Owner: La Gringa Mas Bella: Married to the Mexican URL:http://lagringa.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:31:10 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: A blog written by a white American woman married to the best Mexican on the planet! This blog is about what's on our minds and day to day happenings. Site statistics:Click here
Wanna Compra La Fea Mas Bella on DVD? 2007-08-31 17:23:00 Well if you wanna buy La Fea Mas Bella on dvd ... ya may be waiting an eternity!Today I was reading a few comments left on the post titled La Fea Mas Bella is Over, anyway, a friend of mine had told me that the La Fea Mas Bella DVD was on sale at Amazon. I typed my comment mentioning that and then headed over to Amazon to check it out because I really wanna buy the box DVD set.One problem ... I can't find it and what's worse is that La Fea Mas Bella may not be released on DVD. Nope I'm not kidding but I don't know for sure yet either.I found a news story somewhere along my search that spoke about the first Columbian novela called Betty La Fea and how it wasn't released on DVD. It went on to say that the producers of La Fea Mas Bella didn't want it to be released on DVD either.Why not?I also found a petition with nearly 600 signatures promoting the idea of releasing La Fea Mas Bella on DVD. If you wanna see that, just click here: PETITIONYou'll notice a short paragraph in Spanish
I Need Another Break ... Just Kidding! 2007-08-31 11:55:00 I don't need another break or vacation but I sure have been busy. I enjoyed my one month vacation basically just hanging around the house for the most part, but it was nice.My Vacation in a Blink ...In that one month I discovered that I'm still a true couch potato at heart!The last week I almost camped out on the couch filling my brain with images from Dr. Phil, Maury, Montel Williams and Oprah. And let's not forget all those interesting episodes of Cops and Most Shocking Police Videos.Lately I've been trying to keep up with Design Star, America's Next Producer and I watched a lil bit of Big Brother 8. First Week Back to Work ...GROSS!GROSS!GROSS! And double-double GROSS! Our office already had a few uninvited guests wandering around but they multiplied ... yep I'm talking about cockroaches. I was sitting at the computer at work watching tiny baby cockroaches crawl out of the printer, then I opened a file cabinet to find more roaches snooping through our files, stealing supplies Read more:Break
The Mexican SUV: Finally Real Fuel Efficiency! 2007-09-24 22:43:00 When I went to Mexico my in-laws picked me up in a '66 (model unknown) red car and if you've ever watched an episode of The Wiggles then you've heard the song "Big Red Car". I thought I would die!I realize it could've been much, much worse now ...(LOOK NO HANDS MA!) Read more:Mexican
, Finally
, Efficiency
Weekly Word: Madre 2007-09-24 21:51:00 I think I've skipped a week or two on the weekly word, but anyway, here it is: Madre. Familia (family) was the first word I chose to start with, which is why Madre is the second word!Madre en español means mother.Traditionally moms are the ones that keep the house, the children, the finances, the cooking, the laundry, and everything else domestic in line. Madres are muy importante (very important) and trust me, I should know.My husband, the Mexican, loves his madre mucho (alot!).He loves his madre so much that he and his brothers sent their madre mucho diñero (alot of money) to buy a minivan for El Dia de las Madres (Mother's Day).And in my house, I'm the madre! (I'm important too)I'm so important that I handle my family's finances too. My husband, the Mexican, was a bit aprehensive to hand over all the money but when I stressed the fact that his madre handles everything in Mexico ... he didn't have a leg to stand on.While madre means mom/mother it can also be used in bad word Read more:Weekly
El Chavo del Ocho and/or El Chapulìn Colorado Halloween Costume 2007-09-24 21:25:00 Are these the two best looki'n guys on t.v. or what? I've had three emails asking about Chavo
del Ocho Halloween
costumes and I don't know where to find 'em.I usually turn to those trusty search engines and I tried entering several different terms in English and Español to no avail.In case you don't know who these two good lookers are; the one on the left in that saucy red get up is El Chapulín Colorado
and that other hottie on the right is El Chavo del Ocho!In my personal opinion, as far as Halloween costumes go, Chapulín has got it going on. El Chavo del Ocho does too but honestly it would be easy to just create a Chavo del Ocho Halloween costume.Seriously, mira (take a look) ...A striped shirt most guys have in the closet, a pair of cut off brown (dirty) pants, some twisted suspenders, some used shoes from the thrift store, a hat can be purchased or made out of craft foam and Voila! you could have a Chavo del Ocho Halloween costume for pennies.El Chapulín Colorado wouldn't
