Home For About 48 (horas that is)

I had the 1:32 flight from Mexico City to Atlanta today and I am home now, basking in the glory of my small old cottage house and I love it so much I can't stand it. It took the cats about 10 minutes to forgive me and I have loved on all of them and done 3 loads of laundry and loved on them some more and unwrapped all the shopping treasures from last weekend which reminds me that I have not told you about last weekend which was greater than I could have ever imagined and loved on them some more.

So I suck and have a lot to catch up on and I will. But for tonight I am totally content to rub Sonny's head and listen to him do this passive growl thing that tells me how much he loves the rub but is pissed that I've been away. Totally content to hold Camile and have her fall asleep in my arms and then turn into psyco-kitty and run off. Totally content to grab Phoebe and kiss her and let her go because she isn't that kind of cat. Yet. Totally content to be keying in this entry and stop to love on Dylan because he insists.

There is lots of love to catch up on. Later on once the punks are satisfied I will post about last weekend with my new bestest friend. It was the kind of thing that makes me grin every time I think about it.

An awesome Mexico City Weekend!

Y'all, I had the most incredible weekend and I really am going to write about it once I spend a paragraph or so bitching about a couple of tiny insignificant things. But tonight I'm too tired. Thanks to this perverse Mexican schedule I have just returned to my room after dinner (it's almost 10 pm) and honestly I just want to get in bed and read for about an hour and get to sleep. I don't know about you but I would far rather take 30 minutes for lunch and get home by 6 than take 2 + hours and get home between 8:30 and 9 pm). Sheesh. Remind me that I also need to write a little about the book I'm reading - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. It is incredible.

For now I am looking forward to Friday when I fly back home and get to spend the weekend (possibly more?) with the punks. I am counting the hours. I miss having Camille and Phoebe taking up precious leg space in the bed. I miss Phoebe waking me up in the middle of the night so I will pet her just because she deserves it. I miss Dylan being neurotic and needy. I miss Sonny being a high maintenance and grumpy old man. Speaking of which I got an email from my catsitter today. She has managed to get fluids in Dylan a couple of times but hasn't been able to do Sonny because he goes into his drama queen thing. When he gets upset (like when I make him come inside before he is ready, or when I make him get OFF the kitchen table) he goes into this wheezing, coughing fit. Evidently he has pulled this every time Gale has tried to give him fluids. Did I mention he is a grumpy old man? He needs his Momma!


I'll try to get some photos and news posted about the weekend by tomorrow night or Thursday. It's full of adventure and insights and my God but you need to see Mexico City. What a history! What a strange and funny place!

Meeting Tine (continued)

So anyway, I'm about to make my goodnights and leave and get in bed when I see this woman walking in the door and I noticed her only because she was walking like she was in a rush to meet friends and Laticia and I were the only two people in the place. She walks in, walks right up to us and asks if we speak English. Laticia was kind of taken aback and I jumped right in and put a very confused look on my face and said "Perdon. No habla Inglais." This woman looked kind of disappointed and then I came clean and told her I was American. She obviously was. She asked if she could join us rather than sit alone and we invited he to do so.

Tina turned out to be quite a character to say the least. She is into mountain climbing and extreme sports and had just spent the last week climbing to the summit of an 18,700 foot mountain close to Mexico City! How cool is that? She showed us photos and told us all about the experience. She lives in the high desert outside of Los Angeles where she has just bought a house. She travels the world climbing mountains and sleeping in tents on said mountains.

We had the most amazing time talking and laughing and I learned once again how important it is to stay open to new people and experiences.

She was leaving on a 9 am flight back to LAX and wanted us to "pull an all nighter" with her but by that time I was about to fall over with exhaustion and Leticia was too so exchanged email addresses and said our goodbyes.

I would love to stay in touch with this crazy person. She's going to send the photos she took of the 3 of us and if this actually happens I will post them.

