This one is Spanish into English. About $140!
woo-hoo! (I was starting to worry!)

Ok, so I kept calling until the receptionist knew my voice/number and refused to take my calls...no problem, I just dialed a different number and got someone else (it's one of those "rescue services" provided by a local cell phone company to its customers, so they HAVE to answer). I even had a bit of a spat with her, because she said: oh, yeah, I know, we will give her the message. And I asked: are you sure you got my last name right? Sure. Ok, could you spell it for me, just so I make sure you got it right? I can spell it, lady, don't worry. Really? go ahead, spell it for me! ...you catch the drift (only the people that KNOW me get my last name right...everyone assumes its either Lazo or Larios or Claros...)
Anyway, I called again today (gave her 3 days to respond to my last message)...since I was told she's not in, I asked for her boss...I was told HE's not in (not sure I believe it, it might just be the secretary trying to cover for the girl that contacted me)..ok, so I ask for his e-mail...would you believe the secretary "doesn't know what his e-mail is"?...yeah, me neither. So, I asked for a fax number (she couldn't withhold THAT from me, could she?) I wrote a very nice memo explaining that I had been contacted to do the job on 2/26, agreed that terms of payment where "immediate" and that I had delivered the work on 2/27...I also added that I normally deal with the person that contracts me directly but, that since I had fruitlessly tried to contact this girl (didn't use that expression, of course!) for the past month, I felt I had no other recourse but to contact him directly. I stated the amount I was owed and asked for a speedy payment. I included a copy of all the translated documents, a copy of the email I sent the girl and a copy of the fax transaction report...
Of course, I also added my phone # and email...

I hate this!...I should have asked to get the original documents (birth certificate and other legal docs) and not release them until I had the $$$ instead of making things easier for her by telling her she could scan them and send them to me via email/fax!

small bakers have gone on strike in ES over the price of flour...they will not bake for 2-3 days...
they are asking for a government subsidy to help them cope with rising prices in flour and lard without having to increase prices to the public...

Meantime, bus owners and other transportation business owners are asking the government to place a ceiling of $2 for diesel prices...

Troy will burn! (there WILL be trouble, one way or the other!)

I'm thinking of putting together a "homework supplies" box...using stuff I already have, but adding some stuff, I was thinking:

1. pencils (Ale tends to lose them!)
2. eraser
3. sharpener
4. colored pencils
5. box of crayons
6. watercolors
7. white glue
8. 2 or 3 brushes
9. old magazines (for cutting up)
10.glitter glue (we do have some leftover from the school supply sale)
11. colored bond paper, letter size
12. white bond paper, legal size (we have about 10 reasms!)
13. yarn in different colors (leftover from knitting projects)
14. ribbon
15. gift wrapping paper (I do have some small scraps left over, too)
16. construction paper (from school supply sales)


Anything else you think would be good?

I managed to get my letters to be able to file my taxes...oh, and while I was there, I ran into someone that, upon hearing what I was doing there, asked: did you also get the letter from the coop?...I hadn't even thought of that! and I made $46.66!- I imagine it was paid towards my loan (fine with me!), but, of course, this would have made my tax information inaccurate!...I'm glad I have all the letters/documents I need now!...
Now I just have to find the time to go to the Ministry and file! (er, no, you can't NOT go!...even if you file via internet you're required to print a copy of the declaration and bring it to the Ministry!- how silly is THAT?)
oh, well....joy of joys!....I'll go play with the numbers a while to see if I can figure our how much I have to pay!

There was a very famous tourist spot with natural spring pools that people loved to visit...the place was severly damaged by the 2001 earthquakes (besides damages to the actual facilities, the road was also badly damaged)...7 years later, they re-opened March 14th. They had expected about 17,000 to 20,000 visitors per month: they had over 5,500 that first day...And, remember, we were not "fully" on holiday until Wednesday!
The sad part is: by Wednesday there were already reports on the news that the facilities had been damaged. Apparently, the so-called authorities at the park did NOT close the park once the allowable number of people had entered, but allowe more people in than the park can handle...since there were no rest areas available, people just went ahead and held picnics in the gardens...they also threw trash into the pools, so that by Friday, the pools were filthy! (remember I mentioned that we don't have a "no littering" culture here?)

So, apparently it takes Salvadorans just 3 days to ruin something that cost $1.5 million to fix! Things like these not only make me indignant, but also make me ashamed for my country!

