Updates

Ay! So whats been happening since I last wrote.... well for one, I went skiing. I havent been rushing to write a blog about this cause we only took a couple of photos and none of me! Oh the horror! We went for Marcos´s 33rd birthday, we skied for 2 days and stayed overnight only one night right on the slopes. I haven´t been skiing for a couple of years, I was never really good at it, but I could ski and didnt fall down too much, this time though....different story. I think I skied worse than on my first ever day learning. Granted the sun was beaming and Andalucia had spring type weather the previous weeks, meaning no snow. So it was completely icy. Thats my excuse anyway. I could barely tackle the beginner runs, and I fell over 4 times on the first day... not just some tumbles some BIG falls. One where I fell on my face, dont ask me how I managed that but it happened, lost control, twisted facing the hill and face first snow sandwich. Then the fear of falling got into me and I spent the rest of the day and the following, ocasionally falling, and having a tantrum at the top of almost all the hills. Marcos didnt have the fear of god put into him and was skiing like a bandit and only fell once when he was waiting at the bottom of a hill for me, doing nothing, just standing then bam, on his ass. There was also once incident where I was shocked and impressed to see Marcos skiing backwards, wow, he is a maniac but he can actually do it, Marcos told me later that he didnt do it on purpose, was just waiting for me and started going backwards, couldnt stop and just kept going, he twisted around the right way at the end and if he hadnt of told me it was an accident i would think he should be in training for the winter olympics.
So we stayed overnight in a cute little apartment overlooking the mountains. We were absolutely exhausted after the first day of skiing but as it was Marcos birthday I made him a big pasta dinner and we had champagne. When you are that tired and exhausted, alcohol does funny things to you. We were completely drugged and we could barely string sentences together. Really. We collapsed into bed at 930pm and when Marcos Mum woke us up ringing us at 10pm, Marcos looked at the ringing phone in his hand for 10 seconds before he realised it was a ringing phone and he had to answer it. Then he started talking to his Mum in english! Next day he doesnt even remember that she called. And we didnt even finish the champagne! Disgrace!

Also in breaking news... I got a job!! Its for an advertising agency here in Seville. www.thebrandweb.com if youre interested in checking it out. I started exactly the day after I finished at my last job so there was no time for rest. And its true that its not what you know but who you know. I got the job through my now friend, Isabel, who was my boss at my first job here in Seville. She now works for the equivalent of the state government and the company that I now work for is doing a massive campaign for them. She works for the department of innovation and information so there are lots of projects relating to the web. It is really quite interesting and I am quite excited about the job. However.... they have a minimum work day of 9am to 8pm!!! MINIMUM! I mean REALLY! Its also in the middle of nowhere, in a village just outside of seville city. I cant even ride my bike there! sob sob. She has been left at home since last week and will probably RUST! Noooooo! I have to take a bus. The horror! The money is better than my last job so i shouldnt complain toooo much... You aussies would be shocked to know what I earn, (approx 25K AU$) compared to OZ wages, Spain is 3rd world. The cost of living is alot cheaper here but still.... wages are LOW! And what I earn is considered good here! Before I was on approx 20KAU$! and in design here its very very normal to earn alot less. So I should feel lucky to be working 10 hours a day in spanish village... yeah lucky real lucky. Stop it Kristy. Positive thinking. Breathe. (I have these little talks with myself sometimes).

Well who doesnt need their day to be brightened up with this photo of Little Baby Betty. She is getting bigger now and starting to look like a real person instead of the alien she was before. OK she is still alien like but maybe just a little less. Precious! NOTE TO SISTER: BRING HER TO VEGAS.


Hmm someone needs supermodel training. SHOULDERS BACK! Look at the camera dammit! and SMILE! Or maybe my sister needs supermodel mother training, pull her little top down so you can see she actually has a neck even if it doesnt work yet, please.



Maybe my sister was wearing a low cut top and Betty was hungry, she does look like shes got her mind on other things. I even think that skirt looks a little flamenco style. I think I might have to get her some spotted flamenco heels to go with this outfit. (You can actually get them here for babies - they are so cute!)

The Australianitas and 8 odd seppos.

For one night only the Americanitas and 1 odd aussie gang turned into the Australianitas and 8 odd seppos. As we had an Americanitas event for Thanksgiving, I thought it only fair to have an event for Australia Day.

The invite read, Australians all let us rejoice cause we are young and free, which taken directly from our national anthem, can easily be translated as lets have a big party and get pissed cause we don´t have a liver problem or kids yet.

We started the evening off at my place, where with all the australia themed stuff Mum has sent me over the years, everyone agreed that if I was an american I would be a redneck. There was my full sized flag and my australia flag fairy lights, my australia flag handbag, and of course I brought out the old australia flag tattoos. (Thanks Mum!) I made a big poster that had lots of australian slang words for people to learn. It was fun to hear the americans saying "He was a good root" and "Rack off hairy legs" I taught them what a seppo was, and for the spanish boyfriends I told them they were "bloody wogs". Racism Fun times.

I couldn´t think of an australian cocktail so I made caipirinhas, using both lemon and limes to make the green & gold, green & gold straws and the old australian flag on a swizzle stick. With Bernard Fanning, The Herd and Ben Lee playing in the background, I think the americans got a feel for the australia day spirit. Having it during the day, listening to the Hottest 100 on JJJ and adding a bit of cricket would have made it more authentic but with the time difference, the fact that its winter and that no-one knows what the hell cricket is, made these things quite impossible.

I also made the americans try vegemite baguettes which I decorated with some little aboriginal flags, they were quite a hit and thankfully didn´t have anyone running for the toilet for a vommie which is what Marcos predicted they would do. (He HATES vegemite, can´t even smell it. BAD boyfriend) Sarita is here with the vegemite. She particularly liked the word "clacker" from the slang list although hasn´t quite learned how to use it, asking everyone "hows your clacker?" Is there any other way to use this word other than "stick it up your clacker" ?

Marcos unfortunately couldn´t celebrate too much with us as the following morning he was running a half marathon so he was steering clear of the caipirinhas and on the orange juice, he did however put on a tattoo and kept it on for the race the next day showing his solidarity in his sleeveless running top. ZEXY QUASI AUSSIE!

After the little cocktail do at my place, we went for tapas, OK OK not very australian I know, but if I had an oven I swear I would have made meat pies, lamingtons, anzac biscuits etc but without an oven what the hell can you do? NADA!! So tapas it was, followed by a little dancing and a lovely well deserved hangover the next day.

VIVA AUSTRALIA!