*** Updated *** Click here to see more kitty pics.

Name: Llorona (a person who cries a lot)
Age: 3 months
Sex: Female

She’s a rescued kitty.  All her brothers and sisters died.  Her mother was either found with her or was dead, too… I was busy cooing at the time and my non-focused translating skills aren’t quite stellar.  She was being taken care of by a vet, so she has no ear mites, fleas, or chances of being a mother.

I’m guessing that mommy wasn’t around because she wasn’t fully weaned. She’s quite intent on working some milk out of my sweater.  She uses the litter box like a champ, stands on her hind legs, and has very dextrous paws.  She’s quite the talker, too.
She jumped in the toilet today while I was in the shower and got a little blue water on her.  I brought her in to the shower with me and though she obviously wasn’t pleased, she didn’t try to scratch or bite me.  I’m going to try and get her acclimated to water.

I also plan on brushing her and spinning yarn from the collected hair.  You may laugh, but there are folks who have businesses spinning yarn from various pet fibers.

¡Felíz año nuevo! I hope the new year is off to a good start for everyone and wish you the best of all good things.
This past year was a very interesting one. Frank and I fought back and won against our wicked landlords and their deranged daughter, I moved to México, and New Orleans, my home, was forever changed. My adventure has taken me from climbing graveyard walls to teaching English. I write almost everyday, feel good, and feel an overall sense that I’m on the right track with everything.

The teaching job has been a great boost to that feeling. I’ve wanted to do this for years and I’m finally getting the chance to. The best part is that I’m doing it well. On Monday, I’ll be starting to teach a group of 5 advanced students, three days a week. They’re good with all the business talk and want to do better with social situations. One of those students, will get an extra private lesson once a week. A group class offers all sorts of possibilities to create activities which get the students interacting and supporting each other. This is going to be fun!

Katrina was a very emotional time. I remember crying for two weeks and feeling such a deep sense of loss and anger. My Louisiana pride has always boiled over. Whenever anyone asks where I’m from, I can’t help but smile when I say, “I’m from New Orleans.” I love my city and its people. Once known for its decadence, beauty, and mystique, New Orleans has now become the poster city for poverty. Many people would rather see it abandoned and forgotten, but I think those people are shamed by being forced to realize that poverty exists within the US. For some, I think, it represents a failure of what America is supposed to be about. For others, maybe it’s a blow to the US sense of invulnerability and superiority to know that Mother Nature can wipe out more than Southeast Asia. For me, I just hope enough New Orleanians return to keep the spirit alive there.

As we’re now moving in to king cake season, I was overjoyed to walk in to the grocery store and see at least 20 tables stacked with roscas de reyes, the Méxican king cake. There’s even a plastic baby Jesús inside! It’s firmer and more bread-like than a New Orleans king cake and rather than being covered in glaze and colored sugar, the ones here have dried fruit on top. The taste is also different. A New Orleans king cake has cinnamon and sugar inside, whereas the rosca tastes like butter and cream cheese to me. It’s not quite the same, but still tasty. Laissez les bon temps roulez, y’all!