Two thousand and what?

Fun Fact 33: Mi flaca is what you call your girlfriend. Not that I would know first hand of course, but generally when guys introduce their girlfriend, they'll say "This is mi flaca, So-and-so." Flaca means skinny (not thin, but skinny) and even when someone's flaca isn't flaca, they still call them flaca. Kind of funny.

Continuing the list of neat things as of late:
8. The Godmother
December 16 was a crazy day. Not only was it the first concert of my choir, but it was also the 15th birthday of one of my goddaughters, Silvia. Fifteen is a big year for most girls in Latin America and this one was no different. Lemme just tell you: wedding-sized party. Long dresses, flowers, cakes, bouquet toss, first dances...almost pukish in the sense that this kid is only 15 but Silvia's got her head screwed on just right, and just about nothing can make her head big, she's such a sweet, humble kid. Love her to death, btw. Anyway, the festivities were intense but fun, even with the 60 or so teenagers in attendance. Ick and cute at the same time. Oh, and I got my first French manicure ever. Are you kidding me?

9. Quisto Cocha
I know I already mentioned it once before, but it's quite the fun place to go and I've been four times in the past month, slightly unheard of. Quisto is kind of like a zoo but not entirely. There are animals (including the famed bufeo, or river dolphin) but you see them along a path in the jungle. It's really pretty. Plus it's a national park, so there are tons of trails that you can walk to go birdwatching or just to experience a not-scary version of the jungle. It's really beautiful. Plus it has a lovely beach on a big cocha, or lake, with white sand and the water is great. No lifeguard, so you can bebop where ever you want. Although I got my first ever "holy crap I'm gonna drown" cramp in my calf on Sunday. I think it's because I've been driving the motorcycle and you use both heal and toe to shift and my calf had been sore anyway. Luckily I was with a bunch of people and was quickly rescued and massaged. Regardless, it's a little slice of paradise right here in Iquitos, complete with volleyball net and soccer goalposts, for whatever suits your mood.

10. New Year's
Well, yet another year has come and gone. Gosh, how quickly time flies! My evening was nice - Mario Luis came over for a nice dinner and then we went dancing at a gay bar called Spectrum. The crappy thing was that it was basically a sauna - no fans or air conditioning with about a million people. We were all drenched pretty much immediately. The good thing was that they put all different kinds of music on, and it was really great dancing. Mario Luis left around 3 and we stayed til about 5 when we went back to Jean Carlos' house (Veronica's boyfriend) and slept until about 8:30 and then went home. New Year's day was perhaps the laziest day of my life, spent watching Veronica Mars and napping. Rather heavenly, actually.

Quick 2006 recap:
-went to Spain to see my peeps
-ran a half marathon without training (yikes!)
-went to Florida and Louisiana with Pril
-went to Florida with Lorraine & Karen, and also went to Larissa & Ryan's wedding. Also had a 702 E. Wooster reunion.
-finished my PhD coursework
-finished my PhD comprehensive exams
-discovered that my friends are more amazing than I could have imagined
-moved to Peru, where there are no pad thai or migas, perhaps my biggest complaints.
-turned 28. Damn, gina!

Whoa. Short of sentimentalities, thank you all for being, well, amazing. I'm not going to name names (because that would take too long), but without you, I wouldn't be here. Doing what I love. Happy New Year. I hope it kicks ass.