Day: April 2, 2018

Nobody needs to do the whole thing, of course, but it surely is fun. The only obligatory component is the last one.

1. First, the face is cleansed with oil wash and foam wash. Don’t do the oil wash if you are prone to acne, though. Here is a good duo. Use the tiniest of dabs and don’t lay into the pump.

2. Then exfoliate. I like Skinfood black sugar. It’s quite inexpensive, too.

3. The first two should be done in the shower. Then you get out, pat the face dry, and tone. My toner is the Bioderma Hydrabio.

4. And now finally comes the most important part which is the sheet mask. I’ve used all kinds, including the million and one Korean brands. In all honesty, my favorite one is the Moisture Bomb by Garnier. But I keep experimenting.

My main problem is that anything I cook turns out incredibly fucking delicious. I just made some pasta with steamed broccoli and carrots, tomato sauce, fresh parsley and young garlic. And now I need to leave the house or I’ll eat the whole pan.

It was a great idea to get a steamer because any dish can be brightened up with a handful of colorful steamed vegetables. The steamer makes broccoli and carrots look very bright and not faded out like other methods of cooking.

An important Cuban artist will visit my classroom on Thursday. I’m not only excited because it’s a great cultural opportunity but also because his vision of Cuba is clearly the opposite of mine, and it’s very useful for students to see that different worldviews exist, coexist, and interact peacefully and respectfully.

Plus, after hearing his Cuban pronunciation, nobody will ever complain that it’s hard to understand my Spanish because I speak too fast.

I was so stunned to discover that rice is being grown around here that I immediately bought a packet. It never occurred to me this was an area where that could be done. Of course, it’s rained for two weeks, so it’s getting close to looking like a natural rice field but still.

N is telling me about an immigrant whose parents brought him here when he was 13.

“This poor guy!” N says. “He hasn’t been able to fit in at all. I’ve watched 10 YouTube videos by him, and all he does is complain. Everything here is bad, the medical care is too expensive, the politics is ridiculous, literally everything is worse than in Europe, the quality of life is shit compared to France or Sweden.”

“Gosh,” I said, “this fellow fits in a lot more than we do. He’s a typical American! And he doesn’t even know it. Which is very typical, too.”