Llegamos

La Familia Suave arrived in Cuernavaca yesterday afternoon. We met our Mexican Family (the folks that will be rooming and bording us for the week) almost immediatly after arriving. They took us to their beautiful home, where Li´l Pepinita was thrilled to find out that they have an 8 year-old daughter! The two girls spent the rest of the afternoon and night playing. This morning, she spent five ours in a class with two other girls and two boys. She´s loving that, too.
Mama Pepina and I spent the morning in classes, too.
More later.

Siempre primavera aqui,


Peps

Universal

Double click on the title, "Universal" above (or go to www.universal-spanish.com), and you'll get an idea of where La Familia Suave will be spending our days next week.
Universal is a language school in Cuernavaca (Morelos, Mexico). On Monday, we will join a group of students, parents, and the principal of Pepina's school who have already spent a week of study, field trips, and fun at Universal. We plan to catch up fast as we join them during the seecond week of the adventure.


Hasta luego,

P. Viajero

La Carnicera

Las Chicas Suave visited The Butcher of Pepinoville yesterday. Li'l Pepinita had six inches of locks lopped off within minutes, Pepina two. You'd think The Butcher got paid by the inch.
To be honest, they do look sassy.

Una casa con poco pelo,

P. Pelado

La Mumia del Sotano

If you turn your head side-ways you'll see Li'l Pepinita disguised as a Mummy. I left her in the basement unsupervised, as I putzed upstairs. After a long and suspicious silence, she came lumbering into the office, grunting and bumping into walls and furniture on the way.

Mi hija es una locura,

Papi Peppi

El Verano

Summer's officially here. The piddling of sprinklers, the fever-induced-nightmare-like music of the ice cream truck (How does "She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain When She Comes", on a loop, on synthesized organ, sell more ice cream? Ice cream sells itself, if you ask 'ol Pepino. Why not just have the sound of the truck's engine idling be the only sound. Lord knows a kid figures out the ice cream truck is coming using a far keener sense than mere sound. I think a kid knows whats coming when the ice cream truck guy turns the ignition back at the ice cream truck depot. Uncanny. Save the "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" keyboarded loop for outing deposed dictators from monasteries, for crying out loud. Sorry, I've digressed), the slap of the sandal, the hum of the fan all welcomes in the dog days of summer.
Featured here during these vernal days will be accounts of the Familia Suave's travails to beat the heat sans air conditioning, their struggle to consume one ice cream per day, and updates on the progress of the family tomato plant (thanks for watering it Grandma Suave).

Llega el calor,

P. Suave

Bang! Pow! Boom!

Due to Opa's health concerns, La Familia Sauve had postponed our summer journey south of the border. We will leave early next week, while sister Agronima and neices Bailarina y Barista take care of things Opa.
Li'l Pepinita has become a raquetball nut. Since Tio Chris came to town with his raquet, she has acquired a keen interest in slapping balls against walls. We've played twice this week at the YPCA, and she still hasn't had enough.
Do my words seem a little droopy? Do you sense some fatigue in ol' Pepino? Pardon the malaise, but I'm still catching up on sleep lost due to the Nieghborly Pyromaniac Nightly Firework Display performed by our Pepinoville nieghbors. Seems a calendar and local ordinance codes need be sent to our fair firebugs. Last count, our sleepy lane consists of 4 babies, 11 school-age children, and several twitchy house pets that might be considered before lighting illegal explosives well before an appropriate occasion.
We'll be gone on the 4th....

Bomba,

Pepino Vecino

Pepinita

Pepinita has got a new entry - hot off the press. Click on Li'l Pepinita on the side bar, and enjoy.

Un padre orgulloso,

Papi Pepi

Muy Agradecido

Included on my list of Professions That Deserve A Hearty Slap On The Back (PTDAHSOTB) are health care folks, especially nurses and neo-nurses. Thank you, on behalf of all things Pepino.
Mr. Health Care Professional Guy/Gal, this one is for you.

Les agradecimos,

La Familia Suave

El Fin De La Temporada Escolar

School's out. No more teacher's dirty looks (Note to self: work on getting along with colleagues). Anyway, here we are, the time of year everyone and their brother envies Pepino's job. Stay tuned for a new special feature, the Pickled Summer Vacation BlogLog (What a Teacher Does When School's Out). In the meantime, I leave you with an excerpt from a recent education association newsletter. After a few seconds of Google research, I found it to be fictional, but still something a weary educator can identify with (and laugh at) - pardon the dangle:

The following is an answering machine message for the Pacific Palisades High School in California. The school and teachers were being sued by parents who wanted their children's failing grades changed to passing grades even though those children were absent 15-30 times during the semester and did not complete enough school work to pass their classes.
This was voted unanimously by the office staff as the actual answering machine message for the school:
"Hello! You have reached the automated answering service of your school. In order to assist you in connecting with the right staff member, please listen to all your options before making a selection:
To lie about why your child is absent - Press 1
To make excuses for why your child did not do his/her work - Press 2
To complain about what we do - Press 3
To swear at staff members - Press 4
To ask why you didn't get information that was already enclosed in your newsletter and several fliers mailed to you - Press 5
If you want us to raise your child - Press 6
If you want to reach out and touch, slap or hit someone - Press 7
To request another teacher for the third time this year - Press 8
To complain about bus transportation - Press 9
To complain about school lunches - Press 0
If you realize this is the real world and your child must be accountable/responsible for his/her own behavior, class work, homework, and that it's not the teachers' fault for your child(ren)'s lack of effort, hang up and have a nice day!"

Alice Cooper lo decia,

Pepino Veranero

Yankees/Red Sox

O.K. I went to Boston last weekend and was supposed to write about it while I was there. I was too busy getting there and getting back to write. So I'll provide a Boston BlogLog, patent pending:

1. Drive to Pepinoville International Airport and the show begins.
2. Fly backwards in time to Chicage, only to arrive the same time I left Pepinoville.
3. Dask to my gate for the next flight. Mid-dash purchase water for the same price as a gallon of gas.
4. Arrive in Boston, walk to bus shuttle, get off at T-station, and take the train to downtown. I'm at my hotel within a half-hour, plane-to-lobby. Love that muddy water.
5. As I cross the lobby, my Pepino Phone rings, its our friend Meeker on the line, a Beantown resident, telling me she'll meet me in twenty minutes.
6. I'm led on a history-walk thrue downtown Boston, led by dear Meeker. We stop and watch the Yankee/Red Sox game at every bar along the walk. We libate, too.
7. Hear the tune, "Love that Muddy Water" on a constant loop in my head.
8. After too little time, see Meeker off, and attend some serious sit n' git meetings.
9. Repeat steps 1,2, 3, and 4 in reverse, and arrive in the wee hours of Monday morning.

Me encanta el lodo,

Peppy

P.D. Mil gracias Meeker. Volvemos pronto...