Let Me Brag for a Minuto 2007-09-24 21:02:00 Okay, so my pic is crooked ... it still serves it's purpose. You'll see the red arrows I sloggishly inserted pointing out my beautiful lil patriots. It does, however, suck that the photo is in black and white. I thought that these patriotic kids would at least make the front page but they did hit it big in the 'People' section. And who knows who goofed but my youngest's name was misspelled. I purchased several copies to snail mail to my family so they can brag too. At work today a lady came in and commented that she saw the photo in the paper. She went on about how creative I am and wondered just how much time it took to plan those homemade costumes. My boss piped in and said, "plan ... she came in one day, talked about it and the next day said her kids won". The lady said "you didn't plan those?" Hey, sh*t just happens! This time we landed a free Shoneys coupon for a burger and fries. Cool! Read more:Minuto
Mexican Halloween Costumes 2007-09-21 14:07:00 Halloween is approaching fast and if you wanna to dress your best, in a Mexican
Halloween Costume, you're at the right place!The other day I was browsing around and decided to look for some Mexican theme Halloween costumes. I couldn't believe what I found.I found complete costumes for adults and children from Zorro, Nacho Libre, Sexy Border Patrol Agent for Women, Sexy Señorita for Women, Sexy Mexican Wrestler in White, Story Book Witch Costume for Girls, Traditional Mexican, and don't foget accessories ... like smoki'n hot witch boots that I want!My favorite is the Border Patrol Agent for Women and it's even available in plus size too.Halloween is probably my favorite holiday because I really like to dress up and act silly. The only problem that I have is that I seem to be stuck with my own Halloween costume choices ... I'm always a witch.Every year our town celebrates Halloween downtown. Lots of businesses and county agencies set up booths, tables or games to give out candy, c Read more:Halloween
, Costumes
The Mex-Mix: Ask a Mexican on Half-Breed Names! 2007-09-19 22:14:00 I was browsing around the nethood when I decided I should probably go over and see what Señor Gustavo Arellano has been up to when I find his piece about half-breed nicknames.We (the Mexican
and I) laughed until we couldn't laugh at some of these wacked up names people come up with. And the guy on the right here (compliments of Village Voice) was looking straight at us! Hilarious ... anyway read on to see Gustavo's latest masterpiece and enjoy, it's all in good fun. Dear Readers: I asked half-breeds a couple of weeks ago to write in with nicknames that describe their mixed-Mexican heritage. Muchos many responses continue to trickle in; gracias for the submissions. Following is a handy glossary that ustedes wrote, with the occasional Mexican commentary—enjoy! ¡Ask a Mexican!Mixed-race Mexicans call themselves the darnedest thingsby Gustavo ArellanoIf you're half-Mexican and. . . Half-African: Afrijoles Half-black: Black beans, Blaxican, Choco-Taco, Negrexican Half-Arab: Garbanz Read more:Breed
, Names
Do All Mexican Men Cheat? 2007-09-18 13:35:00 I opened my inbox to find the question "Do all Mexican
men cheat?" and the answer is ... NO!Not all of them but a lot of them do. I think it would be really hard to crunch the numbers to find an exact percentage but in my own experience, yep a lot of 'em do.Why? I don't know! Why does anyone cheat?There are lots of reasons or excuses for someone to validate cheating. Some people may say that they need some spice in the bedroom or just someone to spend time with away from home, maybe a lil excitement?The reasons are many but lots of Mexican women have talked to me about it. I've heard that there are lots of men in Mexico, married ones, that have a wife and a lover or two. I've had a lot of friends heartbroken by men who swear they are not married but ... Liar! Liar!, they are.(It has happened to me too, ex-hubby, Gringo)It doesn't mean that everyone white person, black person, Mexican, etc. will cheat on you though. No one can judge an entire race of people from the actions of 1, 2 Read more:Cheat
Sunday the 16th 2007-09-17 00:10:00 I've been really busy the last few weekends, so busy I haven't even had a chance to talk about how busy I have been ... and that's just sad!Today I thought, man this is Independence Day in Mexico and because we have a fairly large Hispanic population, maybe we would go to a party. Wrong, not even close. My husband, the Mexican, ended up finishing a job that he's been working on for about a month now. He had to paint a house. I was actually able to sleep in because he took the kids with him.I picked up the kids later, bought Chinese food, came home ate, and went to sleep again. It was just one of those Sunday
