Please enjoy with hot cocoa

Saturday 7 December 2013Thursday 13 March 2014 kristyChristmas, Devin, family, New YorkLeave a comment

I thought I might go all out with Christmas decorations this year, but it turns out there’s no need. One of our neighbors put out a sign offering to decorate everyone’s doors, so now I come home to a fully decorated apartment building every night. If I saw this in a movie, I’d be like ‘Pfff! That would never happen’, but it’s like the great Mark Twain once said, sometimes truth is cuter than fiction.

In my office building, I get to see a big tree, wreaths with twinkly lights, an electric menorah, and a Kwanzaa altar. I get really giddy when I pass the Kwanzaa decorations because one of the first chapter books I read was about a New York family who celebrated Kwanzaa, and I dreamed about moving here and meeting friends who celebrated it. I still don’t know anyone who does, but maybe this is the year!

Outside, streetlights and lampposts and, yes, store windows are decorated, too; but I am most excited by the decorations put up just because. I do believe that the holidays are about much more than consumerism, and it’s nice to have visual reminders of this. Of course, materialism is a part of these holidays, just like it’s a part of every other aspect of our lives. Hate the capitalism, not the Christmas is the moral for me, though trying to come up with meaningful gifts that don’t perpetuate our current economic system is rough. A necklace made of foraged walnuts might be a nice gesture, but it isn’t particularly desirable, you know?

Devin and I are going to Mexico to celebrate with my big family, under one roof for a whole week! Neat things happen when so many of us get together. One year we spent an entire day painting with watercolors. Last year I ended up watching three Hallmark Christmas movies in a row with my gruffest, most serious uncle. They all had names like Christmas with Holly (Holly being the protagonist, of course). The best part is that the movies were even too cheesy for me (me!), but my uncle stayed up to watch a fourth. It was called Naughty or Nice, and the main character was named Krissy Kringle, you guys.

When I was little, my cousins and I would dance and sing along to this 80s album of Mexican pop stars singing carols. I didn’t realize how nonsensical some of them are until I played them and Devin translated the one about fish drinking river water to celebrate Jesus’s birth while the Virgin Mary brushes her hair with a silver comb. It’s actually really catchy…

Before we leave, I want to bask in all the New York holiday cheer, decorate a little Charlie Brown tree, and maybe even talk some friends into going to see the lights in Dyker Heights! Do you have any holiday traditions? Or tips for things to do in NYC? What are the best stocking stuffers to disrupt the social order, anyway?

Wedding Tableau

Friday 29 November 2013Friday 29 November 2013 kristycandid, Devin, family, love, wedding1 Comment

When my family comes to town

Tuesday 24 September 2013Tuesday 24 September 2013 kristyDevin, family, Josh, Vanessa3 Comments

This past weekend, when my cousin and her husband came to town, I asked Devin to take a picture of us. As you know from this weblog, Devin is an old hand at accommodating my request for pictures, and he’s developed a strategy. As soon as I hand him the camera, he starts shooting. Unfortunately, I never remember Devin’s paparazzi skills, and days later I find 20 pictures of me making strange faces, like the surprisingly popular One Eye Open, One Eye Closed, Lips Puckered. (Do I walk around making that face? No, no, please don’t answer that.)

So you can imagine my surprise when this weekend’s rapid-fire picture-taking resulted in the world’s happiest outtakes.

'Wearing helmets is fun!' — ‘Wearing helmets is fun!’

'So is taking them off!' — ‘So is taking them off!’

'We both have hair!' — ‘You’re so cool!’

...and here's the picture we actually posed for. — …and here’s the picture we actually posed for.

Josh makes a cameo in the background of all of these pictures. Don’t be fooled by his serious demeanor. The very first time I met him, he conned me into ordering my food at a French Café…in French. The café was on his college campus, and he promised it was staffed entirely by French majors. Je veux une baguette. I know it sounds ridiculous, but in my defense the menu consisted of French food words, and he is a master of deadpan. It’s a good thing his pranks are usually funny.

