Gemini Jeeziz – IT’S CAKE TIME!

 muñeco numero uno

It is another Holiday in Mexico! Yay! This gave me the perfect excuse to take a bit of work break and make my version of hot chocolate for Three Kings Day. It turned out ok, so-so. Good enough. I needed to spend more time with it at the stove.
I have not tried to bake one of these fruity ring cakes roscas though- I’m sure my effort would be somehow sacrilegious (or some such) and no one would eat it; especially if I made it vegan; or worst still – raw. *gasp.faint*
Human and I picked out rosca last night from a pricier place, hoping quality would show for the price. We were not disappointed! My stomach will get over the insult. I have lit incense to not offend any noses- even my own. SHEESH!

Oh, yes, let me take a moment to re-enlighten the masses: Christians are still in the Christmas season- it is a whole season not just one day or so. And because I am sure all the Capitalism of the world has made you forget, I will remind you that this blessed season begins Christmas Eve not on “Black Friday.” The season doesn’t end just because every kid is running around spoiled with their new toys and suddenly dreading going back to school. Let us not forget the real traditions that actually have significance, people.

the jesus twins

I don’t know exactly what it means, but this time I have cut two pieces of rosca that contain baby Jesus figurines. My baby Jesus collection is up to three, counting the one from last year. I am aware that I have to throw a party at Candlemas, Feb. 2nd, with tamales and whatnot, but is there something else to it? They all tell me no, not really, but I wonder…  There is so much subtlety that you just don’t know when you are the outsider to a culture. There is so much unsaid that cannot be explained with words… I  hope this is a kind of fortune thing that I can turn into good luck, rather than a weighty feeling of obligation that most people seem to try avoiding.
So who wants tamales? I’m buying!! Again!

three wise men squared, fruitcake repeated

Update- festivities continue two days later:
An orange cranberry brick landed on the kitchen counter;
with some bangles and books and the new CD from Black Sea Hotel
Thank you Pierette & Gigi – and Brook as well!

Hibernative

A frosted eye look because I am from a snow place.

A hibernation instinct is hitting me hard this month and of course custom won’t let me follow my animal nature so…
There is no snow, but talk of skiing in Aspen at the Crosthwaite family gathering. Sparklers and coffee in hand we braved the night chill for a photo op. Since last week, for sure, I know I have been fighting off a dreaded something. Human and his mom have already succumb to it (in one form or another) and for me, I knew it’s a matter of time. Bolstered with caffeine, I was able to have a lovely time at the one seasonal party I have been able to attend. Then, with alluring temperatures, Christmas morning enticed me out. Once again, going against my “lazy” inclinations, I dragged Human with me to the beach. We could not pass up this, erherm… Yule Tide… ahem… but that Santa Ana Wind, that diseased carrying strumpet, was my downfall. By evening, I was sporting a low grade fever that spiked up to a blingy 102 for most of the night. And my lungs… agh. The random coughing fits have been wonderful workouts! Such a costly gift I received for Christmas, eh?

We gotcha yer Yuletide right here!

The fever is still on me today. I am forcing myself to blog before a brain fog gets to me or the horrible modern dance theater on teveunam (!?).
So, you all will please excuse me while I throw anything time-sensitive off my my agenda and keep myself stress free, worry free until this thing has finished with me.
I will continue hibernating now. At least I have a good/ obvious/ acceptable reason!

I wish you all better than what has been dealt me.

Then Smaug is Draco’s Evil Uncle?

The dragon did not have his day.. and I am ever wondering why they did not read the book. It was a SHORT one.

The decision to see the second part of the Hobbit (guh) trilogy was random. I was out with My Human on a little adventure to see dance and theatre at CEART in Tijuana. When we had had enough of salsa, we walked back to the taxis and stopped in at the shopping mall. We were just in time to see the 3D subtitled version of the Desolation of Smaug (The desolation happened in the last movie. WTQ, people). We followed our whim an bought tickets – less than $10 for 2 tickets for a 3D movie. (You 1st Worlders can all be jealous now!)
I was not impressed the with 3D. 
I was not impressed with many of the changes that the film team chose. They appeared nervous about straying away from the book. They can’t even make up new dialogue so many, many of the scenes were awkward / stiff for no reason. To me, they have rehashed Tolkien’s stuff ad nauseam that I am becoming convinced all the characters have a cache of about 1,000 vocabulary words from which to speak… pst. This is not the video game you suckos.
I am yipping about this and I did not even catch all the dialogue as the Middle Earth languages became floaty Spanish text before my double layer of glasses.
I was sorely disappointed by Boern- I love that character and no justice was done in bringing him out of letters… I was able to give myself a great, big giggle about the 3D BEEES < please click that link. It is the Arkenstone of the Interwebz. You will have a laugh too, if your brain works at all like mine.
Tauriel did not piss me off. (Shall I state that again?) I know she was a character Frankenstein’s monster-ed out of the fancies of female fans, but she did not irritate me. She was just one of the guys. One of the many who were not supposed to be there- like Legolas. He was not supposed to be there, but he shone very brightly. He was fierce. Less house cat more feral. He did not disappoint. His action sequences were highlights. What did bug me about Tauriel was that she was trapped in the awkwardness of the writers. In that vein: I think I was catching the vibe of all the teen boys in the audience because I felt that the scene where Tauriel uses her elf magic to heal her dwarf love interest (yeah, that kind of straying from the book) was the ‘sex scene’ of the movie…  It was all in the camera angles they chose and the TERRIBLE dialogue.. Sorry, if I ruined it for anybody… 
Thranduil’s screen presence surprised me in a good way also… hm maybe I was just happy to be in the company of elves again… Gosh, is my racism showing? …Not being able to see the elves partying in the wood was a disappointment. I liked that sequence in the book.
The spiders get a hell yes! That was fun. It reminded me that my house was/is Mirkwood albeit in miniature. We we overrun with brown widows during the fall.
The Lakemen- I don’t know what to make of them… Stephen Fry was a hoot.
And then Smaug the Magnificent.
Because Smaug.
The choice of editing killed the tension that should have kept you completely breathless and not just giddy for seeing that Famousest of Wyrms up close. He is supposed to be able to crush you psychologically and physically and I was missing that dual whammy. So, with that voice brought to you by a UK citizen (need I even mention his name?), it was like hanging out with Sean Connery as a dragon (Dragonheart 1996) though you still did have to be on your toes with Smaug. Draco would only chew in self defense. I was in awe when a very cheesed Smaug flew out all newly dipped in gold. They made that a gorgeous moment…
All in all, it was a fun escape. So I guess the movie did it’s job then. I just wish they would have move bravery in their straying away from the book and spare me the dry awkward moments.
When we got out of the theater, we faced our own adventure wandering the streets around the 5 y 10 in La Mesa after midnight, looking for the right taxi to get us back to the safety of the tourist lanes. 
I grumbled all the way back to my bed.