s. My youngest son has been upset all day because he wanted a new game for his PS2 (PlayStation) and at about 9 o'clock tonight he begged the Mexican into taking him to Wal-mart. Big mistake.I know everyone under the sun and everyone in our town goes to Wal-mart for recreational purposes. So when we got to Wally-World I stayed out in the parking lot for nearly thirty minutes ta
Mexico Celebrates 197 Years of Independence 2007-09-15 14:43:00 (Photo courtesy 123Greetings)Wanna send someone a fabulous Mexican Independence
ecard? You can send the gorgeous mariachi above to someone special by visiting 123Greetings. If my hubby, the Mexican, had email ... I'd send him one.If you really don't know much about Mexican history, here's a brief history about this special day complete with links to learn more:On September 16th of 1810 Padre (Priest) Miguel Hidalgo declared independence from Spain in the small town of Dolores Hidalgo in the Mexican state of Guanajuato after an inspirational speech in the late hours of September 15th that encouraged the people to fight for independence.The words of Padre Hidalgo are known as Grito de Dolores and every year at 11:00 on the 15th of September the President of Mexico
rings Hidalgo's bell. Crowds of people await to hear the words that sparked a war for independence that lasted more than a decade.I love Mexican history and was extremely intrigued by it in college. I guess it helped that Read more:Years
Support the DREAM ACT 2007-09-15 14:01:00 It's no secret that I support immigration reform, it just needs to completely rehauled but I also support the DREAM ACT because it could benefit many people who are innocent victims in our country's immigration debate.(Photo courtesy MIRA)And just who are the innocent victims you may ask?? Children are the innocent victims.Children are the innocent victims because they don't have a say in what goes on in their lives. Children rely on Mom and Dad to make those big decisions and when parents decide to illegally enter the U.S. with their children in tow, the children have no choice.These children enter the U.S., are introduced to a new culture, they attend school like other children, often times learning the new language of English, they study hard in school, graduate from highschool with dreams of going to college ... but they can't. It's the end of the road for these young adults because no matter how "Americanized" they've become, they are still illegal.(Photo courtesy Gente de M Read more:Support
Celebrating 193 Years of the U.S. National Anthem 2007-09-14 19:11:00 Today marked the 193rd anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner and many area schools participated in Patriotic Day. The school sent a letter home earlier in the week explaining that one winner would be selected from each grade level. In short everyone knows that they should wear red, white and blue. My kids were pumped up for it ... really, they were! So pumped up, in fact, they each won in their grade level. And here's why below.Check out our Statue of Liberty! And we cannot forget Uncle Sam:When we walked into the school this morning everyone went crazy! The music director told me that I had made her day and I had just earned the Mom of the Year Award. Kids giggled, teachers and parents huddled in groups ooooohhhing and aaaaawwwwing ... my kids loved all the attention, ok who am I kidding--I was happy too.I couldn't resist this morning! Thank God I took these pictures in the morning before school because afterschool ... they didn't look so good. Aluminum foil, poster board and tap Read more:Years
, National
Myrtle Beach S.C.: Host to the World's Tallest Sandcastle 2007-09-14 19:10:00 I don't know if anyone remembers, but my job sent me to MyrtleBeach
for a day of special training a couple of months ago and we couldn't resist the draw of the Sun Fun Festival.Why? Well ... who doesn't wanna see the World
's Tallest Sandcastle. I'm glad that we snapped a few photos because we left on a friday and the very next day tropical storm Barry blew in and demolished the top of it.Is it possible to have the World's Tallest and Shortest Sandcastle??Here is a snapshot of the official sign but I was a lil disappointment that the measurements were not listed even though there is a spot allowed on the sign for the measurements ... it was blank. When I came home I decided to search for more information and found out that the sand castle was nearly 50 feet tall! If you'd like to read more about it, The Weather Guys over at USA Today posted a short entry about it (titled: Oh, sure--blame the weather!) including a video that's pretty neat.The sandcastle was a real spectacle and
La Fea Mas Bella IS for Sale! Pre-Order Now! 2007-09-12 16:07:00 Yep, it's official! And trust me, pre-order now and for those people out there, like me, who can't wait another minute ... there's a link to purchase this La Fea Mas Bella DVD Set on the left, just click and pay. It's that easy to get your copy reserved.And don't forget about Amazon's: Pre-Order