Ok, our 4-day holiday is over, and tomorrow we all have to go back to work!
It was nice, while it lasted, and, for a change, I DO feel rested!...Our lunch is already packed in containers in the fridge (leftover Aztec pie) and I only have to add the milk, juice, yogurt and an apple for Ale's lunchbox (I pack a snack for recess and a full lunch for noon)...oh, and I'm sure she'll want to pack at least a piece of Easter chocolate! (but I have to remind her to eat it at recess, rather than waiting for lunch, otherwise it'll melt!- the Easter bunny always gets "real" chocolate!)

The Easter bunny came at the break of dawn...Ale woke ME up at 6:11am...wondering whether the bunny had already come...I told her to wait until the parakeets flew by- we live between the place where they rest at night and the place they live in by day, so we hear them every morning and afternoon, or would, if we were awake... (about 6:15am)

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........Z!

I think I'm going back to bed! (I got up to make sure Ale didn't eat all the chocolate in one sitting!)

I was feeling so good, having made 2 full meals from leftover chicken (so, 3 meals total from the same chicken!)...and, as I went to look for something in the cupboard, I noticed.... there are those nasty bugs that eat pasta/grains in there!...ACK!...went through everything...had to throw away A LOT of stuff!... At least, I fumigated the cupboard and managed to save some of the stuff (I need to talk to Nanny, this is precisely why I bought all those plastic containers, so NOTHING would be exposed!)...ugh!

was really nice!...It must be a lot better if you can come in your own yatch or small plane ...the access road was terrible!...we only dared go in because we had already driven for 2 hours to get there! It's unpaved and narrow ...those last 10 Km took us 30 minutes to complete!...even if I had the money for the membership, I wouldn't be able to take it ( 3 or 4 times taking this road would probably kill my car!)...PLUS, it's far away (117 Km or something, sis said)...good thing one of the benefits sis gets is unlimited gas for her car, because otherwise it would have taken us about $50 for the trip...it really is not worth it for a day trip...if you were staying a couple of days, yes...

OK, back to the good part! The place is beautiful, the employees were all very nice (at other places they make you feel bad when you come with a free invitation - which is totally stupid, if you consider that people are given those free invitations to try to entice them to sign up for membership! Go ahead, alienate the potential customer!)...but her people were very nice...
They had a wading pool, a small pool and also a jacuzzi... they have cabins for 4 or 8 people if you want to spend the night...if not, you can stay in your "palapa" by the pool or by the marina (and, they do not have a beachfront, as they are further inland, but they will take you on a 2-hour tour to a nearby beach if you want to...free for members, $113 to hire the boat if you're not a member...needless to say we DIDN't take the tour...the food was also very good and, not really expensive (each plate cost $9, your choice of fish or meat- good, tender meat and really good fish- potatoes and a salad...sodas were $1 and beers $2...we didn't bring a cooler, but saw many people HAD brought their own drinks)
The place was very clean (worth noticing because, unfortunately, we still don't have a "don't litter" culture here in ES!)...oh, and that also applies to sound pollution...generally, if you go to the "popular" beaches or resorts, it seems they are trying to drown the surf sound (??? isn't the sound of the ocean one of the reasons one goes to the beach??)...here, they had some soft playing music (as in: if you were sitting next to the bar, you could hear it, but if you moved 2 or 3 meters away, you could hear the sound of the birds louder than the music- bliss!)...hmmm, so this is how the other half lives! we could get used to it!- and, honestly, at $300/year for the membership, it would be "doable" ...but, besides reasons 1 and 2 mentioned above...well, it's not a necessity, so, of course, it's not happening!- it was a nice excursion, though! - total cost was $25 for Ale and myself...I consider them well spent!

Here's a link to their website:

http://www.barillasmarina.com

This is ridiculous! ...
I call at 9am, she's not in yet, I call at 10, stil not in...I called at 12 (yesterday) she had just left for lunch...I called at 2, she still wasn't in...I called at 3, she hadn't returned and they didn't expect her back for the day...

today, the same thing...I emailed her (from 2 different addresses, just in case she has me blocked) and sent the translated documents again via fax (together with the original transmission page from 2/27)....

We are being dismissed early today...I'm still hesitating between going to her home tonight (I know where she lives because she originally contacted me through the owner of the translation agency, and they're neighbors) and waiting until after the holidays to contact her boss directly (who, after all, is the owner of the documents, so he's the actual end customer) and refusing to deal with her anymore...

hmmm....another option would be to just try to get her boss directly today after lunch (it's already 12:30)

Needless to say this isn't someone I'd like to work with in the future...(all this over $53! can you imagine if it were more than that??)

because of the holidays, payday was early (today, as opposed to Friday)...the bad news is...that gives me 3 more days to spend the $$$...

