On Being Assertive

Assertive behavior is:

Standing up for one's rights no matter what the circumstance.

Correcting the situation when one's rights are being violated.

Seeking respect and understanding for one's feelings about a particular situation or circumstance.

Interacting in a mature manner with those found to be offensive, defensive, aggressive, hostile, blaming, attacking, or otherwise unreceptive.

Direct, upfront, (not defensive or manipulative) behavior. Those using assertive behavior confront problems, disagreement, or personal discomforts head on, and their intent is unmistakable to others.

Verbal ``I'' statements, where individuals tell others how they feel about a situation, circumstance, or the behavior of others.

Taking the risk of being misunderstood as being aggressive, abrasive, or attacking.

Being able to protect one's rights while protecting and respecting the rights of others.

Risk-taking behavior that is not ruled by fear of rejection or disapproval, but is directed by the rational belief that ``I deserve to stand up for my rights.''

Rational thinking and the self-affirmation of personal worth, respect, and rights.

A healthy style in which to conduct interpersonal relationships.

Finding a ``win-win'' solution in handling problems between two individuals.

You might wonder why I am "blogging" this. Throughout my life, I have often taken flack for speaking up when others will not. I have been labelled a "bitch" because I refuse to remain silent. I've been told I "complain" too much because I am constantly standing up for myself in situations where other might walk away.

The other night, I was trying to get an umbrella strategically placed at an outside bar because the sun was bothering me and the other people at the table. My tablemates decided to solve the "problem" by moving their chairs back into the shade (and further away from the rest of us seated at the table). The waiter was totally useless and none of the so-called "gentlemen" at my table had the cojones to get up and do anything!

So I just kept bugging the waiter. There were empty tables on the beach with umbrellas but, for some reason, he couldn't bring them over (ie. he was too LAZY to do it). There was an umbrella stashed behind us but, according to him, it wasn't "working". After many, many dirty looks, he finally successfully placed the "broken" umbrella in the stand and opened it up. What a miracle! It worked! Needless to say, he did not get a good tip and I will never sit in his section again.

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease." In other words, speak up if you want to get things done. Don't tell me I'm beautiful. I've heard that a million times. Tell me I am provocative, intelligent and assertive and I will acknowledge that you are a good judge of character. :)

Mother Nature Rocks!

Well it finally rained last night. After a week or more without any real rain (we had one hour the other afternoon), it was a blessed relief! And the thunderstorm that accompanied the rain were fabulous. Tons of lightening and great big CRACKS of thunder. During dinner at Archie's Wok, the power went out twice so we had to eat our wonderful Thai food by candlelight. It continued to rain for the rest of evening and the air cooled down considerably. I had to ask Greta to turn off the ceiling fan at Que?Pasa because I was too cold! LOL

I have met a couple of my blog fans this weekend. Carlos from Oklahoma kindly ordered my AVON products for me online and then delivered to them to me in the store. He asked me to donate the payment to the kids at the Refugio so the next time I see Larry, I will be giving him $100 pesos. Thank you Carlos! And I also met my friend Katherine, from Vancouver, who is down here "living like a local" for a week. She is hoping to move to Vallarta sometime in the near future and was picking my brain. I don't know how helpful I was after Happy Hour at CCs! :)

A couple of condo-owning friends are also in town this weekend and we were all talking about the upcoming high season. Between them, they own and/or manage about 10 vacation rentals here in Vallart and ALL of them are booked for Christmas and New Year's. And the town is very busy right now. The store was full of American tourists yesterday and there wasn't even a ship in port! I'm not sure where they all came from but a lot of them are first time visitors. The majority of them are leaving with very favourable impressions of Vallarta and promising to return.

I've also been reading a lot of posts on the Board from people wanting to relocate to Puerto Vallarta. I also have many friends returning for the season. This can only mean one thing: affordable rental accomodations are going to be at a premium! So if you can, get down here earlier, rather than later, in order to find a place to live. Hope to see you all sometime soon!!!