Meeting Tina

I have an awesome story to tell but first you need a backstory and even though it is very very very late (for me at least) I have to tell it now so later I can tell you about tonight and meeting Tina.

So those of you who have been reading this know that my company is starting up an office in Santiago Chile for LAN Airlines. I have been pretty much on hold for almost 6 months in anticipation of going but am now in Mexico City. Because of the "language thing" and the fact that few people in Santiago speak English it was decided that a Mexico staff member would go for a month of training and I would take over his position here in MEX. TEMPORARILY.

At the same time a new hire in Santiago came here for other training in another area. Laticia is her name and she has very good english and we happen to be two doors down from each other in this hotel.

Laticia is 28. She is married with a 3 year old and a 1 year old. She is the friendliest, sweetest, most goodhearted person I think I have ever met. She is also a great deal of fun and is always smiling and laughing. I think I loved her from the moment I met her and I am sure you would too.

I have tried to avoid socializing with Laticia even though we are both stuck here in this hotel. Why? Because besides being the most truly sweet, friendly, pure heart you could imagine she is drop dead beautiful. I mean beautiful hair, beautiful eyes, beautiful skin, gorgeous body. To top it off she is very smart and has an enormous work ethic. This alone is nothing. I know several women with these attributes and I can't say much for their insides but Leticia is the real thing inside and out. But she is a knock out.

So why do I avoid socializing? Simply because when I am in her presence I become invisible. This really has never happened to me before. I am fairly decent looking for 45 I think. I am friendly and when I am out I am outgoing and my personality is good. A bit of age and a good job have given me confidence. I love people and I love talking to people. But when I am around Laticia I am invisible.

I am NOT jealous because I understand the attraction people have to her. Really I think it's funny in a way. When we go to the restaurant together for dinner the waiters gather around her and pull out her seat and cater to her every whim even before she has it. They fill her coffee and walk away basking in the glory of her "gracias" while I sit there with an empty cup in front of me. It is seriously funny to me but at the same time a bit annoying because I prefer halfway decent service as a paying customer. So I have kind of mostly avoided the breakfast/dinner thing with her.

Tonight we got back late from the office and I invited her to go with me to the lounge and get something very light for dinner. We walked in and immediately there were 3 waiters around us (her) and we ordered a cheese and cracker plate and spent about 90 minutes enjoying it while we talked and listened to salsa music.

AND THEN TINA WALKED IN.

(to be continued)

Happy Thanksgiving or Thursday

OK. I'm feeling just a little bit down tonight. Just a little bit mind you. I mean, it's Thanksgiving and I'm sitting in a hotel room after a long day conducted in a language I don't understand except a word here and there so besides feeling isolated I'm feeling, well, isolated. At home I am isolated to some extent but that is entirely by choice. I always have the option of picking up the phone and calling friends or going out and driving around or cleaning something or pursuing a hobby. When you have to pack a suitcase there is only so much you can bring.

To give you an idea of how my life here in Mexico is (and will be until mid to late December), I am staying this time at the Ramada Airport. During my 3 trips in October I stayed at another airport hotel which was admittedly a bit more expensive but there were 4 different restaurants in the hotel plus another handful across the pedestrian bridge at the airport terminal. Also in the airport were shops and bookstores and 2 Starbucks and lots of people to watch. This is important because as I've mentioned before this is not an area of Mexico City where one wants to be walking alone, even in the daytime.

The Ramada is not in a complex. It is a stand alone building. There is one restaurant and the food is not terribly desirable as even the choices that read "healthy" on the menu come drowning in heavy sauce. Last night I had shrimp with brown rice. The menu left out the part about the sauce. Tonight I chose chicken breast stuffed with spinach with steamed vegetables. It arrived drowning in sauce, even the veggies. I just don't see myself making it another week without screaming. Other than the restaurant there is nothing. On the plus side there is free wireless internet. The other place had only wired internet at a cost of $22 per 24 hours. On the downside the room is tiny, painted a stark white, and because the floor is tiled with no carpet whatsoever it echoes like a cave. On the plus side once I get to my room and change I feel a little more energetic. On the downside there is nothing to do with that energy. On the plus side they provide an in room coffeemaker and a 3 cup "pod" every day which the other place didn't. On the downside I have no earthly idea what I'm going to do with myself this weekend.

