Oh Green Chile How I've Missed You!!!

If you meet anyone from New Mexico and they have spent any amount of time outside of the state, and ask them what they miss the most, 99.99999% of the time the first thing they will say is the chile(unless you're my brother-in-law, in which case you're just weird). New Mexico chile isn't like getting a regular poblano pepper or jalapeno pepper (though those are spicy and can fill the bill in a pinch) it's got a distinct flavor that makes it unique and addicting. If you can take the heat, that is. My aunt from Florida can't take the slightest heat, and there's something about the tolerance for heat that makes it better; if you can't taste it through the heat, it doesn't taste like anything. But the heat is what makes chile, chile. It's a daily part of the diet in New Mexico. I've had it in jam, apple pie, cheeseburgers, burritos (claro!), coffee, beer...yes, beer...and just about everything else. Pizza, too. It's just what you EAT here. Fast food places offer green chile as a topping. So I'm back here for a week, and I've just about finished a jar of green chile that is more than a liter. Granted, some of that went into enchiladas, but I'm dumping it on whatever by the glob. I had some red chile sauce that I made in Illinois from powder, and it was good, but the green stuff is juicier. It's not dried first like the red. I'm going to have to figure out a way to get some green stuff home...

So happy belated holidays...

I can't believe it's been a month since I've updated. Sorry. That totally doesn't jive with what my pledge to myself was some time ago, to update almost every day. Oh well. Truth is through December I was working full-time (which is hard when you're trying to train, and function). I need more sleep than is possible when training a lot and working full-time. It's hard. BUUUTTTTT good news is that I got a new job. It's not 100% perfect, but it's a ton better. I have the flexibility to work 6 hours a day (which is just perfect to fit in training and food and sleep and a little down time). But the catch is that it's a chemistry lab and the safety to me seems a bit questionable...gonna keep looking for a different job, but it's a huge step up from what I was doing before. Which was grading standardized kindergartner tests. Painful, painful days when that's done for 8 hours.
The holidays were great. Went to Calgary which was fun. Came home shortly before New Year's Eve to near 60 degree temps. Strange, and ALL the snow melted in a rainstorm. Go figure. Not that I was complaining or anything since I could bike outside for a short period again, but still was strange. I'm used to the snow melting in a day, and usually the same day that it fell. Not all 8 inches in a night a month after it fell.

And then, Monday January 3rd my niece was born. I still haven't met her yet, that's this Saturday. I get to go home to meet the newest addition to my family. Kudos to my sis to making it through a tough labor. I'm so excited to meet her!

And on a side note, I rode to work Monday thru Friday last week! Every day last week! Never mind that I haven't ridden this week. I needed my usual day off this week, and then it snowed. Boo to snow. I probably wouldn't mind if I could actually PLAY in the snow, but this town isn't conducive to anything of that sort of fun. Boo to this town. Can't wait to go home for a visit (and a ride or two).