New Leaves

And you thought I'd forgot about my New Year's Resolutions, all jazzed up with color to make them that much more real. The truth is, some of them have sort of fallen by the wayside and been left for dead. Alas, I hardly knew them. However, I've actually been pushing and pulling at some of them in an attempt to fit them into my life more completely. I have been working hard at making my time in Spain more Spanish, at taking advantage of where I am. After a few months of nothing, behold! Budding developments!

Budding Development #1. This is sitting in my room right now, waiting for me to first discuss some kind of payment with M at work and then actually begin working on it. It is a parents' book, a how-to-guide on teaching your baby to swim. My task, should I choose to accept it, is to translate all 200 pages of weirdness. Sample sentence: "Let your baby sink in the water." I think it might take a lot to make this not sound like a creepy baby murder book.

Budding Development #2. There is a scary test called the DELE, which tests your Foreign Person Knowledge of Spanish. The test is divided up into Listening, Writing, Reading, and Oral sections. Cathy decided to take the test and because I'm a sincere copycat I decided I should do it as well. I've bought some books and am currently deciding on whether to take the test in May or in November. Also, UNNAMEDPLACEOFWORK (DONTFIREME) has decided that they will pay for a Spanish tutor to prepare me for this exam. I'm actually pretty hyped up for this test. Bring it.

The rest are too fuzzy and hazy at this point, but include new friends and volunteering my disappearing free time to work at a film festival or on a literary theory magazine. This last one, if it indeed pans out, will be the most exciting and worthwile of all.