Isn't She Fabulous?

You can always tell when I've been watching Sex and the City re-runs on TBS because I talk about my girlfriends. They are coming (let me count) in approximately 45 days. Heidi, Rose, Beatrice (all from Toronto) and Mary Ann from Dixon, CA. I've arranged for them to stay for two whole weeks at a condo on the beach with a pool on the roof and I can't wait to see them! I expect to have a great time while they are here. We will be out almost every night, eating in all the best restaurants (you know, the ones I've been saving to try while they're here). You'll recognize us by our tiaras, boas, bejewelled black panti-liner name tags and other Goddess paraphernalia. We will be the talk of the town for two weeks. Look for the boa-wrapped palapa on the beach and you'll probably find one or more of us sipping a margarita, looking at young men in tight bathing suits, yelling "Get out of our way -- we're fabulous!"

Well February is half over and that means that Valentine's Day has come and gone for another year. Is anyone else tired of the commercialism of this "event"? Or am I jaded because I didn't have a valentine? Well, technically I actually had TWO! My friends Tim and Susan arrived from San Francisco on February 14th and took me out for dinner. How's that for a friendship that started in PV (we met through a former boyfriend of mine) and has managed to last more than a year via email? My friend Darlene (also known as my much shorter sister) is also in town for a month and she arrived on Saturday despite much speculation about her health. Having gone through two back surgeries within less than four months at the end of last year, we were unsure of her progress prior to her arrival. She has surprised us all with her resilience and fortitude. No doubt the warm weather and sunny days here will help in her recovery. Much more relaxing than being in Winterpeg! I'm so glad she's here ...

We had three ships in port today. What a crazy place this city becomes when the cruise boats arrive. We were extremely busy in the store and apparently there are two more ships tomorrow. Oh well! It's time to "make hay while the sun is shining". So hard to believe that the high season will be over in another six weeks. Where did the winter go? I start Spanish lessons tomorrow. I saw an ad in the Tribune for a teacher located directly across the street from the store so I talked my friend Scott into going with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays after work at 5PM. Since we are the only two in the class, we hope to help shape the lesson plans to coincide with our work at Viva. How do you say "espadrilles" in Spanish? LOL BTW, they called me down to the floor today to speak to a woman in French! I nearly died ... I can hardly remember any French anymore and when I try, I can't seem to flick the switch in my brain over from Spanglish. I kept saying, "Si Madame" but I understood "chapeau blanc" and "valise" so I was able to figure out that she wanted a white hat that she could pack in her suitcase. We muddled through it somehow and I made the sale. :)

On a completely unrelated topic, what's up with people's feet? I see many more feet here in PV than I ever did in Toronto. I am always very conscious of having a nice pedicure and clean, soft feet because of my job and my overall fastidiousness with proper grooming but do other people care about this? Apparently not! I am constantly being assaulted by the sight of some people's feet. To see a woman with bad foot hygiene is just shocking to me but I find men's feet particularly repulsive. Do they think we don't see them in their sports sandals? Guys, no one wants to look at your unclipped toenails and hard callouses. Get a clue and get a pedicure! They are relaxing and healthy. Last year, for Valentine's Day, my boyfriend got himself a pedicure. It was one of the nicest things he ever did for me ...