So, to avoid temptation, I already paid my share of the rent and the personal loan... I do have $25 allocated for "holiday spending" - we are going to the beach tomorrow and to the movies on the weekend!

Woo-hoo! I finally convinced Ale to take the training wheels off her bike...just as I suspected, she didn't really need them, but was just afraid to try!...

She still drives as if she just came from the Happy Hour at some bar, but, she didn't fall or bump into anything...so it's just a matter of (more) practice!

I never learned to ride a bike, so this is twice as exciting for me!

well, sis is gone, but she did buy some food for the week (not the usual amount, since she and niece will be out)...however, since nephew was here this weekend, she did buy some sausages and meat...too much of it, actually, so now Ale and I have 3 sausages and 4 steaks that were left over...which means all I have to do is re-heat! ...there are also leftover potatoes and rice...so for the meat I'd have to do some "chirimol" for myself(chopped tomatoes and onion, sprinkled with cilantro and bathed in lemon juice...slurp!)...Ale still doesn't like it! (that's ok, neither did I at her age!)

sis and niece are gone this week (Holy Week, they- and Ale- get the whole week off, I only get 2 days) so, Ale and I will have the house to ourselves for a couple of days! woo-hoo!
She can sing in the garden at 6am if she wants to.... we can watch a movie without being interrupted (if we are somewhere else, nobody comes to bother us, but, the moment we pop a movie into the DVD player, everyone wants to chat!)....
we can cook anything we want (same thing: the kitchen is usually deserted, but, the moment we go in to cook, niece and sis keep popping in with dirty dishes or to open the fridge trying to find something to eat!)...
I sound like a hermit!- I'm not, really, I'm not!....(maybe just a bit)

I'm almost done gathering all the documents I need to start doing my taxes...I'm only missing my statement of withholdings from my previous job. There'll be 2 letters: one for my salary and one for the professional services fees...
I definetely will have to go to the Ministry of Treasury to have them do this for me...I finally learned how to do a "mixed" income declaration (salary and professional fees) and now I have to deal with the new job NOT withholding income...I have no idea how to input that in the form...so I'd rather take all my documents to them and let THEM figure it out...
As I've said before, there's not much you can deduct anyway, so...

I also have to find all my medical receipts... (don't worry, I have them all in one place...they are in a manila envelope in my dresser...I know which drawer!... but I have several envelopes there, so I have to figure out which is the right one...shouldn't take too long!, and I need to add the letter I got from the insurance company...I dont' think there's more than $300 in medical expenses though...will see)...I already have the tuition receipts...that's an $800 deduction (maximum allowable by law!)...oh, and I have to go get my donation receipts, too!....Need to call the Foundation on Monday to see when they will be ready!

This one is going to Europe!...
it is 4 pages long, and it needs to be sent in by Saturday 5:00pm (that's ok, it's plenty of time...especially since the topic is related to my work, so I know/have access to the vocabulary!)
I might have to work until midnight tonight, as we have a fun family activity (just Ale and I, but, hey, we ARE a family unit!) for tomorrow morning...and I'd hate to cancel on Ale because of work!....
this one could easily bring in $110-$120

I'm happy. And grateful. Just yesterday I prayed for a ~$100 translation for either this week or next one (Holy Week is next week, so there probably won't be any work, thus I'd have a "lost" week for translation $$$)...so, after taxes, I would have about $100! How's THAT for a speedy answer??

A girl can dream, right?
Someday, I'd like to have my own house again...
I spoke about it with sis- to see whether she'd be willing to share a house or whether I just have to consider MY own circumstances...
she would be willing to share...
Just like I did with the car, I've started looking at listings in the classifieds on both major newspapers, just to get a feeling of "what's out there" in terms of availability and prices...
right now, we're probably light years away from actually buying, but, it's always good to have some sort of idea of what you want, isn't it?
...like: we were talking about it with Ale and she says despite all the problems, she'd rather share a house with sis and niece, because otherwise she'd "miss them so terribly much"...she also said we should consider an additional room for nephew, so he doesn't have to use the maids room (Nanny is NOT a "live-in" maid, so the "maid room" is used mainly as a laundry room, but we did put in a bed for him in there...while we understand that this might be alienating psychologically, right now, it's the best we can do...plus, it's only 1 night every 15 days or so that he stays at the house...but, Ale is right, IF he comes to live with us, he'd need his own room - either that or he shares with sis (if only 3 rooms like right now)
so...now we need a bigger house with the same amount of money! LOL!...
I don't think Ale remembers, but he did say the other day that he'd much rather stay and live in the city he's living in right now (3 hours away from us, but I do believe it would be a better, healthier environment from him...plus, I DO think his relationship with both parents is toxic, so the farther away from them, the greater his chances to succeed, imo)

