Family news

Yesterday, we went to the SanLorenzo chapel for a funeral of a neighbor. It was too hot so I stopped him from going to the cemetery. She was only 85.

Today we went to 7 am mass (when it is still cool). The church was only full, not overflowing, so I guess a lot of folks went to the Simbang gabi at 5 am...

Joy's protestant church has a party after the service, and we're invited, but I said no: They are pentecostal and friendly, but I dislike parties with strangers, especially strangers who want to save my soul.

I'm not sure if Chano went with them or not: He is exhausted from working 24/7 getting the gift packages of rice (and another order just for the bags, so the bags can be stuffed with non brown rice) which was ordered as part of a gift basket of food by one of the banks.

The custom is to give gifts to good customers: Usually tote bags, umbrellas or food baskets, nothing big. Often the gifts here are giving during the 12 days of Christmas, partly because everyone goes home for the holidays and might not be around to pick them up during Christmas week (not to mention the banks are closed much of the week)...

The eight puppies (two moms) have reached the stage where they are out of their boxes (large drawers) and puddling all over and getting into mischief. so last night one got stuck half way out of the drawer and woke me up crying, until I got him out completely. So much for a good night sleep.

 It is noisy outside (we hear the music and partying and firecrackers from the town square which is a block away) so often I keep the windows shut with the aircon on "fan", and run MP3 lectures from various podcasts or college sites...so when I woke up the professor giving a lecture on rhetoric was explaining how politicians like John Kerry could flip his accent from "Bahston" to regular English. Heh. When I went back to bed, I switched the lecture to the next one, about the Greenland settlements and how it was so cold during the "little ice age" that even the Inuits starved.


Sigh. Can't get away from "WAGD" even at night.