1.31.2005

The Latest

New things in my life:

1. Working on redecorating the bedroom. Gotta get rid of the high school decor and get things updated. Fun, but frustrating... Paint ran out one wall short, so I now have almost a gallon extra. Curtain rod (which took 3 stores to find) is a shocking 20" too short. I guess that's why you measure things before you shop. Two trips to get enough cool-ass chrome outlet plates. BUT, I really like the new color (Lovely Lilac, I believe it is called) and how it makes everything look better. I contrasted with a fab green on the bay window and the duvet (yea, I'm a cool kid who uses a duvet. Makes me feel rich and fabulous just to write that). I'm planning a trip to D-Town to buy some art off the students. Cheaper, cooler, and not the mass-produced stuff from Target. Still wish a certain Miss Someone up north would make me a copy of her Potato picture. Sign it before you send it, eh? It will be better, then, when you are famous. MAKE IT AND SEND IT!

2. shit... I had more than just that...

3. Gonna take dance lessons with Sr. Hugo at some point. Gotta call and see if we can still get in, a bit prorated, or if we have to wait. Ballroom dancing! His future wife will thank me, though he doesn't seem to appreciate that aspect. His appreciation is more along the lines of, taking dance lessons means not having to give blood. Ahh, the fruits of blackmail!

1.22.2005

Snooooohh!

It is SNOWING outside! A very light, dusty sort of snow that has been coming down since 2am. Quite the accumulation, then. Maybe 4"? The weather folk tell us that, by the end of the night, we will have 6-12". As you may expect, if you have been paying attention here, the Detroiters are in a panic! Or, a state of hibernation, depending on where you look. It looks gorgeous, and I simply wish I had stolen a pair of snowshoes from E.P. while I was there.... damn!! It would be silly funs to march around this Ile on tennis rackets!

Oh yes, went to the bars last night with my amigo. Ran into some folks from HS -one I was atually friends with in HS. She claims to be in contact, so, Amigo and I now have expanded our social circle by 1!

1.16.2005

!Viva Mexico!

Just back from a week in Mexico... Hot, sunny, humid (avg 84 degrees there), great for tanning.... mmmm :) Since the Caymans got eaten, we had to go somewhere different. The dart landed on Cozumel, Mexico, so there we went!

It was absolutely fantastic to get to speak spanish again, so often, with such nice people. Granted, it may have taken a day or so to warm up, and a few beers or so... The Mexicans were all so happy to have Americans that spoke spanish, they would just chatter, chatter, chatter. It really helped the bartering process, and service in general, when you spoke spanish. I miss it much, now, and am aching to go back. I have decided that, if the Peace Corps rejects me, I will go work in Mexico for a while instead. Mum agrees, preferring the randomness of Mexico to the security of the Peace Corps, and Dad just groans at both.

The people were all crazy there.... the staff at our hotel were mid-twenties, with the chicas skinnier than models and the chicos giant flirts. During the day, they organized and participated in violent and dirty games of water polo, tame bouts of water volleyball, BINGO, rifle shoting (yes, that's what it was), and occaisional aerobics. Every night they put on a show, mostly dancing, but a comedy night and an enactment of 'El Dorado', the Disney movie I never saw. Damn entertaining material, though, from a group that works well together.

I went out a few nights... Monday, M (staffer) took me and a crew from WI to Carlos & Charlie's and Senor Frogs. [NO, it is NOT pronounced "SEEN yer", as in an old man, but rather "sen YOUR", as in the spanish title for a man. To bad the ass on the plane ride down was unclear on that....] C&C was lame, but the Frog was busy, full of American cruisers, docked across the street. I met a blonde gal who bought me drinks and showed me pictures of her girlfriend while proclaiming, "I never in my life thought I would be with a woman, but she is my girlfriend and I love her." Over, and over, and over. She was crazy, drunk, and would be obnoxious if I actually lived in the same town as her. I begged M to take me somewhere native, so we ditched WI and went to 1.5, a trendy, mellow bar with electronica music.

Thursday the crew all went out again, with P (another staffer) also coming and A (you guessed it) joining us later. Same deal: C&C, lame, and Frogs, less busy than Monday, but decent. I saw blondie (see above), and she bought me more drinks and some gum. Gotta love it. P ditched out, to my disappointment, but we eventually moved on to the Baby Reef, a bar full of locals. It was half indoor, half patio, and so we stayed outside to cool off. Blondie came, as did her supposed former girlfriend, who was much more sane, but then Blondie left to make a call and never came back... It was adventurous, interesting, and one of those things you had to just be there to appreciate. {JLB: you, of course, shall be receiving the uncut version of the above stories... Talk to you Monday?}

It was rather depressing to leave Cozumel... I miss the spanish, I miss the friendly people, I miss the sun, the staff, the bars, the dancing.... Seriously, I would have LOVED to have 'missed' my flight back and just stayed on, living or working or whatever. I can fly by the seat of my pants; I don't need things to be formal and structured. I could survive Mexico. Maybe one of these days, I just will.

1.01.2005

http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/12/28/academic.freedom.ap/index.html

Makes me want to vomit.... so much so that I couldn't even read the whole article...