It is Friday night and I was in the middle of watching a very important documentary on how to become America's next top model when the power went out! It didn't go out all of a sudden but gradually, with the lights flickering, then dimming and finally snuffing out. Fortunately, I have battery life on my laptop so I am typing this offline and I will copy and paste it into my blog later. All my watches and clocks run on batteries so at least I know what time it is! Not that that's important given the fact that I have the day off tomorrow, as well as Sunday and Monday.
So work this week was a bitch. You know what it is like when you come back from great vacation. You just don't want to be there and you hope against hope that all those awful projects you left for someone else to do would somehow miraculously get done in your absence. Yeah right! We received about a million boxes of shoes (thank the Goddess I don't have to deal with them!) and there is a small amount of jewellery to be marked. But I still managed to put in 8.5 or 9 hour days. I actually felt a little guilty leaving today at 5PM after only 7 hours!
We desperately need some rain. It is about 42C with the humidity and without the fans running, I am thinking of sleeping in the shower. I pressed a mysterious red button in my fridge this morning before I left for work and came home to a huge puddle of water in the middle of my kitchen floor. All the lovely icey bits are gone from my freezer but now I am worried about my chicken thawing. And forget making a smoothie with the mushy formerly frozen berries -- no electricity, remember??? I will tough it out for a few more minutes but I might be forced to actually put on some clothes and head out for a cold drink somewhere.
OK, after a shower by candlelight, I decided to join my neighbours on the roof in order to get some air. Apparently most of our block and the next had no luz and somehow, knowing that I was not alone (and therefore not responsible for causing the blackout!), made me feel better and the breeze on the roof was delightful! To the east, The Mother Nature Channel offered a lovely lightening show over the mountains, up behind Las Carmelitas. I might have to go up there one day to check out the restaurant. The view alone would be worth the price of taxi fare. The Neighbourhood Channel was very interesting. Our favourite show was I'm a Siamese Cat and I Am Going To Taunt Your Chihuahua Unmercilessly! LOL
The lights eventually came back on, as they always do, but we stayed up on the roof, enjoying the sights and sounds of our neighbourhood -- another interesting evening in Vallarta!
Friday, July 29, 2005
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's Off To Work I Go!
I got my bank card back on Monday morning without incident. Actually, it was probably easier to deal with a problem like this here since the Bank is so small. I went in, told them my sad story, a bank employee walked into the room behind the banking machine and came out with my card. They had my passport photo on file so I just had to sign my name and PRESTO! I was back in business.
Speaking of business, I went into work today for the first time since my return to PV and put in a 9 hour day. *sigh* But the good news is I am only working 4 days a week until the end of August and possibly beyond. And we were asked today to set out our "dream schedule" for the high season. So I did as I was told and said that I only wanted to work five days a week with Sundays and Mondays off.
Oh! I ate at my first taco stand yesterday for lunch. My friend Laura had a craving for shrimp burritos and her favourite stand is a couple of blocks from my place. So we walked over and bought lunch for 30 pesos each. We brought them back here to eat so that she could see my apartment. The food was really good and I don't have any explanation as to why I've never eaten at a taco stand. I guess the opportunity just never presented itself before now.
My VOIP gateway arrived in Toronto the Monday after the Friday I left. Figures eh? So now I am trying to somehow arrange to get it down here. An internet friend has offered to bring it with him on August 4th from the U.S. I am hoping that I can arrange for the package to reach him before catches his flight. In spite of the fact that I don't have the product yet, I have already received an ebill for the services.
Anyway, I will keep this short. I am tired and my hands are sore from updating my boss's 200 page list of designers. She needs it before she leaves on Friday for her world tour/buying trip. I got it finished today, having started it before I left. Silly me to think that someone else could complete the job for me while I was on vacation! :)
My next task is to clean up the back room, organize our in-house designer, mark all the merchandise sitting around in boxes, work on the filing cabinet list for our 800+ designers and then, when time permits (remember I'm only working 4 days week), update Viva's party list before the high season. I think at last count, we sent out in excess of 10,000 email invitations to our last event.
Oh well! It looks like I am well and truly back to my life in Vallarta! Hope to see you down here soon.
Speaking of business, I went into work today for the first time since my return to PV and put in a 9 hour day. *sigh* But the good news is I am only working 4 days a week until the end of August and possibly beyond. And we were asked today to set out our "dream schedule" for the high season. So I did as I was told and said that I only wanted to work five days a week with Sundays and Mondays off.
