impromptu whirlwind

Yesterday I went to a bingo fundraiser in Quilpue, for Heather's host sister. I won! Actually I won the first two times, but the second time I didn't realize you had to muscle your way in front of anyone else who won, so I missed out on a shiny brand-new 220V blender with a non-U.S. plug, which was disappointing. But look what I did win!



Now, now. Don't be jealous. Envy is a sin. I know you wanted hot pink fuzzy slippers and a combination pumice stone/brush for your feet.

I'd skipped the asado at Bennett's on Friday, but Corrie sent me a text message saying there was an asado at her place in La Calera, with a guaranteed soft thing to sleep on and I could go to bed when I needed, so I decided to do that. Of course, La Calera is nearly 2 hours from Quilpue, and I left at 8pm, but that's okay. It's been a long time since I took the last bus of the night out to some random deserted suburb, hoping I got the directions right. Especially with my cell phone not working. (I fixed it by rebooting, which eased things.)

The asado was lovely, with people being pretty accepting of my not dancing. In fact, everyone eventually migrated to the living room, and hung around talking. I got to tell my story about taking advice, and to refer to Chilean women as "dangerous," which always gets a solid laugh, for the kernel of truth in it; although, following the Advice Story, someone suggested complicado, which is funnier.

I'd met a young couple who live across the street, part of the extended family, Edgardo and Kathy. I think Kathy is Corrie's host cousin--hard to keep straight. Anyway, I stayed in their spare bed, which was nice, although it wasn't until I got there that Kathy mentioned that (a) the bathroom is in a building next to the house, and (b) they have dog who will bite non-residents, so if you're a guest, you need a resident to escort you to the bathroom. That wasn't exactly convenient after a night of carousing, but it worked out fine and I had a lovely time lounging around with them the next day.

Edgardo invited me to lunch at his parents' place down the street. I like spending time with them anyway, but having rabbit for lunch sealed the deal. The rabbit turned out to be "don't swallow the ammunition" fresh, with oregano and cumin, and there was also the best cazuela I've had in Chile, plus artichokes and salad. The family has bees and avocado trees, and Edgardo picked a few pounds of avocados for me.

They brought me to the bus stop and we watched the bus pull away, so Edgardo started racing to catch up to it, despite Kathy (8 months pregnant) and I suggesting I could just wait for the next bus. Then someone tossed a full beer bottle out the bus window, and they said, "Oh, that bus is full of angry drunks. Better wait for the next one."

Two hours later, I was home. Today: still a little tired.