those devices so I left them behind) my hair is pretty frizzy most of the time.

As for the eyebrows, I don’t know how much I trust anyone here with hot wax near my eyes. Actually I do know how much I trust them. Not at all. So I’ve been attempting to pluck my own eyebrows, which I hate.

I’ve already looked up an Aveda salon in London to rectify the situation.

And then there is the pedicure. I’ve actually been given recommendations for a place to go here in Marrakech, but I’ve been too lazy to go and now that the weather has turned cold, well nobody sees my feet anymore but me and Kept Man. And now you lucky people.

I know you're probably disgusted by looking at my feet, but look when we were Christmas shopping in the souks I bought myself some leather babouches in a pretty purple color which hides my un-pedicured feet from sight.


Kept Man thinks my slippers smell from the leather making process which he had the opportunity to visit on his guided tour of the Medina. He frequently throws them into the other room when I’m not looking. Poor pretty babouches.

In other news with all our Christmas shopping we've gotten better at haggling in the souks. Or rather Kept Man has gotten better. I've gotten better at keeping my mouth shut in the background and pretending to be a simpering well mannered wife.

Best Husband Ever

I came home last night to a sparkling home, BBQ chicken pizza, fresh, not frozen, raspberries (my favorite) and the next book in the Twilight Series (Eclipse) under my pillow.

I'm spolied rotten. Kept Man then started watching Pineapple Express and left me to crawl into bed and begin reading the stupidness that is Eclipse. I have to know what happens! Even if the series does drive me crazy. It's a sickness. I promptly feel asleep within a half hour in all my clothes. It was 9:00pm. I'm an old lady.

To those who care I'm also slowly watching a bad quality pirated version of New Moon. Although I'd like to I can't blame all the bad acting on the my bad copy. And yet, I'm still torturing myself. With Kept Man shaking his head in shame in the background.

And this little piggy

So living in what amounts to a pork free society, I've come to realize how many pork products I like. Used to be when I heard the word pork I made a face. I'm not a fan of pork chops (except for Kept Man's which is a recreation of a dish at Wood Tavern and perhaps Erik's but I haven't tried those yet) but I never really realized how many other parts of the pig I enjoy. (man that sounds dirty)

It's amazing to me how prevalent these products are at home back in the states and how DIFFICULT they are to find here. Anytime a recipe calls for bacon or procuitto or something along those lines, we inwardly groan both in longing and frustration as we're either going to have to supplement it with something else or pass over the recipe entirely. We are constantly scouring the grocery store for any pig products (to stock up whenever we get lucky and find some) and cursing any various Moroccan authority figures when we cannot.  Yesterday I went to the Moroccan equivalent of Costco and in the dairy section found salami, serano ham and bacon (yep, pig products mixed in with dairy). I immediately texted Kept Man with "found pig products" and received a "woo-hoo" in return. We are so easily pleased here.

Another situation which rams home my pork dependancy was during an attempt to torture myself earlier today by looking at the autumn menu at Wood Tavern back in Berkeley. Kept Man was making lamb sugo for dinner (which might I mention was excellent, I am spoiled) which was always a favorite of mine when we used to go there too often for dinner and I decided I just had to see what was on their current menu. As I was reading through the menu there were two new items that caught my eye, "Pig and Fig" and "Swine and Bovine". Both items immediately jumped off the page to me only because at this point they are such exotic items. Pork Belly! I might die from shock to see it here.

Thankfully we will soon be in the land of the Czechs where we can gorge ourselves on pig products and beer and be sedated for a while upon our return to Morocco. (but not too long)