because the last post was a cop-out...

Well, I just made it through a stint of working practically full-time for 2 months. And survived. OK, it wasn't really full time, but it was a lot more than I've been up to since we got to Havana. Hopefully, more things will come up in the fall, cause it turns out: I like to work!

And tomorrow, we head off to Vancouver for a 3-week break for Steve and a 5-week break for Sam and I. And boy, do we need it. It's a good thing it is really sunny here, or it would be just downright depressing. I'm finding the level of hopelessness that lies beneath the surface here to be a bit much at the moment, so am really looking forward to a good, long break in a city with life and action and options. Not to mention good food and shopping.

We have long lists of foods to eat (sushi, fresh ramen, a really good burger, salmon, salad with more than one kind of lettuce in it, an apple, onigiri, bagels, steak you can actually chew with your teeth, extra old cheddar cheese...), things to do (go to a movie, see some Shakespeare, do some essential shopping, take a vacation [Steve and I are taking a parental 5-day break to Whistler], see family, go to a wedding...). I really and truly can't wait!

In amongst the anticipation of our trip, life in Cuba continues. Last weekend was a series of ups and downs:

The high point was definitely Sam's first piano recital - he was just excellent. I swear, the kid has talent. He really gets the music. He was completely nervous and couldn't play either of his pieces through all morning, and then he sat down at the piano at his recital and played like a pro. About halfway through the first piece, he just relaxed and went with it. So proud!

After the recital, we hustled home and had Sam's 11th birthday party - this year's cake looked like this:

On the down side, on the way to the recital, our car got swarmed by about 5 guys who managed to tear off our rear-windshield wiper - I think they may have been trying to "surf" behind the car in the 2-6 inches of water on the road due to the rain, but it was a freaky moment.

In other exciting and decidedly Cuban news, while we were on our fabulous (and now far too distant) break to Playa del Carmen, we had a new kitchen installed - 100% termite-free! For now! It's quite gorgeous, and came with a new oven that looked like this when we first turned it on:

Hmmmm... not so much.

Last night I had a dream that we got a new dishwasher that actually cleans the dishes...