I'm going to get in bed and read now and in the morning I plan to get up with a fantastic attitude and make tomorrow the best, most productive day possible.

For tonight, if you are in the US, Happy Thanksgiving. If you aren't, Happy Friday Eve!

I Ate Crickets!!!

Hi from Mexico City everyone! Things are very busy here since I arrived just about 32 hours ago. I came toting a brand new laptop because my old Dell finally started dying a horrible death about the middle of last week. I managed to limp through until I picked my new one up on the way to the airport Tuesday morning and I've been trying to load it with eveyrthing I need from the old one plus learn the job I am here to do plus continue to do my own job. So I'm tired but wanted to check in before I get under the covers and read.

Today at lunch we visited a street market that happens every Wednesday in this area. I was just amazed as usual. It was jam packed with people and I saw strange produce and meats and food stands serving things I had never seen before.

Of course me being me I had to try something I had never tried before and in fact didn't even realize people ate! And of course they were delicious. I had a blue tortilla quesidilla with cheese and crickets which was served with a side of crickets!

I realize the look of it might be a bit off-putting but these crickets are young. In fact Jorge told me that November is the perfect time of year to eat crickets since they are young and tender. As opposed, I guess, to the large chewy crickets you have to put up with in, say, February. They are dry fried on a very hot surface until they are crispy and spicy.

Of course this stand also sold some more run of the mill quesadillas but I found the crickets and cheese variety to be quite the thing on a warm November day. In fact I might go back for more next Wednesday!

Sweet dreams!

Six More Shopping Days Until Christmas

This is my last weekend before my Mexico stay. Even though I will be back briefly the weekend of November 30 - December 3 I truly have only this weekend and the last weekend before Christmas to enjoy preparing for the "holidays" so I'm trying to get a lot accomplished. Today I ran a few errands then came home and worked in the yard a little. Needed to get up the leaves from the cherry tree since it is just on the line between me and the neighbors, Glenna and Abbi (sisters who rent the house next door). Glenna is a real outside person and I see her a lot and she always beats me to the raking and mowing but today I beat her! I am well aware that this cherry tree throws junk all over her yard and so I used the blower and yard vac to get it cleaned up. Looks nice now. Tomorrow I need to get out and drag some fallen limbs from the backyard to the street but for today I have accomplished a lot.

I am working on a knitting project that I started last March. I got to a problem area in about April and waited until June for Mom to come down and have a professional look and she recommended pulling it all out and starting over. Two weeks ago I did so and ran into the same problem so I went to a knit shop here in Atlanta. Knitch is located in Virginia Highlands and it is the greatest place with the greatest people. Two high level knitters helped me and last night I finished the left front of this jacket. This morning I started on the right front and already I am at almost 9"!!!! One problem with travel is that when you're working on something like a sweater you have to travel with the whole thing, not just the piece you're working on. You have to compare front right to left right and both to the back as you go so I am really working hard to try to get a lot done before I go Tuesday. Once can only travel with so much.

After the two women at Knitch had looked at the problem and provided a solution I felt the least I could do was make a small purchase. This is a place with top of the line yarns and supplies and someday I will get there but for now I am using crappy yarn available at Michael's although I do invest in bamboo needles because they are warm and soft and happy. So I spent $15 on a little "kit" where you can make and then felt catnip mice for cats. The kit I got makes 5 mice. I did the first one and it only took about 30 minutes to knit. I think tonight I will do the felting to see how it turns out before I knit the rest.

I'm pretty sure there was another reason for posting tonight but my arms are tired from the yard and I just want to make a simple dinner and get back to this sweater. I'll post again if I think of it.