Happy But Hungover: A Whirlwind Week in Review

I’m baaack! So… I do not want this to end up being a diary. But what can I do if my life treats me with lovely memories I want to conserve? (I've noticed that I select words now as if I were speaking in Spanish.)Conservar ~ Verb. Meaning to conserve or to preserve.Saucy Business, Haciendo ConservasWe have homemade tomato sauce for the winter! 8 kilos of ripe tomatoes, a giant pot bubbling away, 14 jars lined up like little soldiers, and hours of cooking, straining, and funneling. The result is our very own homemade stash of tomato goodness, ready to warm up those cold winter days. Want the recipe and process? Message me!Next weekend, Mikel's friends make their apple cider and I hope to lend a hand. Love, love, love how they’re so connected to their food sources here. They don’t just love food, they immerse themselves in the entire process and you learn how to taste the difference!Big City Excitement, de BCN a MADLast week, I jet-and-train-setted off to Barcelona and Madrid, two bustling Spanish urban jungles that get my taste buds all excited for Asian flavors! I. Miss. Asian. Food. OK?!The best part, apart from being driven around by Anna on her scooter, was catching up with work buddies post-layoffs. I'm incredibly lucky to be part of this fun, open-minded, and brilliant crew. They've fully embraced me, the lone non-native Spanish speaker.🥹 Also incredibly lucky that the club played some english pop tunes.😅Note to self: while a bit of alcohol can do wonders for my Spanish, it's not exactly a brain booster the next day! #resacaTipsy Talks with Terrific FilipinasWhat else? I had dranks with two extraordinary Filipinas that I’ve only met via social media—one in each city. We have no photographic evidence of our epic meet-ups (How very un-pinoy of us!) but we do have tipsy memories of boisterous laughter. Stay tuned for podcast convos with these amazing ladies on my personal podcast, "I Suck at Smalltalk".Podcasting PandemoniumSpeaking of which, the podcast is live and kicking! If you haven't already, check it out on Spotify and hit that follow button. The first episodes are up, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.The surprises just keep coming! I was tinkering around on Substack and discovered that all my audio recordings from my articles are available on Apple Music. Yep, my voice is out there in the digital cosmos (without me even knowing it!). 🎤Train TalesOh. And speaking of sucking at smalltalk… I’m actively working on overcoming the awkward jitters en español! In my train journey back home, I ended up having a long conversation with Luis Miguel, a 48-year-old truck driver from Toledo. We were both bored and starving, assuming there'd be onboard dining—only to discover there wasn't. It's funny how unexpected encounters can turn a mundane trip into an unforgettable one. We even shared a beer!Embracing the Zen LifeAs much as I appreciate the big city visit and the overdose of Asian (and Mexican!) flavor, I've come to realize that I'm not a big city aficionado anymore. Maybe it's a phase, or maybe I've just developed an appreciation for a more serene, laid-back lifestyle. Either way, I'm embracing the zen of home.I think that’s enough of the random stories for now! Thank you for indulging my musings. All these thoughts create webs of potential content that still overwhelm me. If only I could snap my finger and have everything written and ready!Paso a paso. Step by step.How have you been???Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support Janine’s writing (and audio recordingzzz!). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit janinayramirez.substack.com