Love you so much, Vanessa and Josh. Thanks for coming to make my week!

Little Things

Saturday 23 February 2013Saturday 23 February 2013 kristyDevin's Grandma Pat, family, Philadelphia2 Comments

Last weekend Devin and I went to visit some of his family in Philadelphia. Have I mentioned that Devin’s family happens to be made up of the most thoughtful people in the contiguous 48? Every time I move into a new house or apartment, the first thing I get in the mail is a housewarming gift from Devin’s mom! (When I moved into my first New York apartment, I was scared about having too much stuff, so she sent me a care package specifically designed for living in small spaces–three cookies and a pair of scissors). In Philadelphia, Devin’s aunt and uncle always go out of their way to shuttle us around their fair city and cook five-star vegetarian meals, which we all eat together in their candlelit dining room. They are the best, best hosts.

Like in my family, it seems that everyone learned all they know from their matriarch, Grandma Pat. When Devin and I arrived last Friday, she had old photos waiting for me because she knows I love vintage dresses and hats. And she had a birthday gift wrapped and ready for me to open, a full two weeks before my actual birthday! With the present, she included three beautiful vintage handkerchiefs and a poem that is now one of my favorites. She copied it down years ago and isn’t sure who the original author was. I tried to find out and think it might be a womyn named Grace Haines, but I’m not positive. If I learn more about its source and history, I’ll update the post; but for now, here it is. Thanks again, Grandma Pat.

Little Things

Oh, it’s just the little homely things,
The unobstrusive, friendly things,
The “won’t-you-let-me-help-you” things,
That make our pathway light.

And it’s just the jolly, joking things,
The “never-mind-the-trouble” things,
The “laugh-with-me-it’s-funny” things,
That make the world seem bright.

For all the countless famous things,
The wondrous record-breaking things,
Those “never-can-be-equalled” things,
That all the papers cite

Are not the little human things,
The “every-day-encountered” things,
The “just-because-I-love-you” things,
That make us happy quite.

So here’s to all the little things,
The “done-and-then-forgotten” things,
Those “oh-it’s-simply-nothing” things,
That make life worth the fight.

Mi Sobrina Cosmopolita

Sunday 3 February 2013Sunday 3 February 2013 kristyCarol, Chih., CUU, family, Mexico, Victoria1 Comment

Hoy les presento un vídeo de mi sobrina Victoria. Dura quince segundos, pero como a mi siempre me da flojera ver vídeos, se los explico para que ustedes decidan si lo quieren ver o no. Tomé el vídeo en diciembre cuando estábamos juntas muchas de las mujeres de la familia. En el vídeo, Victoria trae un llavero de la Torre Eiffel, y Carol le pregunta,’ ¿Dónde está Paris?’ esperando que la niña apunte al llavero. Pero en vez de enseñarnos la Torre Eiffel, mi sobrina lista nos enseña a hablar francés! Pronuncia ‘Paris’ con un acento perfecto (‘Paguí’). Llevo más de un mes viendo este vídeo todos los días. Me encanta darme cuenta que aun siendo tan pequeña, Victoria entiende tanto. No cabe duda que lo que tiene de petite, lo tiene de culta e inteligente.

Here’s a cute video of my niece Victoria. It’s only fifteen seconds long, but since I hate watching videos, I’ll re-cap it for you. I filmed it in December when a bunch of the wimyn in the family were together, fawning over Veev. In the video, Victoria is holding a keychain in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. Carol asks, ‘Where’s Paris?’ in hopes that the baby will point at the keychain. But instead of showing us the Eiffel Tower, my smart niece gives us a lesson in pronunciation. She says ‘Paris’ in perfect French! I’ve been watching this video every day for over a month. I am perpetually astounded to see that even though Victoria’s a baby, she understands so much. I can’t wait to see what else she’ll teach us.