Paying the Landlord

The first time I met my landlady, I was so hungover, I didn't even feel human until 5PM. Unfortunately, she started banging on my door much earlier than that. It was my first three day weekend after the high season and I ended up on a tear the night before with my best girlfriend from work, Scott, and a few of his friends. Drinks at CCs turned into drinks with dinner and then nightcaps at La Noche. I thought I was going to DIE the next morning!!!

So I'm lying in my bed, naked, attempting to placate the jackhammer in my head with enough ibuprofen to sedate an elephant, when I realize that the banging inside my brain is actually being echoed at my front door. My door is wrought iron and glass. The noise was deafening. I stuck my head out the second storey window and surprised a woman standing on my first floor landing. She immediately started speaking in rapid-fire Spanish and waving a paper at me.

Hardly able to stand up, the act of switching my brain from hungover in English to la cruda in Spanish proved too much for me. My downstairs neighbour, Estelle, sensing my consternation, yelled up to me, "ESTA LA DUENA!!!" (It's the owner!) I had never actually met the owners before. I barely met their son when I paid first and last month's rent three days AFTER I had already moved in. Alejandro (the son) spoke English. His mother, Ana, did not.

I threw on a beach coverup and splashed some water on my face. After daintily picking my way down the winding cement stairs to my main floor, I opened the door. I don't remember her actually introducing herself to me and we didn't shake hands. Instead, she thrust a piece of paper at me which turned out to be the electricity bill and demanded I give her 100 pesos. (I could understand none of what she said except the money amount.)

The amount on the bill said 177 pesos. So why only 100 pesos for me? Because I shared the electricity with Estelle downstairs and, since her place is much smaller than mine, I was liable for more than half the amount. I may have been hungover but I'm not stupid! The bill covered the time period from March 17 to May 18 or 63 days. I moved in on May 1st. The way I figured it, I was responsible for 1/2 of 18 days worth of electricity or approximately 26 pesos.

I went upstairs to get my calculator and my money. I explained that I had only been living there for 18 days. La Dueña explained that Valerie (my friend and the previous tenant) was supposed to give me money to pay for her share. I knew damn well that Val's rent INCLUDED utilities and during her six months in residence, she had never been presented with an electricity bill. I told her Valerie didn't give me any money!

I did my calculations on the calculator and explained to her what I was doing. When I showed her I actually owed 26 pesos, she didn't seem overly surprised. I gave her 50 pesos and said thank you. She smiled and departed. After she left, I realized that (1) I was probably oozing vodka from every pore and this was hardly the impression I wanted to make on my new landlord and (2) I had conducted the entire conversation in Spanish without even being conscious of doing so!

Skype Me!

I started using this new VOIP-like service to call people for free using the internet. Actually, if you download this free software and then add me to your contact list, we can talk for free. You can also make calls internationally for less than 3 cents per minute. My wireless connection isn't that great (still only "low" as opposed to "very good") but I can still manage to carry on a conversation. Until my VOIP gateway gets here, this is working for me so check it out! (www.skype.com)

I've been getting emails from friends all over the U.S. and Canada, complaining about the weather. Toronto and PV shared the same kind of weather yesterday except that it rained in Toronto and it didn't rain here. Too bad too because we really need it to cool off and Toronto didn't need it given the plane crash that resulted from the inclement weather. What a miracle that no one was seriously hurt!

The power went off here tonight for about an hour and I think I had three cold showers during that time period. Actually, the water isn't really all that cold considering my water tank is on the roof and the sun beats down on it all day. It is pretty cool in the mornings but by the time I get home from work, the water is merely tepid. It usually starts to cool down around 2AM here. Right now (11PM), it is 29C.