They are having a Craft Fair today at the Cafeteria...I just looooove handicrafts....so colorful, so beautiful...
I fell in love with:
1. a handbag
2. an indigo-dyed blouse
3. a red blouse
4. a cornhusk doll
5. a mirror
6. a giant piggy bank
7. a clay frog (he'd look sooo pretty in my garden!)
8. a blue blanket (last time they came I bought a pink and a yellow one- the only two they had left- gave the pink one to Ale and the yellow to my sis...she needed it more than I)
9. a wooden ring (so groovy!)
10. a couple of beaded necklaces
11. An embroidered dress
12. An embroidered table runner/napkin set

I bought nothing...I had left for lunch with $0.52 so that I knew I couldn't buy anything, even if I wanted to!- no, I have no self-control, so it's better to keep temptation away!- of course, if I'd REALLY wanted to buy something, the ATM was less than 50 mts away, but...see, once I HAVE to go to the ATM, it isn't an impulse buy anymore, it gives me time to think about it!

Well, on paper, I have the $$ to take the trip...
On hand, I have $700 for the (space available) tickets

On paper (meaning money owed to me), I have $3,600...enough to fulfill my goals for Q1 2008, which were:
1- pay off cc1 in full (done already)
2- cancel the dept store card
3- reduce cc2 balance by half

2 and 3 would be easily done with this $3,600 and leaving still plenty of $$$ to put some into savings AND take the trip (with more money than what I had originally budgeted- which is probably good, as it would even give me a cushion in case my calculations were wrong)...

There have been several special airfare promotions lately which would, in theory, allow me to travel "space positive" ....but they were of the "today only" or "last day to purchase 3/9" things...and I DON'T want to purchase one of this discounted tickets (I read the small print: they are non-refundable, and there's a $100 penalty for changing dates...plus, given the new rules for date changes- this was with the airline I worked for before, so I KNOW!- I would not only have to pay those $100, but, if the fare for the new dates were higher than the one for the original dates, I would have to pay the difference, as well)...I mean, what use would "space positive" tickets be if I didn't have the money for the OTHER part of the trip (things like: a place to stay, food, park tickets!)...the nice thing about the "space available" tickets is that the price doesn't change...no matter if I buy them today, tomorrow, or even the day I intend to travel...also, they ARE refundable...so if I don't use them (or if I don't use a portion - say, I cannot get a flight from Miami to Orlando and have to take a bus or rent a car- I can refund that portion)...so, even if I bought those plane tickets tomorrow, if I end up NOT taking the trip, I could get my $700 back!...
And, I really don't want to committ to this trip until I HAVE the cash and until goals #2 and #3 are taken care of...
Part of this money should have been paid in early Feb....and another in mid Feb...so I'm already late in collecting...(I have spoken to the customers, don't worry, I'm doing something about it)...the other part is due in late March/Early April...

So, the Disney trip is a mirage right now...Ale knows, it's IF we take the Disney trip we would do this, IF we take the trip we would do that...she's also warned there's a chance we might not get on the plane!!! Although our dates seem good so far!- and I'm trusting Ale's luck for that! LOL!

We had a visit today from a local beach club wanting to sell memberships...they want to sell our office a "corporate" membership package - 10 memberships for $3,000 ($300 per family), as opposed to the "normal" membership which is $621 for the year...
Well, I wasn't really interested, but someone at our table (at lunch) wanted to see where this club was, so we all got brochures...we "stole" them while the sales executive was away from the desk...but, she saw us with them!...

so, she gave us the speech and told us how wonderful it is and asked if we were interested...we all said (as a polite way to get out of it)...oh, we would have to go visit first, you know, before making a decision...and asked about the price of a day pass...($25/person, with a minimum of 6 people required)...but, because we asked, she gave everyone at the table a free daypass for up to 6 people!!!....no expiration date, no need to hear the "spiel" - since we already did!, no blackout dates!! SWEET!

