Things We Do Now

We wash our clothes in smaller batches and hang them in the fresh air and sunshine to dry. We love  this little energy-saving routine. Check back in when the ground is covered in a dusting of snow in December to see how much we still love it. 

We find the rare playground and even though majority of the time they are baking in the sun and the equipment pieces are outdated paint-chipped soloflexes, we use every single ounce of strength to lift our body weight for two reps total. 

We share the neighborhood with cats. This one's name is "Ojitos Bonitos" and he gets annoyed with you when you take a picture of him lounging on someone's car like he's the Queen of Sheba.  

When you order "breakfast" in Spain, it's a fried egg, hella fries and the grossest lump of uncooked bacon you've ever seen. And depending upon who you are, you eat the lump with aplomb (Will) or you push it to the other side of the plate with a scowl on your face (everyone else) 

You wear a tin foil hat and a leopard print coverup when you get your hair dyed. Also, it takes 4 hours because the hairdresser (your new best friend Martina) runs out to get pizza for you and her at one point and an hour later goes out to get un cortado (for her) and un chai ((with oat milk!!!) for you. Bless her.) Then throughout the haircut friends knock on the door and she greets them and talks for 3-4 minutes each time. Also while she's washing your hair, she takes a rubbery pink square from the sink and says "is this an earring of yours or something?" and you realize it's a piece of ham from her slice of pizza and you both burst into laughter.

Cars regularly barrel down skinny narrow streets and then have to stop and be directed through by passers-by when the going gets tough. This takes anywhere from 1-10 minutes. And no one gets annoyed. You stand patiently behind the car listening to three dudes yell "derecha! derecha! eso!" (right right, that's it!) and then they eventually make it through.

When you go to H&M to get socks, you end up joining the H&M club even though the last time you went shopping was at a Goodwill in San Francisco 3 years ago. You do it because you likened the experience to a mini language lesson.

You think you share your space with cats. The cats are clearly in charge.They stare you down while they nurse their kittens IN YOUR SHADY FAVORITE SEAT. [ed note: I have since challenged and taken down that cat. Don't fear, my cat-loving readers! Not by means of force. I put orange peels and lavender in her spot which apparently repels them?..Again, "Things We Do Now]

You let your kids watch unlimited Spanish cartoons on a ridiculous channel called "Boing"in hopes this will speed up their language acquisition. They used to be allowed two movies on the weekends if they had good behavior all week. They become Boing zombies.

You see pig legs hanging from the ceiling in groups of 50 every half block. 

You get your own pizza here because it tastes just like Italy. 

You learn to stop complaining about walking everywhere up and down and up and down and up and down because you realize how lucky you are.