ESPN, YOU SUCK!

ESPN loses the visual feed, not the audio, on Turkey v. Germany. Instead of going with audio only, calling the game play-by-play, ESPN went to the studio for some kind of round-table discussion. Fucking bastards. The producer should be fired, taken to the town square and have rotten tomatoes empalled about his neck and shoulders. Because of this, all of the U.S.A. missed the 3rd and 4th goals. We caught the 5th and then missed the rest of the game. In desparation, I went online, trying to find a radio station; no luck Finally, caught the ending on the house AM radio, Spanish channel. How did you cope in your neck of the woods? ESPN claimed that there was a global blackout.

dog tired

Berlitz, what can I say. Occasionally, we get these corporate clients, wives of engineers. The company pays for the lessons. The other day, I had class with a German milf. Euro 08 was on. We went to the Irish bar. I had an Irish coffee and a breakfast sandwhich and watched Germany lose to Croatia. She picked up the bill. That afternoon, I went to the Catholic school for our last class of the year. We had cookies, played some rancheras on the stereo and ran around outside All in a day's work.

one step closer

during class, I took out my cell phone to confirm that the sound was off.

Lolita took notice.

"Hey Mr. Gringo Vasco, what's your number! We should chat! I'll send you a text!"

Not looking at her temptress eyes, I calmly respond, "that's innapropriate."

"Aw, come on, what's your number."

"Maybe when you're 18."

No longer a Temp!

I've just signed contracts at the two schools for next year.

Both contracts combined, I'm paid to teach about 17 hours of in-class and 7 hours of prep. per week.

I'll be on salary so I'll have paid holidays, sick days, two months summer vacation.

no benefits.

I don't really fancy a 40 hour work week so this suits me just fine.

By the way, the temp company keeps calling me and asking me about my plans for next year. How do I break it to them that I'll no longer be working for them and they will be minus two clients for next year. :-D

The end of the year approaches

I teach about 6 classes.

One of them had their last on the year.

I bought, brought a bunch of mexican sweet bread: conchas, cause they look like shells; elotes, cause they look like corn.

They also had "donas" on sale which I gave a pass. See below.

He owes my father an XL golf shirt.

Lolita couldn't find "roller coaster" in her dictionary. Neither could I.

I asked for another, confident I would find it.

Max bet me $100 that I wouldn't find it in any body's dictionary. We shook on it. Fair and square.

Well, guess what. I found it. 'Russian mountain' they call it. He confirmed (his folks are from Argentina and speak Spanish to him at home so he mostly just doodles in class and corrects me when I say something ridiculous, non-native).

Since I knew he wouldn't fork over the cash, I suggested a compromise.

"Bring me some soccer gear", knowing that his father works for Nike.

"Soccer gear is a no-go", he said. His old man works in the golf department.

I don't golf though I have done it before. It's good fun and all: you get to drink beer and drive a little car around a park and get out every once in a while a whack a little plastic ball. It's fucking expensive, though.

"Fine", I said. "Bring a shirt, XL for my old man; he's into golf."

The little fucker told me he would.

He still hasn't.

"Jake in inappropriate"

Lolita struts up to me after class.

"Hey Mr. Gringo Vasco, I don't think I like Jake anymore."

"Oh yeah," I feign interest.

"No. He's too much of a jock."

"That's too bad."

"Besides, he's inappropriate," she explains.

"Hmm," I try not to look into her eyes, fearing she'll see that Jake and I are not so different.

"Yeah, I don't think he likes me for me."

Get used to it tootsie.