Like life, stand-by flying is unpredictable...You never know if you WILL get on the plane...you don't know if the plane you board will be the one you INTENDED to board...you may end up at your chosen destination via a roundabout way...or, you may have to decide on a different destination altogether...

One thing is certain: BECAUSE it is so unpredictable, it requires:

1. Plan carefully- know where you want to go, and the best way to get there. Know where to go to for help if needed. Always have a Plan B(in travel, this means knowing which are the peak seasons for your destination, and which are the routes that fill up more quickly. More than one frequency per day gives you a better chance of making a flight, always try to get on the first flight of the day to maximize your chances. Also, knowing which other options you have -besides flying- to get there, OR, have an "alternate destination" plan ready, including flight departure times from all intermediate points in your itinerary)

2.Double check your information - even if your ticket says your flight leaves from gate 10/ terminal D, check the screens...again: you never know!

2. Be flexible - Even with all the planning in the world, if the flight is full, or capped for weight, you may not get on!...Be ready to delay your plans or even change them completely. Always (Always) have a Plan B.

3. Make sure to have a cash reserve - you never know what will happen, if the journey is not as smooth as you planned, the cash will come in handy! (will save you from sleeping at the airport, or having to share a hamburger!)

4. Know what's important to you and KEEP it close to you -always bring carry-on(like clean undies and your toothbrush!)

5. Have a good attitude: the people at the counter are not at fault if you can't make the flight...and they will be less inclined to help you look for an alternate flight if you have been mean to them!...plus, getting upset will only ruin the rest of your trip!

are starting to be a tradition...we generally do our grocery shopping on Saturday or Sunday, and, while putting stuff away I make a point to put the older stuff in front/on top of new groceries (sis doesn't bother!...so I sometimes do it after she's already put stuff away) and, generally, I end up with some veggies that aren't quite as fresh...so, I cut them up and make a cream for dinner, which I serve for Ale with some shredded cheese...I might also add croutons if there's some bread that is also not as fresh (but is still not green!)...it is light, it is good, very nutritious, helps reduce waste...and I can even get sis to have some (she generally doesn't have dinner and, all her problems generally "attack" her stomach, which means she doesn't eat as much/as well as she should, so the cream helps)...yesterday's was a mix of: carrot, potato, squash, broccoli, onions and guisquil -whatever THAT is, I really don't know the word for it in English!..here's a picture, though!

38.99% actually. Under the new "Alliance for the Family" law (issued to help us middle class folk in ES- or so they say...) banks and cc issuers cannot charge more than 38.99% interest per year. Some cc's charged up to 47%.
The interesting thing, however, is this: we always have lunch with the bank teller at our office (they have a mini-branch inside the compound) and she was telling us that they had X cc that used to charge 37%, but now they've raised the interest to 38.99%! Kind of defeats the purpose of the whole thing, doesn't it?

March 8th is International Women's Day...
congratulations to all!

we did have a nice celebration...I convinced sis of going to lunch using a special promo from our grocery store club card...you could get a special plate to share among 3 people for just $18 ...and we bought a plate from the children's menu for Ale for $5...this was at a very good restaurant (it's not fancy, but the food is GREAT!)...we even had leftovers to bring home for tomorrow's lunch! yum!...(LOL! you should have seen niece's face when I pulled out my flyer detailing the special promo and saying: we will have THIS one!)...she did enjoy the food and declared herself "stuffed" in the end...but, for a moment there I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head!

Also, since our freezer was full, my grocery shopping at the supemarket was ~$50!...woo-hoo!...tomorrow I have to go to the market to get the veggies, fruit and cheese...so that'll add ~$15-$20...still, last time I spent $85 just at the supermarket, so...

oh, and the supermarket had a 20% all "special store" items (hardware, clothing, SCHOOL SUPPLIES), so we finished buying Ale's notebooks (at least, I think we did...since I don't have a list yet, I bought the same amount of notebooks that we bought for THIS school year... I don't imagine them using LESS notebooks for the coming school year...MAYBE they'll ask for MORE, but, then, I'll just have to buy those extra ones...

Funny as it may sound, school supplies are cheaper now that they are "off season" than they were while "on sale" in January....

Oh, and I showed Ale that there was a $0.20 - $0.40 difference between notebook A, with a generic cover (say: picture of 2 cute cats and 1 puppy) and notebook B (with licensed character on the cover)...both notebooks were the same size, had the same amount of pages/sheets, same format (lined, in this case), binding was sewn, rather than stapled for both notebooks, same quality of paper...

