someone threw away the rosca de reyes before i had chance to search again for the baby jesus. i am not happy. waaaaaaaaaaah!
we are almost finished packing for our 2-week stay in Vail. i now own more thermal underwear than i know what to do with. i had my hair cut short (bye bye almost 6 inches of hair) and might regret that decision - long hair always comes in handy for extra warmth, you can wrap it around your ears and neck - and more importantly one doesn't look like an alien when wearing a hat (okay that's just me).
on perusing the Ski Chalet on Mass Ave yesterday, i was gobsmacked at the cost of ski attire. the cheapest pair of ski pants were $200. given that it's not advisable to wear jeans when learning to ski, i can't help but think it's a heck of an expensive sport to learn -- probably out of the reach of most people, especially these days. still, the store was doing a roaring business; it was packed with customers and most were mothers or fathers with several children to outfit.
our trip to Vail is purely non-ski associated. sigh. not that i like skiing (i am useless at it, therefore by default, i don't like it, ha). G is having knee surgery followed by intensive rehabilitation. the clinic, the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic, is world-renowned and has an impressive list of patients. many are world-class athletes who thought their career might be over; however after surgery and the rehab, they returned to their sport and in fact excelled. we watched an interview with Richard Steadman and Charlie Rose. the doctor, as G had told me on meeting him last month for his first appointment, was unbelievably modest. considering a large percentage of his patients are olympic-level and famous sportspeople, i would have forgiven him a tiny bit of bragging -- but no, nothing, just calm, assured and an almost spiritual manner to him. i will see him on Tuesday for my knee checkup (thought i'd take advantage as i'm there to help G) -- fingers crossed my knees don't require surgery. yeah right, talk about wishful thinking....
we have packed a fair bit of food. we have rented a condo, but i imagine the supermarkets and stores will be three times the regular price of anywhere else, and besides we want some of our own comfort food with us. so, i have had to repack my suitcase to accommodate said items:
mayordomo chocolate bars (for hot chocolate)
turron, panforte and other assorted sweet stuff
fabada, ribollita, pecorino, cheeses, anchovies, salamis....
the list goes on.
i had a blast vacuum-packing everything. we have some ziplock vacuum freezer bags, which were perfect to pack the jars of jam (yes we are taking homemade jam too...but these are special jams made in a town close to my parents, and G is now addicted to them).
the one thing i want to take more than anything -- but can't -- is Flor. i am so sad about leaving her for 2 weeks that i couldn't be mad at her when she chewed a large hole in a very nice rug. i am reassured by several people that after a day or two, she will probably not even notice i'm not here. i am not sure if i am happy or sad about that!