New Year’s Eve

Tuesday 1 January 2013Tuesday 1 January 2013 kristyAbbita, Chih., Chihuahua, Devin, family, happy new year, mami, Mexico, Vanessa2 Comments

Tonight a bunch of my family went out for dinner and dancing to bring in the new year. At midnight, my mom, my aunt Menry, and Vanessa whispered, ‘This is your year’ when they hugged me, and my heart skipped a beat every time. And I couldn’t say anything back because I didn’t want to ruin my mascara.

I missed Devin a whole lot, especially during the dancing. But then Menry said, ‘Colecciono momentos mágicos. Creo que este es uno’, which reminded me so much of something my grandmother used to say. And then the band played the first song Devin learned in Spanish, and my aunt Martha exclaimed, ‘La canción de Devin!’

I remembered what it was like to kiss my Abbita on the cheek to wish her a happy new year, and I imagined what it will be like to kiss Devin at the stroke of midnight. And I thought about how the people you love stay a part of your life forever.

This year I finally ate all twelve of my grapes and made a wish for each one. At 12:30, my aunt Menry said, ‘We have to go because we’re getting up early tomorrow’.

But the whole family stayed until the party was over. Like we always do.

Happy new year!
kristy

So you say you want Christmas time in the city

Monday 24 December 2012Thursday 27 December 2012 kristybagels, Bryant Park, Candle Café, Christmas, Christmas time in the city, family, FAO Schwarz, holidays, Magnolia, New York, Rockefeller Center, The Highline, Vanessa, Zara6 Comments

A few weeks ago, my cousins Vanessa and Josh came to visit me. When I asked Vanessa what they wanted to do, she said, ‘Christmas stuff’ and also ‘more Christmas stuff’, so that’s what we did (it didn’t take a lot of arm-twisting). And when the weekend was over, I thought, ‘Hey, this would make a great little Christmas tour of New York’. I called up Vanessa to ask her if she wouldn’t mind writing up a little something about what we did, and after just the tiniest bit of begging, she agreed. So now, without further anticipation, I present for your consideration…

The First Official smoothliminal Guide to Christmas Time in the City

(Commentary by Vanessa. All pictures from Google because it’s Christmas and we’re busy.)

1. Candle Café (at 75th Street & 3rd Avenue, Upper East Side)

Kristy’s philosophy is that everyone should eat at the smallest restaurant possible when they visit New York, so we went to Candle Café, which is adorable and tiny. Tiny! Clearly this perspective is influenced by my current address in the wide and spacious southwest, but I was impressed that they manage to produce such good food and attentive service in what is basically a hallway. Also, my sister-in-law had her first ever vegan meal and loved it, so clearly our visit was an epic success.

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2. FAO Schwarz (at 59th Street and 5th Avenue, Upper East Side)

Then we made our way to FAO Schwarz (and not, as my father-in-law assumed when pulling up, to the Apple store… to which 5/8 of the occupants of the van exclaimed “You don’t know me!” and tried to hide their iPhones). We were half-and-half divided on whether it’s cool for FAO Schwarz to sell “BYOB” cans to small children (“Bring Your Own [gummy] Bears”––so funny! So not appropriate! See, I’m still conflicted).

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3. Rockefeller Tree (on 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, Midtown)

To conclude our evening, we made our annual pilgrimage to the Rockefeller Tree. This is my fourth year running, and this year’s visit compared favorably to other years in the ‘weather’ category (it wasn’t freezing!) but less favorably in the ‘exciting events observed’ category because last year we witnessed a marriage proposal on the skating rink. Although this year we did watch a pair of MARRIED Cuban men unsuccessfully try to pick up a pair of not-born-yesterday Mexican women (¡bien hecho, mujeres!).