Her opinion?....Mom, that's so dumb! you could buy the cheap one and, if you're really so crazy about the licensed character then use stickers or gift paper decorated with the licensed character and it would stil be much cheaper!...((had to brag, sorry!))

Oh, we also did some unbudgeted shopping....

1. we bought a bright orange fish...yes, we already have 32+, but ours are so pale...so...silvery...so we bought a bright orange one of the same kind... it cost $2...and hopefully it'll reproduce with the other ones and give me a chance to explain to Ale about genetics...who knows, there might come a day when I'll have to buy a silver fish to introduce some fresh genes into our all-orange tank!

2. I've been looking for flip-flops for Ale and myself (remember those neat "lemon" ones Santa brought for Xmas 2006?...well, after over a year of daily wear- we use them inside the house, and for the beach, too- they were pretty much useless ....AND we found ones on sale at $2.80 (adult sizes) and $2.40 (children sizes)...I bought a pair for myself, a pair for sis (hers were useless, too) and a pair for Ale...my total was $7.60 (sis still wears children size 4! LOL!)...I didn't get a pair for niece because she has about 10 pairs (of which she only wears 1!) courtesy of her dad ....(he won't pay for textbooks, but flip flops...oh, yes, a girl can't have too many flip flops!)....

Well, as you can see, it was a pretty full day!...and quite spendy, but, to make up for it, tomorrow we are going to a special theater show at the Museum...it's a special play for children....and it's FREE!

She was so proud yesterday...the newspaper once again had an insert with coupons for 10% off 1 article at the dept store...she showed me, and she told me we could go to another branch of the store to look for school supplies!

we had the parents assembly last night at Ale's school...as per the CURRENT law (a reform has already been submitted), the assemby was to INFORM us that the tuition will be increased... (I knew that, I had actually asked at the beginning of this school year)...tentatively, my budget shows $157/month for Ale's monthly school fees starting August...the new monthly fee for her grade has been set at $157.55 ...and I had actually allocated $400 for the enrollment fee, and that will be $349...

the reform to the law establishes that the parents assembly is to ASK the parents and there has to be a vote of X% in favor to pass it...

...we went to get our passports today...everything ok for Ale...then the clerk checks my documents and everything is OK...then she tries to take my fingerprints...the machine CAN'T READ THEM!!!....

I don't understand this: I haven't had any accidents or cuts, I don't work with harsh chemichals...I don't even do housework regularly (in case you thought the detergents might have had something to do with it)..and, I don't suppose they could get "worn" from typing, could they?...this is sooo frustrating!...so, now I'm supposed to go to a dermathologist to get a medical certificate that states there's a problem with my fingerprints...then I have to go back to passports to get an appointment for their main office downtown...which means 2 days off work (1 to go to THIS branch office so they call downtown to get an appointment, then ANOTHER one to actually GO downtown...and, NO, you cannot call yourself!) ... ((sigh))...IF we do the Disney trip, then I definetely have to break it in 2 and make sure I have plans to stay overnight at the point of entry, just in case the machines at the airport in the US cannot read my fingerprints either!....((double sigh))

this is the newest thing here in ES (the news broke yesterday)...now you can use your cc (and even your reward points) to pay your taxes!...

I still don't know what to think about it...

well, I finally found THIS book:

http://www.amazon.com/Economia-Explicada-MIS-Hijos/dp/950511... I haven't really started reading it, but the prologue was entertaining!...to sum it up: the guy's an economist, he goes to his son's career day to explain what he does ....the kiddies draw what some of the parents do and, for him, they wrote: goes to the office and drinks coffee! LOL...so, he figures there's GOT to be a way to help kids understand basic economic principles...
that's it, so far...
Oh, I had a 10% off coupon!!

almost forgot about the notebooks! since we had thoe 10% off coupons, we bought some notebooks for Ale, too, for next school year (August)...we don't get sales for back to school then, because schools in ES start in January...except for bilingual schools and, commerces consider people that have their kids in bilingual schools are rich anyway and don't care about prices.... so they don't offer any sales!...I figured if I start buying some stuff now at least the cost gets spread in a couple of months, instead of being just one payment...so, I already have the backpack (remember that promo I told you about, when the store was giving away High School Musical backpacks?)...the shoes...and now 4 notebooks (it was 1 coupon per item, and we only had 5!...the book was the best deal, of course, since it was the most expensive item: $17 original price)