Oh! I ate at my first taco stand yesterday for lunch. My friend Laura had a craving for shrimp burritos and her favourite stand is a couple of blocks from my place. So we walked over and bought lunch for 30 pesos each. We brought them back here to eat so that she could see my apartment. The food was really good and I don't have any explanation as to why I've never eaten at a taco stand. I guess the opportunity just never presented itself before now.
My VOIP gateway arrived in Toronto the Monday after the Friday I left. Figures eh? So now I am trying to somehow arrange to get it down here. An internet friend has offered to bring it with him on August 4th from the U.S. I am hoping that I can arrange for the package to reach him before catches his flight. In spite of the fact that I don't have the product yet, I have already received an ebill for the services.
Anyway, I will keep this short. I am tired and my hands are sore from updating my boss's 200 page list of designers. She needs it before she leaves on Friday for her world tour/buying trip. I got it finished today, having started it before I left. Silly me to think that someone else could complete the job for me while I was on vacation! :)
My next task is to clean up the back room, organize our in-house designer, mark all the merchandise sitting around in boxes, work on the filing cabinet list for our 800+ designers and then, when time permits (remember I'm only working 4 days week), update Viva's party list before the high season. I think at last count, we sent out in excess of 10,000 email invitations to our last event.
Oh well! It looks like I am well and truly back to my life in Vallarta! Hope to see you down here soon.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
YYZ to PVR - Part Two
Actually, it was easier than you might think to find 8 kilos worth of "stuff". Both of the large pockets outside my suitcase were packed with toiletries so I unlocked them and dumped the contents into my new bag. I opened my knapsack and removed the large ablution kit in there which was filled with more stuff. Then I unlocked my suitcase, unzipped the top, reached in and pulled out a phone and my blow dryer. I was hoping that was enough and headed back to the same check in station as before. My suitcase weighed a little over 32 kilos but she let it pass, along with my new bag holding the remaining weight. Then she calculated that I was 20 kgs over @ $7 per kilo for a total of $140CDN. Good thing I had my trusty VISA card! I was finally ready to go through the security gate and passed without incident. I forgot to mention that my laptop slipped off the counter and fell on the floor, while still in the case, so I needed to find a quiet place to check it out. I had to be at Gate 39 by 12:15PM but already late, I decided to stop and fire up my laptop. It worked perfectly! *WHEW*
After stopping at Starbucks for the most expensive bottle of water and cookie I've ever purchased, I wandered over to my gate and found most seats in the immediate vicinity to be occupied. The flight had nearly sold out which is pretty amazing when you consider the weather in Toronto is almost the same as it is in Vallarta right now: hot and humid with occasional rainstorms. I located a relatively vacant area near Gate 40 and sat down to wait for the final boarding call. I never get in line when they call my row. I would rather wait in the airport terminal than sit on the plane. Eventually, I boarded and discovered my seat in row 12, one row behind the line of bulkhead seats. The seat in front of me remained vacant as the flight attendants sealed the door so I planned to move up after take off. Unfortunately, one of them brought an older gentleman down the aisle and placed him right in front of me so I was stuck in my original seat, with two adolescent boys next to me. The boys, as it turned out, were extremely well behaved and pleasant, playing cards or watching the movie throughout the flight without one single bathroom break! However, the old guy in front of me insisted on reclining his seat to the maximum so it was a cramped flight for me. But we watched two movies and before I knew it, we were starting our descent into PV. Being close to the door, I made my way down the mobile staircase to the bus in no time.
Anyone who has ever landed in PV and had to be bussed into the terminal knows that the best spot on the bus is near a door so I grabbed the seat closest to the rear door of the bus and eventually, we pulled away from the plane to make our short journey towards the terminal. Once there, the guy beside me jumped off the bus and started heading in the wrong direction. I just ignored him and followed the hand signals of the woman waiting at the doorway. She wanted to check my FMT (the tourist card that everyone completed on the plane) but I explained, in Spanish, that I wasn't a tourist, that I lived and worked in Vallarta and that I had an FM3. She let me by with a smile and a nod. First in line at Customs means you're first to the luggage carousel and I didn't have to wait very long for that either! Just long enough to tell the woman standing beside me, with her husband and three boys, that I worked in an awesome store called Viva! LOL I also warned them away from the timeshare enclosure right outside the doors and they were very thankful. I arrived at the red light/green light station (red means you open your luggage, green means you sail on through!) and gave the guy a big flirty smile along with a "Buenos Tardes" in my best Mexican Spanish. He let me pass without pressing the button!