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4. Murray’s Bagels (at 13th Street and 6th Avenue)

One interesting tidbit I learned about NYC living this time around? Apparently many New Yorkers don’t start their workday till, like, way late. So even though we didn’t get to Murray’s Bagels for breakfast until 9:30, we were still just in time for the breakfast rush! My review: delicious, and huge.
•5. The Highline (on 8th-10th Avenues, between West 14th and West 30th Streets)

So, one time my sister-in-law really, really wanted to take us to the Highline. She talked about it all day. But then, when we got there in the evening, it was closed. Ever since, I’ve been super curious to go to this little park, and we finally did, and it was amazing. Quotable moment from the Highline: we saw the side of a building covered in what looked like mirror and rusted metal, prompting Kristy to exclaim, ‘Oh! I read about this. It’s art.’

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6. Ice-skating in Bryant Park (on 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues)

Here’s what you need to know about ice skating in Bryant Park (or anywhere, probably): MAKE SURE YOUR SKATES ARE LACED TIGHT. We didn’t figure this out until we were almost finished and Josh’s legs are still recovering from the war-wounds. Also, I didn’t realize how smooth and wonderful this ice is until I went ice skating at an uncovered rink in downtown Phoenix that’s essentially a piece of plywood with a veeeryyy thin layer of ice on top. New Yorkers, you have it so good. This was the most Christmassy thing we did in New York, what with the ice, the Christmas songs playing, and the general mood of festivity and cheer. I loved it.

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7. Bryant Park Holiday Market (on 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues)

After skating, we were starving so we ate the most delicious arepas and soup. Kristy also introduced us to kombucha (or whatever it’s called), which tasted… healthy.

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8. Zara (on 42nd Street at 5th Avenue)

After lunch, we hit up Zara for some Christmas shopping. Normally I adore Zara, but I’m extremely displeased with the company at the moment because I bought a skirt with the cheapest zipper known to man that broke the first time I wore it. Oh yes, I did just blog about it, Zara customer service!

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9. Grand Central Station (at 42nd Street and Park Avenue)

We had time for one more thing before we headed to the airport, so we went to check out Grand Central Station. At this point things started to get a little rush-y, but we did take a minute to pick out the constellations on the ceiling and take pictures and generally admire the building.

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10. Magnolia Bakery (on the lower level of Grand Central, 42nd Street and Park Avenue)

For the very last of our adventures in the city, Kristy treated us to not one but TWO treats from Magnolia bakery, because that’s just the kind of person she is. One hop over the subway gate later (what? it wouldn’t let me through and the train was leaving! I swiped my card, I swear) and we were Jersey-bound. You know how sometimes when you’re saying goodbye to someone it’s better to do it in a mad dash of packages and coats and two flights of subway stairs so you don’t cry? This was one of those times. We love you, Kiki! Can’t wait to see you at Christmas!
•Visit Vanessa’s blog here: holasunshine.wordpress.com

Merry Christmas, everyone!

P.S. Don’t worry if you can’t make it to New York by tomorrow, the best part about Christmas in the city is that it lasts well into January.

P.P.S. Let me know if any of these pictures are yours. I’ll happily credit the photographers or remove them.

Borders

Monday 5 November 2012Sunday 4 May 2014 kristyborders, cousins, family, Mexico, Obama, politics, Romney, transnationality8 Comments

babyfirstbatch — Baby cousins with our grandparents, circa 1990.

Though I’ve lived my whole life on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border, I didn’t understand what a border was until I was eleven years old. That summer three of my cousins were allowed to come back from Chihuahua to Texas with my mom and me. I have ten cousins, four of whom are very close in age to me. I call them my first-batch cousins because we were all born one after the other. Then the parents waited a while and then came the second batch. Some of my second-batch cousins don’t like these designations, but it just makes it easier for me to communicate which cousins I’m talking about—because I talk about my cousins all the time. I can’t help it, they’re just that great!

