Most important thing first...Ruth bought a dress in Mexico that is the exact same color as Hawkins Cheezies. Isn't that cool? We just noticed tonight while we were watching the Canucks lose to Detroit on TV. One can't watch the Stanley Cup playoffs without beer and Cheezies. I think there's a law against it.

Anyway. I have resolved to maintain a cheerful disposition despite all the sad and weird vibes that surround me. Kara has disappeared from the portal, and although she is apparently on this side of the pond now, I hear nothing. I look through our most recent e-mail exchange for evidence that I may have offended, but get no clue. *sigh*

Sarascara has evidently quit sissying, for reasons I can't fathom either. In fact, most of my old sissy pals are AWOL. And Cindi is feeling blue, and there is nothing I can do to help, because she won't even say what has gone so wrong for her. Even if she did, what could my mere words do? I feel impotent and far away.

But undaunted, I launch into my Happy Dance. *tappity tappity tap tap BADOOM tappity tap*

Oh well. What I can do is entertain you, my phantom public, with tales of digestive woe. We just got back from Mexico a week ago, and ever since then I have been battling the usual insane work deadlines complicated by mysterious and frustrating computer problems. On top on that, Ruth and I both came down with a nagging case of tourista, apparently on our last evening in Mexico. Eep. Not fun, but at least I lost some weight.

OK, enough potty talk. We have a travelogue to present.

Mexico City the second time around was less scary and more fun than the first time. We've been taking Spanish lessons, and although my grasp of the language is still fairly weak (Ruth is much better), with the aid of a dictionary we were able to carry on real conversations with Punketa's family this time. They are marvelous people, and it was great fun to finally be able to talk to them about life and stuff. As before, they treated us like royalty -- wouldn't let us lift a finger around the house, though we tried -- and we are resolved to return the favor by hosting them in Vancouver, as soon as they can come. They say they will come; I hope so, because it will be a hoot and a half.

The city is still incredibly huge and noisy and densely packed, but for some reason the air seemed a little cleaner than in January 2001. Maybe it was a quirk of climate. Anyway, we were brave little soldiers and actually went out into the city on our own, to visit the Anthropology Museum (an absolute must-see, if you ever visit Mexico City). That meant taking a minibus to the metro station, a train to downtown (switching lines along the way), and another minibus to the museum. We did not get lost once -- despite the fact that these minibuses run in every direction at once, with very confusing route signs, so you have to know where you're going. Yay us!

So, feeling pleased with ourselves, we entered the museum...only to find that the Maya and Olmec wings, which were closed for renovation last time, were still closed almost 16 months later. Dammut! I wanted to see the giant heads!

Apart from that disappointment, we had a great time, usually with the delightful Punketa as our tour guide. We saw Diego Rivera's studio, and a cool exhibit of modern Mexican Art too. We went to the movies (in Spanish) and had pocorn the way the Mexicans do -- topped with salsa and lime juice (it was shockingly delicious). Ruth had her butt fondled on a crowded metro car and is still laughing about it. Oh, and we went to a soccer game at famous Azetca Stadium, an absolutely enormous structure that climbs way into the sky and is filled with happy, cheering Mexicans. It's apparently the second-largest stadium in the world, and I believe it. The beer is good, but don't eat the food.

Probably the highlight of the whole week was our sidetrip to Oaxaca, a six-hour bus ride to the south. The main reason we went was to tour the ruins of Monte Alban, possibly the earliest city in the Western Hemisphere. But the town of Oaxaca itself is delightful. It's more like the Mexico we imagine Mexico to be, with old colonial buildings and cobbled streets, crowded markets filled with amazing stuff made locally, and the most mouth-watering mole sauce that ever graced a plate. We're definitely going back some day.

I love Mexico. I think Mexicans are among the warmest, friendliest people in the world. And despite all the social problems they continue to wrestle with, I think their country is headed in the right direction. I'm pulling for them.

Congrats on surviving Exam Hell, Camille. Hey Ng, I want to see what happened with that doodle contest, remember? And Stuart, you are misinformed -- Canada is an ancient Huron word meaning "Not-American". The rest of you -- come back please, I want to be entertained!

Oops, gotta run. No, seriously. Eek.

April 10, 2002

Two days before we leave for Mexico. Are we ready? Hell no!

