I know you're familiar with birthday cake but this year I also was visited at home by the birthday snake. As a result we spent most of the weekend duct taping and screening and steel wooling and improving the door seals. DH had to escort the slithery one out the back door with a broom which impressed upon him the need for tightening up the borders. (This house is a passive-solar home with more air vents and ducts than usual.) I hope our efforts pay off in fewer bugs as well.

The highlight of my weekend was a trip to Talin International Market for their anniversary festivities. We saw some beautiful Middle Eastern belly dancers and a life-size Hello Kitty and Chococat but unfortunately we missed the dragon dances again.

Inside Talin we got a passport that needed to get stamped by "ambassadors" for the various countries. In searching for the ambassadors in their traditional clothing we visited many tasting booths. We had chipotle hot sauce, green chile stew, Italian fennel cookies, cucumber rolls with wasabi and pickled ginger, Scottish butter cookies, Indian pea and potato samosas, several servings of a delicious kimchi, mango milkshakes, Chinese potstickers, Vietnamese spring rolls, and Chinese coconut cookies in the shape of cow's tongues. The strangest thing I tried was french fries with banana sauce and DH was nearly killed by some hot hot hot Laotian chile paste mixed with sticky rice.

At the end of the tour we got a free gift after presenting the fully stamped passport. I chose some coffee flavored cookie rolls from Malaysia for DH. I think he's afraid to try them! It is always so fun to hear so many different languages in one place. Talin Market is truly one of the best things about Albuquerque. I bought some inexpensive ancho chiles, Japanese eggplant, Italian olive paste, wasabi peas (my favorite snack) and Mexican soda for DH.

I did manage my first nose kiss ever from Miss Peaches. I had to put some peanut butter on my nose but I wasn't going to take no for an answer.