Once in the terminal, I headed towards the ticket booth to buy a taxi ride into town but was waylaid by a guy motioning me through the doors into his waiting taxi. Being happy to be rid of my bags, I put up no argument when he informed me that the ride cost 200 pesos (remember that I only paid 60 pesos to get to the airport in June -- what a racket!). The plane landed around 5:15PM local time, approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes after take off, and I made it to my apartment before 6PM. Jeff helped me haul my suitcase up the stairs and I took in all the changes since I've been gone: matching end tables in my living room, a new kitchen cabinet with two doors and two drawers plus a huge three drawer dresser upstairs! I dumped everything for a quick shower and then headed out for dinner with Jeff to Machi's BBQ, a local place with good food, cold beer and a 40 peso dinner special every night of the week! We had prime rib burritos and a few well deserved cervezas. Then I got it into my head that I needed some cash and feeling in need of walk, talked Jeff into coming with me to the Scotiabank on Juarez. After I withdrew the maximum amount, we stood around talking in the air conditioned booth housing the banking machine. Neither of us noticing the frantic beeping of the machine. By the time we clued in (it was reminding me to take my card back), the machine had sucked my bank card into its mechanism. *sigh* If this had happened in Toronto, I would probably be freaking out but what the heck, this is Mexico and the bank opens Monday morning at 9 or 10AM. I'll get it back mañana ... :)
After stopping at Starbucks for the most expensive bottle of water and cookie I've ever purchased, I wandered over to my gate and found most seats in the immediate vicinity to be occupied. The flight had nearly sold out which is pretty amazing when you consider the weather in Toronto is almost the same as it is in Vallarta right now: hot and humid with occasional rainstorms. I located a relatively vacant area near Gate 40 and sat down to wait for the final boarding call. I never get in line when they call my row. I would rather wait in the airport terminal than sit on the plane. Eventually, I boarded and discovered my seat in row 12, one row behind the line of bulkhead seats. The seat in front of me remained vacant as the flight attendants sealed the door so I planned to move up after take off. Unfortunately, one of them brought an older gentleman down the aisle and placed him right in front of me so I was stuck in my original seat, with two adolescent boys next to me. The boys, as it turned out, were extremely well behaved and pleasant, playing cards or watching the movie throughout the flight without one single bathroom break! However, the old guy in front of me insisted on reclining his seat to the maximum so it was a cramped flight for me. But we watched two movies and before I knew it, we were starting our descent into PV. Being close to the door, I made my way down the mobile staircase to the bus in no time.
Anyone who has ever landed in PV and had to be bussed into the terminal knows that the best spot on the bus is near a door so I grabbed the seat closest to the rear door of the bus and eventually, we pulled away from the plane to make our short journey towards the terminal. Once there, the guy beside me jumped off the bus and started heading in the wrong direction. I just ignored him and followed the hand signals of the woman waiting at the doorway. She wanted to check my FMT (the tourist card that everyone completed on the plane) but I explained, in Spanish, that I wasn't a tourist, that I lived and worked in Vallarta and that I had an FM3. She let me by with a smile and a nod. First in line at Customs means you're first to the luggage carousel and I didn't have to wait very long for that either! Just long enough to tell the woman standing beside me, with her husband and three boys, that I worked in an awesome store called Viva! LOL I also warned them away from the timeshare enclosure right outside the doors and they were very thankful. I arrived at the red light/green light station (red means you open your luggage, green means you sail on through!) and gave the guy a big flirty smile along with a "Buenos Tardes" in my best Mexican Spanish. He let me pass without pressing the button!