We've both been so busy with work (paid and unpaid) that we couldn't finalize our tentative plans til the last moment. We knew we had a small window of opportunity between Ruth's last day of teaching and Sylvia's departure for Europe (Sylvia = Punketa), but we weren't sure if we could do it until we walked into the travel agency and found out the tickets were affordable, so what the hell, let's do it.

Ruth is nervous -- not just because The Boy will be alone with the house, but also because she hates going on a trip that hasn't been thoroughly planned. She likes to go through all the guidebooks and the net sites and think about what we'll do, where we'll do it, and what she'll be wearing when we do. It's part of the fun of travel -- the anticipation and all that.

No time for anticipation. Tomorrow we pick up our passports (which we had to pay extra for because we applied so late), get our Mexican money, stock up on convenient food for The Boy, and pick up the special surprise gift we're bringing for Sylvia's family -- the identity of which must remain secret, because one of you Sissies might spill the beans. Hint to kara: our friend Victor made it, and we're pretty sure Sylvia's mom will cry when she sees it.

We'll leave notes to remind The Boy to lock the front door, take in the newspapers and mail, and for god's sake don't turn the heat up to 300 degrees. The rest is beyond our control; we're trying hard not to think of Animal House. Or Ferris Bueller.

What else is new? Well, I'm conducting a running battle with the local birds, and may the best species win. A cute little red-breasted sapsucker has been tapping away on the side of our house, in a little alcove where a service pipe goes into the siding. Tap tap tap. Pause. Tap tap tap tap. It's either hunting bugs or building a nest, but the tapping distracts Ruth when she's trying to work. So I got a Nerf gun, one of The Boy's old toys, and whenever the tapping starts, I go around the side of the house and shoot a Nerf arrow in the bird's general direction. It then flies off to a nearby tree and sits there scolding me until I leave.

This has been going on for more than a week. Then the other day, the tapping was really loud. TAP TAP TAP. Pause. TAP TAP BONK BONK. I went outside and discovered a large flicker was working on that same spot -- it's five times the size of the sapsucker, which was sitting in the tree hurling insults at the interloper. A well-placed shot scared both of them away. But my Nerf arrow landed on the neighbor's deck. Damn, homeownership is hard work.

Stuart, your list of Things That are True made me laugh. Did you write that yourself or find it somewhere online? Either way, I loved it. Congrats on the new job, too.

Camille, I like your course selections; in fact I'm a bit jealous that you get to do that stuff. Third-year is when university really starts to get interesting, as I recall. But I think it's too bad that they don't give you Introduction to Logic until the third year -- I think every kid should be taught logic in first year, maybe even high school. On the other hand, having an understanding of logic might make it harder to absorb social history, which is mostly illogical.

Sean, I enjoyed your Snophie comic, but do you really think it's a good idea to poke fun at the mentally handicapped? Hmmm. Actually, you're right, it is. Carry on.

Kara, I was going to rant about that Commander Marcos quote (didn't he used to sit in with Captain Beefheart?), but I don't know whether you agree with it or were just tossing it out there. My rant would have focused on what neoliberalism really is (as opposed to the neomarxist interpretation of it), and also on how the word "genocide" has been abused and debased by the overheated rhetoric of leftist pinheads. But I see I have run out of time, so you'll have to wait. Haw.

Maybe if you kids behave, I'll bring you something from Mexico.

April 2, 2002

Yeah, I'm back.

It has been a crazy few weeks. Actually, the craziness is not over yet, and I don't have the time to explain all that has been happening. The short version will have to do for now: I've just been too damn busy for fun. Too many projects with short deadlines, too much computer trouble (Bill Gates, you should burn in hell, ha ha just kidding), too many demands on me from my volunteer work, too much of too much.

But, as you may have noticed, I am changing my site. Finally, after many months of thinking about it, I have decided to take the plunge. There is still a lot to be done, especially with the visual design. But my aim is to use this site to have some fun. Some of those categories on my opening page will be filled out over the next few days. The Fashion Page is, of course, NOT aimed specifically at Camille, and I don't know why you would think that.

I'll post again very soon, probably when I get the next of my new pages operational. I want to comment on some things kara posted, and add to Cindi's rant about movies that aren't like the book. Also, Stuart is due for some teasing about his girlfriend.

My apologies for being a poor journaller. However, I am still committed to this quirky little group, and I will keep posting as long as you keep reading.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must dash off to the passport office. We're going to Mexico in less than two weeks. More on that later. Chow babies.

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