she’s my favorite because
May 5, 2009
1. her fingers are shaped like tater tots
2. she wraps her head with vintage floral hankies
3. when she’s alone in the living room, she softly hums hymns from her childhood
4. she never poses when i take her photograph
5. recently, she began to watch her favorite novelas with her sunglasses on
6. she blesses me with the sign of the cross when i leave to work on tuesday mornings
7. for her, the air conditioning in my car is “the wind”
8. she likes to walk coquetishly, with one hand on her hip
9. her green eyes are full of stories
10. life won’t be half as hilarious when she returns to el salvador in 27 days
my little brother
May 2, 2009
has the world’s cutest girlfriend. yes, he does.
mi madre
April 29, 2009
she turns 46 today. here she is in the only childhood picture she owns. twelve years old, with no idea of all that lie ahead. five years later i would be born and war would erupt across el salvador. friends would disappear. my grandfather would be killed. my father exiled. she would flee to the u.s. by herself and sacrifice everything — cleaning houses, assembling airplane parts, ironing clothes — to become what she is today: my best friend, my hero, my mentor, my counselor, my greatest blessing. happy birthday, mama.
oh yes
April 25, 2009
i want a boy who writes me letters. not texts, not e-mails, not instant messages or facebook comments, but letters — hand wrapped around the pen, pen pressed firmly on the paper.
ten things
April 20, 2009
ten things is all i had on my list. but portland? portland added this and that and that and this and i chased it all like a birthday kid chases a piñata — the mojitos, the sunshine, the cherry blossoms, the photo books, the violin melodies and crisp air. holy moly. what a welcome.
11 reasons
April 19, 2009
why i love portland.
it is fair to say
April 18, 2009
that i am slightly (pretty much completely, absolutely, positively, no ifs ands or buts about it) overwhelmed after this weekend. i’ve got love, love and tulips, coming out my ears. #26 on the list, done and done.
lys
April 17, 2009
this one’s for you.
302 days later
April 15, 2009
(yes, i’m keeping count) i’m flying back to visit portland. i’m keeping count because as much as i whined while i lived there, portland is the place that gave and gave and got me here. home. happy. whole. so thank you, city of roses. to show my gratitude, i plan to spend my three-day weekend savoring every beautiful thing you have offer. hence, the list.
1. indulge in sweetly drizzled boccone dolce at my favorite dessert house in the world, papa haydn
2. repeat #1 for the glazed raspberry gateau
3. get lost for a few hours in the shelves of powell’s books
4. talk to faith, “feita” in my mind, until my jaw falls off
5. photograph: nw 23rd, alberta, hawthorne, belmont, burnside, the bridges, the farmer’s market (etc.etc. etc. until my index finger falls off)
6. dine with my favorite o girls on the best mac ‘n cheese the human race has ever known at montage
7. toast with a homojito to my jasoncito days at crush
8. drive to woodburn for the 24th annual tulip fest. (and some tax-free outlet shopping. chaooooooo!)
9. go with la shelli chula to la calaca comelona. sip on caipirinhas while my favorite veggie torta arrives
10. listen to john snell crack me up over take-out
for the record
April 13, 2009
four days have passed and i am still savoring my mom’s riquisimos nopales con cilantro, onions, tomatoes, lime, probably some salt and who knows what other mouth watering, crack-like addictive substance. dang. (a moment of silence for the nopales, please.)
i need to learn how to cook.
also, for the record, i am officially removing ketchup as my seventh food group and replacing it with red velvet. red velvet anything. red velvet cake. red velvet cupcake. red velvet donut. red velvet pan dulce.