Once in the terminal, I headed towards the ticket booth to buy a taxi ride into town but was waylaid by a guy motioning me through the doors into his waiting taxi. Being happy to be rid of my bags, I put up no argument when he informed me that the ride cost 200 pesos (remember that I only paid 60 pesos to get to the airport in June -- what a racket!). The plane landed around 5:15PM local time, approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes after take off, and I made it to my apartment before 6PM. Jeff helped me haul my suitcase up the stairs and I took in all the changes since I've been gone: matching end tables in my living room, a new kitchen cabinet with two doors and two drawers plus a huge three drawer dresser upstairs! I dumped everything for a quick shower and then headed out for dinner with Jeff to Machi's BBQ, a local place with good food, cold beer and a 40 peso dinner special every night of the week! We had prime rib burritos and a few well deserved cervezas. Then I got it into my head that I needed some cash and feeling in need of walk, talked Jeff into coming with me to the Scotiabank on Juarez. After I withdrew the maximum amount, we stood around talking in the air conditioned booth housing the banking machine. Neither of us noticing the frantic beeping of the machine. By the time we clued in (it was reminding me to take my card back), the machine had sucked my bank card into its mechanism. *sigh* If this had happened in Toronto, I would probably be freaking out but what the heck, this is Mexico and the bank opens Monday morning at 9 or 10AM. I'll get it back mañana ... :)
Saturday, July 23, 2005
YYZ to PVR - Part One
My trip to the airport started in the usual way. I packed, showered, ate and called everyone to say goodbye. I tried to lift my suitcase and it was pretty heavy. I started thinking that maybe I had set a new record, even for myself, with respect to the weight of my largest suitcase. I laid it down flat and slid it down the staircase to the main floor of the two storey penthouse apartment. I could lift it, barely, and manoeuvred it out the door and towards the elevator. I slipped Yvonne's key under her door and pressed the down button. Once inside, I pressed "7" so that I could leave the cell phone inside Heidi's door (she is returning it to Christine -- thank you ladies, once again, for all your help!) I left my suitcase propped against the open door of the elevator like a drunken sailor, knowing that the doors wouldn't close with "his" bulk in the way. As I jumped back into the elevator, it started beeping in protest so I dragged the dude inside and the doors slowly closed.
Once on the ground floor, I rolled the suitcase down the ramp to the front door. We have many handicapped people living in our building so it is equipped with everything to make their entrance and egress easier -- ramps, card readers instead of keys and one button door openers. I easily made my way outside to wait at the curb for my Aunt Carmen to arrive in her car. It started to drizzle so I put on my jacket, even though the temperature was quite warm. It started to rain a little bit harder so I moved myself, my laptop and my backpack into the lee of the building for shelter but left my suitcase out by the driveway. Then it started to pour! I know my suitcase (a 30" Samsonite Silhouette 8) is made of pretty durable teflon material but I wasn't sure how much water it could repel so I decided to get it out of the rain. I got soaked wheeling its cumbersome mass into the lee of building. I was standing under our very stylish "awning" (made of stainless steel with large decorative slots to let the sun and rain artfully through). Next think I know, a serious drip problem developed off the corner of the awning under which I had located my stash. I decided to move everything back inside the building.
Carmen was about 20 minutes late at this time and I debated loading the elevator again for the trip up to the 7th floor so that I could check the cell phone for messages. But I had less than 5 minutes of time on the phone that morning when I called her to confirm the pick up so I decided to just wait it out and give her another few minutes. She finally arrived and it took the both of us to lift the blue behemoth into the trunk of her car! Finally settled in the passenger seat, we headed out to the airport. Once there, she quickly dropped me at the third entrance to T3 (Terminal Three) and we said our quick goodbyes. I rolled up to the Signature Vacations counter to get my ticket, which I had ordered online 8 days prior. After using my passport for ID, I realized I had not yet filled out the address portion of my passport so I did that at their counter. I rolled over to the SkyService check in area which didn't seem very busy. The flight departure time was less then two hours away. Waiting my turn, I checked my papers and everything seemed in order: tickets, passport, FM3, luggage tags, teddy bears in my carry on, deadly eyebrow tweezers and nail clippers in my big suitcase, ready to be checked out of harm's way.
I stubbed my toe trying to lift the bugger onto the weigh station beside the counter when my turn finally arrived. It registered at just over 40 kgs! The airline representative then calmly informed me that my suitcase was too heavy and the Union governing the luggage handlers prohibited them from lifting anything over 32 kgs. WEAKLINGS! :) She informed me that I would have to "lose" 8 kgs. or place it in another bag. (I was allowed two pieces of checked luggage but only had one). I knew my knapsack wasn't big enough to carry another 8 oz., let alone 8 kgs. She suggested I buy another bag and redistribute some of my luggage.*groan* So off I trundled, with my albatross in tow, into the nearest giftshop where I luckily found a soft-sided gym bag for only $24.99! Regardless of what people might say about the cost of a small bottle of water at the airport ($2.49), the cost of luggage is considerably less! LOL I paid with VISA and proceeded to a section of four chairs next to one of the security gates so that everyone in line there could see everything in my luggage. How humiliating! Good thing I sent the tampons ahead with my friend Rik the Friday before! Haha!!!
