Holy Week

Yesterday was the 29th of the month which, as everyone knows, is Gnocchi Day here in Paraguay. I'm certain I've mentioned the Paraguayans love of holidays and fireworks (and any excuse for either). The 29th of every month is Gnocchi Day, and since the dish is so ubiquitous in Paraguayan restaurants (a pasta made from a root vegetable? That is smack-dab in the center of their wheelhouse, baby!) most places offer a special gnocchi dish to celebrate.

Of course, I wasn't celebrating Gnocchi Day...I was kind of "gnocchi'd out" round about our 2nd month of living here (interesting factoid on Yours Truly: the ability to cook Gnocchi used to be one of my culinary "claims to fame" in a repertoire of not-very-many dishes I know how to make; never thought I'd end up in the land of gnocchi). Instead I was celebrating Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week (i.e. the week leading up to Easter Sunday).

Another interesting note: when you're living in a Catholic country (albeit one of lapsed, non-practicing, and generally non-devout Catholics) that has an abundant surplus of palm trees and a large group of impoverished people who work in folk art, you end up with an exceptionally elaborate version of Palm Sunday. Up in Seattle, you get handed a single palm leaf as you walk into your church...here, you get an elaborate handicraft-woven rod-o-palms, or shield-and-cross, or...well take your pick. 'Course, you're paying 5000 guaranii (the local money) a pop, but still it's very cool.

If (like me) you're into such things.

ANYway...school's out this week, and most people are taking vacations, including my family (though later this week). My time for writing will be fairly constrained, seeing as how I will be planning and packing when I'm not entertaining the kids. SO...I hope to still finish the chargen posts for Crowns of Blood (only one left, though I want to write another one about starting and running a campaign), but that may not get done till tomorrow or Wednesday. At the moment, I'm in the process of retooling my old micro-adventure War of the Mecha to work with D6s and the metric system so that Diego and I can play it with the Duplos (can you tell I'm jonesin' for a tabletop game?).

Okay...time to eat some breakfast and do some coloring (BattleTech mecha pix). Later.