SALT LAKE, EMPANADAS AND A VIRUS

This week I got a funny instant message from a friend of mine who is a paramedic up in the Andean Mountains. It was a zip file that said La nariz es muy grande ¿no? (Big nose, eh?) He likes to send me pictures of his family every now and again so I figured it was a zip file with pictures of his big-nosed uncle or something like that. I later found that it was a very nasty computer virus that made me lose at least four gigabytes of music files and a couple days of work. It would wait until I was idle, freeze the computer and send the virus to all of my friends that were on MSN Messenger. The virus spread to my friend in Beijing who has been having a horrible time trying to get that virus off his computer. It really amazes me that that virus went from South America to North America and then to Asia in about an hour.

My good friend Dan Taylor, a technician who works for Dell, came over and spent more than fifteen hours on my computer trying to get the virus off but there was no use. We had to copy all of the information on my computer onto jump drives and CD's, wipe the computer clean like a black board and then put all of the information back on it. Not all of my music files got backed up for some reason and so I've been trying to find the music and put it back on. It's been tedious to say the least.
This weekend we have been quite social. We went over to our friend the Taylor's house on Friday night, made sushi, watched Ghost Busters and played 5 Crowns; Becca soundly beat everyone again. Yesterday was very special. A lady who was very kind to me during my first assignment in Chile, some seven years ago, came Utah to visit her daughter who just recently had a little girl. I've kept in touch with this family over the years but I hadn't seen any of them since I left Osorno for the last time in October of 2002. This last Saturday they invited Becca and me to come see them all at the house of Barbara and Steven, Eva's daughter and son-in-law, in Sandy.
I almost felt like I was back at Eva's house in Osorno. It was kind of funny to be able to give Eva and Barbara hugs this time. Becca outdid herself and made a beautiful and delicious layered chocolate cake and Eva, wanting to bring a little of Chile to me, made us all empanadas, an egg noodle soup that's typical in Southern Chile and maté. This was the second time that I had tried maté and this time I must admit that I really liked it. I guess it DOES depend on who prepares it.
I had only ever heard about Steven and it was nice to actually get to know him. I suppose I can't imagine Barbara, the daughter, marrying anyone who isn't great, but all the same it was nice to find that out for myself. Steven and Barbara's little girl was born prematurely and while I was holding her last night he told me that she was actually supposed to be two days old just then. She's cute, petite and instantly endearing. Eva isn't going back to Chile for another week and a half so next Saturday we'll be getting together with all of them again.
Today we're playing hosts to our friends the Kingsley's who lived across the street from us when we were in the basement apartment closer to BYU campus. They invited us over to their place for dinner months ago and we've been meaning to return the favor. Plus, they haven't seen our new place yet.