To be continued ...
Once on the ground floor, I rolled the suitcase down the ramp to the front door. We have many handicapped people living in our building so it is equipped with everything to make their entrance and egress easier -- ramps, card readers instead of keys and one button door openers. I easily made my way outside to wait at the curb for my Aunt Carmen to arrive in her car. It started to drizzle so I put on my jacket, even though the temperature was quite warm. It started to rain a little bit harder so I moved myself, my laptop and my backpack into the lee of the building for shelter but left my suitcase out by the driveway. Then it started to pour! I know my suitcase (a 30" Samsonite Silhouette 8) is made of pretty durable teflon material but I wasn't sure how much water it could repel so I decided to get it out of the rain. I got soaked wheeling its cumbersome mass into the lee of building. I was standing under our very stylish "awning" (made of stainless steel with large decorative slots to let the sun and rain artfully through). Next think I know, a serious drip problem developed off the corner of the awning under which I had located my stash. I decided to move everything back inside the building.
Carmen was about 20 minutes late at this time and I debated loading the elevator again for the trip up to the 7th floor so that I could check the cell phone for messages. But I had less than 5 minutes of time on the phone that morning when I called her to confirm the pick up so I decided to just wait it out and give her another few minutes. She finally arrived and it took the both of us to lift the blue behemoth into the trunk of her car! Finally settled in the passenger seat, we headed out to the airport. Once there, she quickly dropped me at the third entrance to T3 (Terminal Three) and we said our quick goodbyes. I rolled up to the Signature Vacations counter to get my ticket, which I had ordered online 8 days prior. After using my passport for ID, I realized I had not yet filled out the address portion of my passport so I did that at their counter. I rolled over to the SkyService check in area which didn't seem very busy. The flight departure time was less then two hours away. Waiting my turn, I checked my papers and everything seemed in order: tickets, passport, FM3, luggage tags, teddy bears in my carry on, deadly eyebrow tweezers and nail clippers in my big suitcase, ready to be checked out of harm's way.
I stubbed my toe trying to lift the bugger onto the weigh station beside the counter when my turn finally arrived. It registered at just over 40 kgs! The airline representative then calmly informed me that my suitcase was too heavy and the Union governing the luggage handlers prohibited them from lifting anything over 32 kgs. WEAKLINGS! :) She informed me that I would have to "lose" 8 kgs. or place it in another bag. (I was allowed two pieces of checked luggage but only had one). I knew my knapsack wasn't big enough to carry another 8 oz., let alone 8 kgs. She suggested I buy another bag and redistribute some of my luggage.*groan* So off I trundled, with my albatross in tow, into the nearest giftshop where I luckily found a soft-sided gym bag for only $24.99! Regardless of what people might say about the cost of a small bottle of water at the airport ($2.49), the cost of luggage is considerably less! LOL I paid with VISA and proceeded to a section of four chairs next to one of the security gates so that everyone in line there could see everything in my luggage. How humiliating! Good thing I sent the tampons ahead with my friend Rik the Friday before! Haha!!!
To be continued ...
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Winding Down Now ...
By this time tomorrow, I will be in air flying back to Vallarta. It has been an amazing vacation for me, capped off by a spectular homemade dinner at "Rosa's Cantina" last night. That Goddess can cook! Unfortunately, we did not decant the wine so I have a miserable headache this morning. I'm just on my way out for lunch and might have to have a Bloody something to dissipate the fog in my head ...
I said goodbye to my folks on Monday night in Kitchener. My Dad is seriously thinking about coming down to Vallarta for a week in January. This is the first time anyone in my immediate family has said anything about visiting me so we'll see what happens. I figure if I put it in "print" (so to speak), he will just have to come! LOL I'll be working full-time by then and just hope some of my local friends will be kind enough to show him around during the day.
As many of you know, I bought a computer and am looking forward to being online at home when I get back. I've also ordered a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) service from Primus Canada but the delivery of their gateway has been delayed so I'm not sure how soon I will be able to get it from Toronto to Vallarta. If any of you anonymous readers of my blog are coming to PV in August, can you please let me know?
I really want to get the gateway up and running in PV because it will allow me to make long distance calls to anywhere in North America. I will have local numbers in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and Vancouver. Calling me at any one of these numbers will be like making a local call if you are in those calling areas. Otherwise it is a long distance call from wherever you are. But I will be happy to call you back. If you would like my number, please send me an email (montyjam@gmail.com).