Anyway, the summer before sixth grade almost all my first-batch cousins were allowed to come visit me for two weeks. Caren couldn’t come because she didn’t have her visa renewed in time, and you need a visa to come to the United States from Mexico. I was so excited! I was going to get to show my cousins my life in Texas. We’d just moved into an apartment complex with two pools and a playground and we would ice skate and go to Six Flags and go to the mall! It was the first time any of my cousins visited me instead of the other way around. But Caren couldn’t come. She didn’t have this little piece of paper. There was no way to get it in time. She couldn’t come.

Continue reading “Borders” →

Preparing a Wedding

Wednesday 25 July 2012Monday 3 October 2016 kristyDevin, family, feminism, Jo, Portland, wedding8 Comments

I haven’t written much about planning a wedding, mostly because I don’t know the first thing about it. But this week I am in Portland with my mom to see Devin and start putting some real thought and effort into figuring out the beginning of our plans! This trip was planned on the shortest of notices. And I mean that. Here’s the timeline:

On Wednesday, Devin & I decided to have our wedding ceremony & reception in Portland.

On Thursday, I realized I have this week off from work.

On Friday, my mom and I decided we should come to Portland. We bought plane tickets in the wee hours of Friday night/Saturday morning and flew in on Sunday! I had never bought a plane ticket/packed my bags on such short notice.

Phew. I am also working on a very big translation project, which is fun but time-consuming work. I can’t really remember the last time I slept a full eight hours, but I am very happy about the reasons I haven’t been sleeping. My brain keeps having these pop-up notes like: Translating? Hanging out with my mom? Seeing Devin? Portland? Biking seven miles with Devin…and my MOM? Wedding-planning? IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?!?

It is actually happening, and I am posting this before I go to bed because I try my hardest to update this thing once a week, and I doubt I’ll have much time tomorrow. Sorry if it isn’t a very interesting post.

Let’s close with some engagement pictures!

Engaged — Here we are sitting on the grass looking like your average engaged couple.

Watches — Here we are showing off our watches like the feminist engagement super(s)heroes we are!

Photos taken last July by Jo.

Funny story about these pictures. I made this grand plan for Jo to take our engagement pictures. Only I forgot to tell Devin…and I also forgot to tell Jo. Until the day I thought the photo session would be. Luckily, they were both free and such good sports about the whole thing. I guess after you know me a while you realize that while I might be good at planning, I am not always so good about communicating plans (some would say that’s the most important part, but what do they know).

Continue reading “Preparing a Wedding” →

In which I definitively prove that my family is cute and clever

Monday 2 July 2012Sunday 26 December 2021 kristyCarol, clever, cousins, cute, family, Mexico1 Comment

In May after going to Portland, I got to go to Mexico to visit my family. I went for my cousin Nolan’s wedding, which was beautiful and fun, and did I mention they are sooooo in love? And have been since high school? I was super excited for them to get married because a couple of years ago, Devin and I went on a double-date with Nolan and Anakaren. Afterward, I told Devin that I really wanted Anakaren to be my cousin-in-law. And this year Nolan made my wish come true. Such a good cousin, that one.

Whenever I spend time with my family, I get really happy and silly and want to tell everyone how much I love them and why. I could go on and on about the hilarious jokes my cousin Gaby makes or all the vegetarian recipes my aunt Minou teaches me or how when we laugh, the twenty of us sound like a barnyard full of clucking chickens. The problem is that my rambles can’t really communicate how it feels to have a large team of people who have known me my whole life and who love me and inspire me in countless ways. Maybe some day I will figure out how to say it, but for now, I’ll just share this prize-winning essay my cousin Carol wrote in 1995, at age 9.

In case you didn’t catch the fact that I’m from Mexico, please note that Carol wrote this in her second language at age nine. It’s neat to read this and know that the little girl who wrote that essay grew up to be an English teacher! Carol is also the mom of my niece Victoria, who will certainly grow up to be a polyglot genius.

Oh, and when the author mentions ‘Kristy’ in the above piece, she definitely means me. That’s pretty cool, too.