Price Guarantee: Order now and if the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and release date, you'll receive the lowest price. This title will be released on November 27, 2007. Gift-wrap available."My Christmas will be great afterall!I can already imagine myself, off from December 17th until January 3rd, chilling on the couch, doing nothing but watching La Fea Mas Bella episodes. I missed the first few so it will be the first time I get to watch those.We are supposed to be going back to Universal Studios for Christmas again this year and my Mexico trip is pushed back to May, I'll still find time to watch Fernando though. I'm just on cloud nine and I can't wait.A million t
Have You Called Your Rep Today?? 2007-09-12 13:58:00 In case you're wondering why I ask if you are calling your reps or not is because I am. I'm pro-immigration reform all the way because the way things are, well it's not working. I'll be the first to admit it, when I married my hubby the Mexican, I had no clue just what would be involved in making the Mexican legal. I didn't do any research, didn't ask any questions and just assumed that being an American citizen ... I wouldn't have ANY problems.That's not what happened though!The consular process is a time consuming process that costs A LOT of money and nothing is guaranteed. Most often than not, families are separated through the process and it's not fair.Why should my husband travel to a part of Mexico that is notorious for murders, leave me and our children alone to take care of ourselves, why should our children have to endure such a separation and cry for their daddy? And who is my government to deny me of the right to marry whosoever I choose?If I call my rep everyday an Read more:Today
Married to the Mexican Family: Dating My Friends! 2007-09-12 11:29:00 If I've said this a thousand times, forgive me but when one is married to a Mexican
... they are also married to the family--the whole family!Maybe that's not fair to say but I have been married to an American before, I have friends married to Americans and friends married to Mexicans ... and most would agree with me.If anyone has been keeping with me you'll remember that I mentioned buying a truck from a friend going through a separation. If not well we did and that's where my brother in law met my friend.And now they are dating.Now this is not the first time that one of the Mexican's brothers has dated a friend of mine. The last few times I ended up feeling torn between family and friend. This time it's a little different.My friend and my brother in law have both recently gotten out of longterm relationships, both are still in contact with their ex's, and things are getting a bit sticky because there is still a lot of resentment among those involved.Let's not forget how peopl Read more:Family
, Dating
, Friends
Pray for La Gringa in Honduras! 2007-09-04 00:22:00 Usually when a blogger blogs about another blogger it's to help promote a blog, but I really want people to pray for La Gringa
in Honduras
(La Gringa's Blogicito) because Hurricane Felix is headed her way. At last glance Hurricane Felix has been upgraded to a category 5!La Gringa has posted maps and weather updates on her blog to give everyone an idea of what's going on. Thank God. I left a comment on her blog mentioning that September the 4th is my birthday so maybe I can just wish Hurricane Felix away. I sure hope so because this one may be a bad one.Last Christmas my family and I took a trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. One day I went to the local Big K-Mart to get some floaties so the kids could swim at the hotel and I spoke with a really nice guy in the toy department. Somehow our conversation twisted from floaties to hurricanes.When I told him that we lived near Charleston, South Carolina ... he remembered Hurricane Hugo. We learned that when we hear of a hurrican
Weekly Word: Familia 2007-09-03 02:24:00 I had this great idea to blog about Spanish words. So I thought the best word to start with is the most important thing in Hispanic culture, familia.In Spanish: familiaIn English: familyHispanics are very proud of la familia. La familia is the most important facet in the life of a Hispano because la familia is the reason anyone does anything.The Spanish word familia is always used with la in the front because it's considered a feminine word, masculine words begin with el.If you notice, most Spanish words begin with la or el and most of those that begin with la end with the vowel a while most that begin with el end in o. There are exceptions though but we wont get into that now.As a child la familia was very important to me but as I grew older we grew apart. My husband, the Mexican, is separated from his familia by thousands of miles but the bonds of la familia are still strong.Is it love or pride that keeps la familia important? I still don't know but I love being part of such a big Read more:Weekly