I will sign out for now and hope to blog at you next from my home computer in Puerto Vallarta.
I said goodbye to my folks on Monday night in Kitchener. My Dad is seriously thinking about coming down to Vallarta for a week in January. This is the first time anyone in my immediate family has said anything about visiting me so we'll see what happens. I figure if I put it in "print" (so to speak), he will just have to come! LOL I'll be working full-time by then and just hope some of my local friends will be kind enough to show him around during the day.
As many of you know, I bought a computer and am looking forward to being online at home when I get back. I've also ordered a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) service from Primus Canada but the delivery of their gateway has been delayed so I'm not sure how soon I will be able to get it from Toronto to Vallarta. If any of you anonymous readers of my blog are coming to PV in August, can you please let me know?
I really want to get the gateway up and running in PV because it will allow me to make long distance calls to anywhere in North America. I will have local numbers in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and Vancouver. Calling me at any one of these numbers will be like making a local call if you are in those calling areas. Otherwise it is a long distance call from wherever you are. But I will be happy to call you back. If you would like my number, please send me an email (montyjam@gmail.com).
I will sign out for now and hope to blog at you next from my home computer in Puerto Vallarta.
Friday, July 15, 2005
One Week To Go!
Well, I am down to my last week of vacation. And what a vacation it has been! I've had so much fun and seen so many people (some more than once!). I finally booked my flight yesterday when it dropped to $297. Good thing too cuz I checked this morning and there are no seats left! I am flying with WestJet and was surprised to see the following disclaimer in my reservation email: PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT WESTJET LIMITS THE NUMBER OF INFANTS (CHILDREN UNDER 2 YEARS OF AGE) TRAVELLING TO FOURTEEN PER FLIGHT. You might remember my flight home in June when half the passengers were under age 10. LOL I'm sure it will be a fun flight. I hope to be back in Vallarta by 6PM.
I've been wrestling a lot with my desire to stay in Canada vs. my return to Vallarta. I know many of you think that my life is so glamorous and exciting but the fact is, working six days a week for seven months took a lot out of me. I was very burned out by the time I got here and I am still very tired. I have it relatively easy at work for the next two months, working only four or five days a week but that, in itself, brings up other issues since I will be making less money. Good thing I managed to stash some savings over the winter. Then there is the weather to consider. We have another three months (at least) of hot humid weather to get through. It makes a lot of people very cranky since most of us don't have air conditioning.
It has only been in the last week that I have felt ready to head back to Vallarta. I was considering staying here and even looked at an apartment! My former firm would have taken me back in a heartbeat and I could very easily slipped back into my old life of 9 to 5, five days a week, with four weeks paid vacation (plus statutory holidays) and an excellent health plan. My salary would be three times as much as what I make in Mexico. I would have more opportunities to travel from here which, when you come right down to it, is what I really want to do. I need to go back to Europe, see Greece, return to Australia ... all in good time. Anyway, my decision has finally been made and I know it is the right one. I am looking forward to returning to my simple and happy life in Vallarta.
I've been wrestling a lot with my desire to stay in Canada vs. my return to Vallarta. I know many of you think that my life is so glamorous and exciting but the fact is, working six days a week for seven months took a lot out of me. I was very burned out by the time I got here and I am still very tired. I have it relatively easy at work for the next two months, working only four or five days a week but that, in itself, brings up other issues since I will be making less money. Good thing I managed to stash some savings over the winter. Then there is the weather to consider. We have another three months (at least) of hot humid weather to get through. It makes a lot of people very cranky since most of us don't have air conditioning.
It has only been in the last week that I have felt ready to head back to Vallarta. I was considering staying here and even looked at an apartment! My former firm would have taken me back in a heartbeat and I could very easily slipped back into my old life of 9 to 5, five days a week, with four weeks paid vacation (plus statutory holidays) and an excellent health plan. My salary would be three times as much as what I make in Mexico. I would have more opportunities to travel from here which, when you come right down to it, is what I really want to do. I need to go back to Europe, see Greece, return to Australia ... all in good time. Anyway, my decision has finally been made and I know it is the right one. I am looking forward to returning to my simple and happy life in Vallarta.
Monday, July 11, 2005
I Bought A Computer!!!
