I think I have a new nickname.

So the boy (well, actually the boy's mother) has given me a nickname... Piopio.

Here's the story. When I went to Miami a year and a half ago and met his mother she thought I looked like Woodstock from Snoopy and Charlie Brown. Something about my eyes - dark eyes on light skin, cuteness, I don't know. Anyways, I think it's kind of funny because if you know Woodstock you know that his flying and his logic are erratic and he is the butt of most of Snoopy's practical jokes. And he has a hell of a temper - screaming in fits of birdspeak and exclamation marks...

And from there it evolves. Our conversations are short and sweet, and mostly French - so usually I'm at a loss for words. And she teases me because of it, saying I sound like a little chicken. Instead of "Cheep Cheep" those crazy Castillanos say "Pio Pio" - so for a while when the boy was on the phone with his mother and she could hear me in the background she would laugh and say "Pio Pio" all high pitched...

And thus the nickname was born. Just in the last week or so the boy has said "My mom says hi Piopio" (then he giggles). And now he's starting to call me that himself.

Silly.

And even sillier - the boy found a Snoopy stuffed animal on the ground the other day and brought him home. All dusty and dirty, but smiling with open arms. So today I hosed him off (much to the boy's dismay because it's embarassing for a doggie to be put under the hose with people driving by)... and then put him in the washing machine. And so we found out that Snoopy can swim and get very clean. I put him on the stair banister leading into my apartment so he could "wait" for the boy to get home and he was so excited. I heard him exclaim "Snoopy!" and he burst in with the dog in tow.

This will have to do until the boy can get his Neapolitan Mastiff... we haven't figured out the answer to where he will keep a 150 pound dog... but I'm pretty sure my 700 sq. ft. apartment won't do.