Just knew he was Guatemalan...

Running
I have forgotten to say that Gabi and I were talking on Monday night about our running prospects for 2007. We are both committed to train for another marathon, certainly the MM in October has been pencilled in. We will see if there is another earlier on to aim for… He has not run since the Melbourne Marathon but he is considering starting to train again before Christmas.

As for Alexis, he is over the moon he was the one in the main picture of El Sindicato’s story in Tuesday’s Epicure (The Age). He has ruled out going for another marathon in the foreseeable future.

I just knew he was Guatemalan
As simple as that… In a city of 3.5 million I saw him and I recognised a Chapin. My intuition told me that. We have arranged to meet for coffee / have a drink on the weekend and then we will organise the dinner.

G.S., If you can send us some pepian and mole… that would be very much appreciated… No es pena pedir favores entre chapines, lejos de la Patria… (In solidarity, Chapines away from the loved homeland support each other).

Call from the USA
Meeting Neco reminded me of the following:
Years and years ago something spooky happened to me. One Saturday afternoon, I received at home a phone call from the USA asking me whether I was so and so. No, I am afraid you were given the wrong telephone number, I responded. On the other line, "a telephone operator told me this was the correct number", she said. Let me have a have look if I can find the person you are after in the telephone directory, I responded.
I searched in the directory and could not find the name of the person she was after. Obviously she was rather upset because she wanted to get in touch urgently with the person she was looking for. She told me she had already paid the operator for the search and for the phone call. I promised her I would continue to search.

Later on the following week, I happened to be at Brandon shopping centre (somewhere in Springvale Road) during a lunch hour and I went into a computer shop. I ended up talking to one of the shop assistants because I was looking for a computer component. He gave me his business card and I was about to put into the pocket of my jacquet when I had a quick glance at the card. The surname rang the bell. I asked this young man whether the name of his father was the same of the one the lady was after. He replied yes. Then I told him what happened the Saturday before. I encouraged him to tell his father about the phone call I received five days earlier.

Melbourne Storm
I neither follow nor understand rugby but one cannot avoid the fact that the Melbourne Storm finished at the top of the 2006 NRL competition and then lost the grand final against the Brisbane Broncos in Sydney. It was a rare occasion for Sydneysiders to support a Melbourne team in a sporting event of this magnitude. I suppose it is what you would call solidarity. (Needles to say we were happy for Sydney to win the 2005 AFL Grand Final).

The point now is that the 2007 draw has been released. The competition starts in mid March 2006. Hopefully they will keep the momentum going.

In the meantime, Melbourne Victory continues at the top of the football (okay soccer!) A-League.