After my busy week in Ottawa, I am finally back in Toronto. I forgot to mention a PV connection on my trip to Ottawa. Jo and I stopped in Trenton to visit my friends, Mike and Zdenka. I met Mike ("postie46") online many years ago and in PV two seasons ago. They are usually in Vallarta for three months during the coldest months in Ontario (ie. January to March) and this past season, we saw quite a bit of each other. Mike's great for a retired military guy but Zdenka is a Goddess!!! ;) Anyway, we stopped for a quick visit and had lunch at CFB (Canadian Forces Base) Trenton. The mess hall was a lot nicer than I remember with plants and a soothing colour palette of pale greens. The food was very good and they even had a TV!
On the way back from Ottawa, we stopped north of Kingston to visit our friend Vera who lives in a beautiful house on Buck Lake. I met Vera years ago in Kingston at one of Jo-Anne's infamous "girls only" pool parties. I don't remember too much about that party except there was a significant amount of Don Julio involved at some point that evening. You might recall that Vera travelled to Vallarta with Jo-Anne for Jo's 40th birthday this past November. Anyway, Vera and her husband have a wonderful home overlooking the lake and we enjoyed a fabulous dinner talking about PV (Vera wants to come back!) and singing hits from the 60s and 70s at full volume.
Our trip finally culminated in our return to Jo-Anne's place near CFB Borden. Both Jo-Anne and her husband are career military. They also have three kids who I haven't seen since late last summer. On Saturday night, we three adults, along with two neighbourhood couples, went to the Officers' Mess for a "Down Home" dinner of steak and lobster. The food was plentiful and succulent, especially the fresh shrimp served in the bar along with a complimentary cold draft beer! We were entertained by numerous raffle draws for wine and other freebies (none of which we won) as well as the band McGuinty from Halifax. During the course of the evening, Marcel (Jo's husband) mentioned to a friend that I was looking for a laptop and was told about a deal on one so on Sunday afternoon, J0-Anne and I went over there and I bought it! It has everything I want PLUS more and the price was right. I'm so excited!!!
On the way back from Ottawa, we stopped north of Kingston to visit our friend Vera who lives in a beautiful house on Buck Lake. I met Vera years ago in Kingston at one of Jo-Anne's infamous "girls only" pool parties. I don't remember too much about that party except there was a significant amount of Don Julio involved at some point that evening. You might recall that Vera travelled to Vallarta with Jo-Anne for Jo's 40th birthday this past November. Anyway, Vera and her husband have a wonderful home overlooking the lake and we enjoyed a fabulous dinner talking about PV (Vera wants to come back!) and singing hits from the 60s and 70s at full volume.
Our trip finally culminated in our return to Jo-Anne's place near CFB Borden. Both Jo-Anne and her husband are career military. They also have three kids who I haven't seen since late last summer. On Saturday night, we three adults, along with two neighbourhood couples, went to the Officers' Mess for a "Down Home" dinner of steak and lobster. The food was plentiful and succulent, especially the fresh shrimp served in the bar along with a complimentary cold draft beer! We were entertained by numerous raffle draws for wine and other freebies (none of which we won) as well as the band McGuinty from Halifax. During the course of the evening, Marcel (Jo's husband) mentioned to a friend that I was looking for a laptop and was told about a deal on one so on Sunday afternoon, J0-Anne and I went over there and I bought it! It has everything I want PLUS more and the price was right. I'm so excited!!!
Monday, July 04, 2005
Canada Day and A Visit to the Nation's Capital
I thought I would spend July 1st joining in the Canada Day celebrations all over Toronto but I went to a movie instead. Actually, I was a bit too hungover to do much that day. I am going to need a vacation to recover from my vacation! I am eating and drinking WAY TOO MUCH! Please don't say anything about my excess "baggage" when you see me. Trust me, I know! I will be going back to the gym upon my return to Mexico and sweating it all off there.
Alcoholics Anonymous held a huge convention in Toronto on the long weekend (Friday was a holiday for Canadians and Monday was a holiday for Americans). It seemed like every alcoholic in the WORLD was in town! So what did we do? Planned a tour of wine country in Niagara-On-The-Lake. Tee hee! We had small tour van take us from downtown Toronto to various vineyards, from the very large and modern facilities at Jackson Triggs and Stewn to various small family-run operations like Coyote's Run and Maleta. We tasted everything from Reisling to Shiraz to Ontario's famous ice wine. We also learned a few things about decanting red wine.