Dr. Seuss Book, "Daisy-Head Mayzie": It Offends Me! 2007-09-27 20:37:00 Daisy-Head Mayzie is a Dr. Seuss
book geared towards children released in 1995 that was also adapted for television, which I did not see. Apparently Dr. Seuss wrote this book at some time in the 60's, his widow found it after his death in 1991, and probably some money hungry publisher saw big bucks ... Voila! It sells like hotcakes.I'm not a huge Dr. Seuss fan and I just read the book yesterday with my first grader. I'm offended!I'm seriously offended by this book and it should NOT be marketed as a children's book. I know several people may seriously be laughing at this point but this is why I am offended:(Quote from book below)Then the door opened wide.And the Mayor stepped inside.At meetings and greetings there was none to compare.He was best at long speeches, chock-full of hot air!"I promise, my friends, that if I'm re-elected,This daisy on Mayzie will be disconnected.The law of our fathers is simple and sound,Daisies belong and should stay in the ground.The rest are illegal. Read more:Daisy
Legit $250 Video Contest!! 2007-10-09 14:20:00 Not every contest on the net is legit but this one is ... you can win $250!! If you wanna skip straight to the information as posted in the forum at Immigrate2US.net, just click here.Otherwise, read on.To make a long story short, Immigration Attorney Laurel Scott is going to give away $250 to anyone who can make the best video about "The Right to Live with Your Spouse".Laurel says that: "The winning video will be the one that best educates the viewer on the legal and social issues involved and makes the most convincing argument that the law should be changed in favor of relief for the unlawfully present and their American families. Your target audience is the general You Tube viewers who may or may not have an opinion on immigration reform, but have a poor understand of the law and its impact on American families."I've been waiting for something like this and You Tube videos are watched by millions of people!To meet the deadline your video must be submitted to http://youtube.com/group Read more:Contest
Mexican Saints & Etc. 2007-10-08 16:39:00 I noticed that someone was searching for a list of MexicanSaints
and it's something that I've been working on, but it's not completed. (It will be soon.) Photo compliments of WikipediaOn my first trip to Mexico I actually visited the church of Toribio Romo González. My suegra (mother-in-law) loves to visit holy places and on the day that we visited Saint Toribio we also traveled to the city San Juan de los Lagos to see the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de San Juan de los Lagos (Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos.)At 5:00 a.m. we woke up, threw on our clothes and walked about a quarter of a mile to meet a bus filled with pilgrims paying for a day long trip to see some of the most visited places in Mexico.Unfortunately I did not take along my camera because my visit to Mexico was not a leisure one.No one is allowed to enter the church, persay, where it's believed that Saint Toribio worked. The church is at the bottom of the hill. A small paved pathway leads to the church but the real
Answering Reader Emails: Immigration & Relationships 2007-10-08 15:31:00 Sometimes I get some pretty good emails and, well, sometimes I get a few that really piss me off. This weekend I got one of those emails that just really piss me off. Some jacka$$ sent me a mail talking about how I (an American) should be deported along with my husband, etc.Don't get me wrong, I respect everyone's opinion when presented in a proper way but when someone tries to express their views with racial undertones, it don't fly. And to address some of those comments in that email, here goes:Email#1"You act like somebody owes you something because you married &^%$# beaner."My response ... Yep! I do feel like somebody owes me something, beginning with the United States government because I am an American. Where are my rights? I'm punished along with my offspring because of who I married? It's unconstitutional in my opinion.I refuse to go into the rest of the comments but in short what I believe is so unfair is the consular process, as is.Yeah I said that our I-130 was appr Read more:Reader
, Emails
, Relationships
Mexican Border Fence: Easy to Find! 2007-10-08 13:40:00 Today I was doing a google search to find more information about Bush's plan to build 700 miles worth of fence at the U.S./Mexico border. I couldn't help but laugh when the sponsored results popped up and showed me this:MexicanBorder
FenceYour Source For mexican border fence.DIYHomeGuide.comI wonder if Bush shopped around first?
