Yes, I know I'm like three days late to be posting an entry about what I did this weekend. But dammit! I'm gonna. And it will be long.

Sunday was loads of fun. Doug and Rina had a barbecue at their place in San Pedro. Aside from it being abso-freaking-lutely hotter than hell, everything was great. Ribs, chicken, creole rice, (the famous) spinach dip, a very neat spicy vegetable salad, and...this outstanding sweet potato salad. Let me tell you about this salad.

I MADE IT!!!!!

Rina knows I've been trying to learn to cook a thing or two, and helped me out by giving me "homework" for the barbecue. This was a great recipe she sent me; not a lot of ways to mess it up, tasted great, and looked pretty. But the chopping. Oh, the chopping. I had NO idea how MUCH six pounds of sweet potatoes was. At the market, I kept putting another one into my little produce bag, going back to the scale, and...nope, still need more. Well, after peeling these mongo sweet potatoes, I had to figure out how to cut them into 3/4 in cubes. Potatoes are round!!! I hate to waste food, so cutting off the outsides to make them square seemed awful. Most people are probably laughing right now, saying, "Helena, they don't have to be perfect cubes! What are you, anal retentive?"

To which I would respond, "Yes, yes I am. Please hand me that straight edge"

We had a great time. There was a pinata! And balloon hats!! And a few rounds of Hi-Lo!!! Here's Rina. Hi. Lo. And her brother Shane, and his friend Jesus. I don't know which they are. But they're having fun.

Monday turned into a lost day when I joined my neighbors for A glass of wine, which turned into two bottles of wine, a corona, and half a cadillac margarita. Yeah. You ever passed out holding a phone because you were just too drunk to dial? I have. It's probably better that way. Who knows what regrettable calls I might have made ;)

Yesterday and today I've been working in our Human Resources department, temping for a gal on vacation. I get to help make sure we're compliant! You know, posters about minimum wage, etc.

I also got to take a tour of a child care facility, to evaluate it for our employees. It was a really nice little spot, there were infants up to six year olds in different areas. Some were playing on this table covered in shaving gel/foam. Some were getting ready for pudding painting. Regrettably, I did not get to see the pudding painting itself happen. But the director of the school was very thorough, and adamant about how if the kids did not want to participate in any given activity, they would not be forced to.

I really ended up wanting to stay there! Snacks, and juice, and paints and blocks! How awesome! I could go read by myself when I felt like it, or play dress up, or hang out with the group outside. I was a wierd sort of kid, I spent a lot of time alone, I liked being let do what I could do quietly, in my own imagination. Those group things always freaked me out. Still do. "Let's break up into groups," is like my least favorite phrase to hear, and always sends a little chill down my back.

Anyway, it's just neat to see how education has changed in the last few years, how much more teachers are generally allowed to encourage creativity, room for individuality, all that hippie crap. I dig it. Sometimes I still think that I should teach that age (Pre-K, K). I mean, could you think of something more fun to do?

Pudding Painting?

As long as someone else cleans up after us, I think it might be the perfect job for me.