It was a beautiful sunny day, not too hot, and we had a great time laughing with our driver, Peter, and meeting new people at every tasting. Lunch was a two hour affair with a couple who actually live just down the street from my condo in Toronto. We also bought a bit of wine! I only bought 2 bottles of red wine while Rose and Heidi sought to supplement their wine racks with 5 or 6 bottles each. Being the Goddess that she is, Heidi brought along a small tote on wheels so we could get our wine home on foot. A couple of blocks into our walk, I realized the irony of our pulling over half a dozen bottles of wine through the hundreds of alcoholics touring around the City with their telltale nametags. As someone pointed out to me, these alcoholics were not so anonymous!
The next day, I decided to do some more shopping. :) Heidi met me later and we walked up Yonge Street, looking for an inexpensive wine decanter. Now that we are wine experts, we need the proper equipment! We went one of my favourite stores, Kitchen Stuff Plus, and found a reasonably priced decanter. We strolled around the Yonge and Bloor area of downtown Toronto (a.k.a. Centre of the Known Universe!), stopping into Indigo Book Store, HMV music store and finally ended up at Spring Rolls for some Thai food. As we sat there, enjoying our separate libations, in walked three alcoholics. Initially, they sat by the door but eventually they got up and moved to the very back of the room, BY THE BAR, and sat there. It was very surreal.
On Monday, I left for Ottawa with my friend Jo-Anne. I met Jo during basic training in 1984 when I was in the Canadian military. I got out; she stayed in and is now a Captain. She is attending several meetings for work here in Ottawa and invited me for the week to stay with her, at the Marriott. Rough life! So while she is working, I've been out running around on my own, pretending to be a tourist. I used to live here from 1986 to 1992 and I still have a few friends here with whom I keep in touch. The city is as beautiful and clean as I remember it. I hope to get a battery and some film for my camera so I can take some photos from our 21st storey window. I plan to go see the changing of the guard tomorrow morning on Parliament Hill. This morning, I walked past my old apartment building on Waverly Street. Ah, the memories! It's good to be home again ...
Alcoholics Anonymous held a huge convention in Toronto on the long weekend (Friday was a holiday for Canadians and Monday was a holiday for Americans). It seemed like every alcoholic in the WORLD was in town! So what did we do? Planned a tour of wine country in Niagara-On-The-Lake. Tee hee! We had small tour van take us from downtown Toronto to various vineyards, from the very large and modern facilities at Jackson Triggs and Stewn to various small family-run operations like Coyote's Run and Maleta. We tasted everything from Reisling to Shiraz to Ontario's famous ice wine. We also learned a few things about decanting red wine.
It was a beautiful sunny day, not too hot, and we had a great time laughing with our driver, Peter, and meeting new people at every tasting. Lunch was a two hour affair with a couple who actually live just down the street from my condo in Toronto. We also bought a bit of wine! I only bought 2 bottles of red wine while Rose and Heidi sought to supplement their wine racks with 5 or 6 bottles each. Being the Goddess that she is, Heidi brought along a small tote on wheels so we could get our wine home on foot. A couple of blocks into our walk, I realized the irony of our pulling over half a dozen bottles of wine through the hundreds of alcoholics touring around the City with their telltale nametags. As someone pointed out to me, these alcoholics were not so anonymous!
The next day, I decided to do some more shopping. :) Heidi met me later and we walked up Yonge Street, looking for an inexpensive wine decanter. Now that we are wine experts, we need the proper equipment! We went one of my favourite stores, Kitchen Stuff Plus, and found a reasonably priced decanter. We strolled around the Yonge and Bloor area of downtown Toronto (a.k.a. Centre of the Known Universe!), stopping into Indigo Book Store, HMV music store and finally ended up at Spring Rolls for some Thai food. As we sat there, enjoying our separate libations, in walked three alcoholics. Initially, they sat by the door but eventually they got up and moved to the very back of the room, BY THE BAR, and sat there. It was very surreal.
On Monday, I left for Ottawa with my friend Jo-Anne. I met Jo during basic training in 1984 when I was in the Canadian military. I got out; she stayed in and is now a Captain. She is attending several meetings for work here in Ottawa and invited me for the week to stay with her, at the Marriott. Rough life! So while she is working, I've been out running around on my own, pretending to be a tourist. I used to live here from 1986 to 1992 and I still have a few friends here with whom I keep in touch. The city is as beautiful and clean as I remember it. I hope to get a battery and some film for my camera so I can take some photos from our 21st storey window. I plan to go see the changing of the guard tomorrow morning on Parliament Hill. This morning, I walked past my old apartment building on Waverly Street. Ah, the memories! It's good to be home again ...
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