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St. Augustine wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared. Yes, the dog had a stroke every time I moved, and yes, several times over the Christmas holiday, I wondered if God could be talked into giving me a reduced sentence in Hell for hacking up the annoying child and cramming his body into the ventilation ducts, but it wasn't all bad.
They got another dog, for one. A Great Dane named Sophie. Sophie decided very quickly that I was her new buddy, and I spent four days petting a very large head, holding paws, and resisting looks of doggie woe when I refused to hand over the turkey. Sophie was a love, and the two times Jerk Dog tried to nip me and assert his dominance, Sophie put herself between my chair and his snapping jaws. I almost wanted to take her home with me, but if I tried to walk her, it would look like a scene from the Special Olympics version of Ben Hur, wheels hurtling over the sidewalk as I was dragged in the wake of a 130-pound dog. Oh, but she was a love.
And then, there was Ricardo. He was a guest of Roomie's uncle. He'd come to this country four years ago from Colombia in order to support his mother and two younger brothers. He had nowhere to go on Christmas, so Roomie's uncle brought him along.
His English was marginal, so he wasn't saying much. Until I broke out my Spanish-fu, that was. Then, he was rattling along and laughing and asking questions. Frankly, I was relieved because I was sure my skills had eroded beyond repair from lack of use, but he assured me that my ninja skills were still l33t. He told me that he was surprised that I, a lowly gringa, could speak a corrida and be so well understood. Merry Christmas to me!
We exchanged email addresses, and so I'm going to do my damndest to keep in touch. I could use the practice, and he could use email that isn't basura or, more succinctly, pura chafalote.
Well, I'm off to fic and relax.
They got another dog, for one. A Great Dane named Sophie. Sophie decided very quickly that I was her new buddy, and I spent four days petting a very large head, holding paws, and resisting looks of doggie woe when I refused to hand over the turkey. Sophie was a love, and the two times Jerk Dog tried to nip me and assert his dominance, Sophie put herself between my chair and his snapping jaws. I almost wanted to take her home with me, but if I tried to walk her, it would look like a scene from the Special Olympics version of Ben Hur, wheels hurtling over the sidewalk as I was dragged in the wake of a 130-pound dog. Oh, but she was a love.
And then, there was Ricardo. He was a guest of Roomie's uncle. He'd come to this country four years ago from Colombia in order to support his mother and two younger brothers. He had nowhere to go on Christmas, so Roomie's uncle brought him along.
His English was marginal, so he wasn't saying much. Until I broke out my Spanish-fu, that was. Then, he was rattling along and laughing and asking questions. Frankly, I was relieved because I was sure my skills had eroded beyond repair from lack of use, but he assured me that my ninja skills were still l33t. He told me that he was surprised that I, a lowly gringa, could speak a corrida and be so well understood. Merry Christmas to me!
We exchanged email addresses, and so I'm going to do my damndest to keep in touch. I could use the practice, and he could use email that isn't basura or, more succinctly, pura chafalote.
Well, I'm off to fic and relax.
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