Approved I-130 Makes Me Dream of Traveling 2007-10-05 15:11:00 It's no secret that my hubby, the Mexican, hasn't been able to see his parents for more than ten long years because of his 'illegal' status in this country. He can't just go to Mexico and back freely, thus more anyone who enters more than once illegally will get a ten year ban!And that's why he hasn't been back.Christmas is inching upon us and that's usually the time of the year that hurts my hubby the most. He misses his family and they miss him. It's really sad but with our recent approval of our I-130, I have renewed hope that one day we can travel to Mexico together for the first time.Here are a few snapshots of recent trips we've been able to enjoy together:(Last Christmas we packed up and went to Universal Studios.)(Universal Studios is a colorful place I miss because we had lots of fun!) (This is our youngest having fun at a hotel in Florida over the summer.) (My hubby, the Mexican, by the pool resting for a change. He works so hard.) (Myrtle Beach where we sat for hou Read more:Dream
, Traveling
A Local Drama: So Far Only 2 Dead 2007-10-05 14:02:00 I haven't really kept close tabs on this story but I've heard bits and pieces from several people. It is a pretty big you can read here called "Missing Body Leads to Arrest" that has all of the ingredients of a major drama.A couple of days or so ago two Mexicans had a tire blowout, which led to the fatal accident that killed both of 'em, as well as a zillion problems that have now pointed out issues local authorities need to deal with. And the mystery comes about when someone, with no authority, claimed the body and got $10,000.00 out of the family ... who turned out to be the uncle of deceased. Anyway ...Here's what a local had to say in the "Letter to the Editor" section of today's Courrier Journal: Don Holt BridgeOn Sept. 28, there was a terrible accident on the Don Holt Bridge. With full knowledge that Interstate 526 was going to be closed for at least several hours, the Mount Pleasant Police Department chose to ignore the pending onslaught of traffic from the Arthur Ravenel B Read more:Local
Who Else is Married to a Mexican?? 2007-10-04 20:36:00 I've been so busy spreading the news about the new baby, Baby Liliana. I called up a friend of mine that lives in the small community of Islandton and I told her that I had posted some photos here on the blog. (Entry below titled: Baby Liliana)She said, "Okay. Let me get off of here (she has dial up) and I'll call you back".About a half hour later the phone rings and she says, "You know who the nurse with the ponytail is married to right?""Ummm... no, I don't have a clue".After a couple of minutes of talking, yeah I do know who she's married to and who her brother is too. My mind amazes me at times because it seems the more new stuff I learn, the more old stuff I forget. It's crazy.So now you know that the nurse with the ponytail is also married to un Mexican
o!Who else is married to a Mexican? If you are married to a great Mexican guy or gal or will be getting married ... speak up!P.S. My friend is also married to a great Mexicano ;)
Baby Liliana: Born October 3rd! 2007-10-04 12:36:00 We finally got the call ... my sister-in-law was ready to deliver and I just about broke my neck to get to the hospital!I was so excited. We've spent these last few weeks shopping for last minute items to make sure that everything would be ready for Baby Liliana. I forgot one very important thing--to charge my camera.I had to make a quick pitstop at Walgreens but I'd like to introduce everyone to Liliana, born on Wednesday the 3rd of October
weighing 7 pounds and 7 ounces and measuring a normal 20 inches.She's a healthy lil girl. I'm happy to report that the Mother is also doing just fine. When I left the hospital lastnight, she was sifting through her bag looking at baby clothes and making her very first (official) parental decision. I'll post more photos later!
Our Immigration Story: Part One 2007-10-04 12:31:00 I actually got some pretty good news today. It's not huge but my hubby, the Mexican, and I found out that an application (I-130) we had submitted to USCIS more than two years ago is approved.I guess when I met my husband I was living under that heavy velvet cloak and I just assumed that if one day we decided to marry, he would automatically be a citizen. Well you know what happens when someone assumes something ... a$$ out of me, you get the idea.And a lot of people believe that's the way it is but it's not. It's a really complicated process that intimidates me beyond belief.A few months after we were married a friend of mine and I began looking into immigration procedure. Feeling intimidated, I didn't think it was the right time to get into all that paperwork and we decided to wait. January of 2005 must have been an inspirational time of the year for me because I filled out the I-130, blindly, and mailed it off to an address in Texas. A couple of weeks later I was sent a receipt
Recommend Site To A Friend