In order to give you an idea of how hot it is, I will relate a story shared by my friend Laura tonight. She bought one of those portable air conditioning units for around $5500 pesos ($500US). It weighed 30 kilos and she carried it up the 86 stairs to her place, plugged it into the bedroom and sealed all the windows. Within an hour, the small water receptacle was full so she rigged up the hose to drain into a plastic container that previously held 40 lbs. of cat litter.

When she turned the unit on, the temperature read 35C in her bedroom. (Laura gets ALL the afternoon sun!). By the time the machine turned itself off, the temp was a balmy 29C and the 40 lb. cat litter container was full of water! Half way through the next night, at 2:30AM, Laura woke up drenched in sweat. The unit had stopped working and the hose venting the hot air outside was too hot to touch. So she rigged up a fan to blow on the unit to keep it cool! LOL

It would work for a little while, overheat and then shut itself off. She never could get the thing to work properly or for a whole night so she took it back. She told three people at the store that she really wanted it to work. They told her that it is too hot here to use this type of machine. So she got her money back and promptly went out to buy two more fans for $25US each.

BTW, there are no more fans to be found in Vallarta so if you want to make a small fortune, load up a truck and come on down! The hot weather is expected to continue into October ...

Relief, finally!

It's Monday afternoon, 2:55PM and it's actually raining! I can't believe it. It has been so hot and sunny, with no relief in sight. Every night the clouds roll in and then nothing happens. We had the highest heat index highest of the year so far on Saturday, July 30. It was 116-0ºF or 46.7ºC. I was just coming home from the Burros Bar around that time, after having two buckets of beer (3 Coronas each) in celebration of a friend's birthday. It was hot, hot, HOT!

I've been having a little bit of trouble coping with the heat during the day since I don't have a pool or AC. Last night was especially warm for me but I'm not sure if it is the weather, a hot flash or a by-product of the wine I drank last night after dinner. ;) I didn't get to sleep until 4AM. Good thing I am not working today. Once this episode of Law & Order is over, I am going upstairs to try to grab a siesta. This is a true tropical downpour!

Thank the Goddess! Cooler air is on the way ... :)

Lights Out!

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!

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.

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 ... :)

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 ...

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.

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 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!!!

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 ...

Tuesday's Blog

It is another sunny day here in downtown Toronto, although it is kind of hazy. We might get rain today and that might break the "heat wave". It's so hot, there are times when I still want to put on my jacket. LOL The malls are as cold as meat packing plants! With all the worries here about hydro (ie. electricity) consumption, why doesn't someone just clue into the fact that the malls are so cold you can practically see your breath! If they adjusted their thermostats a few degrees, the province would probably save millions of kilowatt hours in hydro. *sigh*

Anyway, I guess I need to catch you up on what I've been doing although why you are all so interested is beyond me! :) As you know, Heidi and I attended the Santana concert on Friday night. We had a little trouble getting there as the streetcar that usually goes down Bathurst Street and into the Exhibition was off track due to construction. We ended up stranded at the corner of King and Bathurst and finally hailed a cab to take us into the grounds. I don't care what anyone says about our lakeshore, it is simply not very accessible to those of us without vehicles and the parking rates are astronomical!

The concert opened with the Salvador Santana Band. Salvador is Carlos Santana's son! They were pretty good. Next up was Los Lonely Boys. They really got the place jumping! It was a National Public Radio audio report in late 2004 that perhaps best described the sound of Los Lonely Boys : "Take a dollop of Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pinch of Santana and a helping of Ritchie Valens and you might come up with a band that sounds a lot like Los Lonely Boys...". We enjoyed them immensely! (www.loslonelyboys.org) Next up was the man himself, Carlos Santana. At age 57, he's still rocking it pretty good. Although I was never a huge fun in my younger years, I have come to appreciate his great talent. The show was a mix of new and old, the older songs coming much later in the program. When Santana finally decided to talk, he spoke at length about the state of the world, slamming both Bush and CNN. He implored us all to visualize world peace.

After the show, it was a beautiful night so we decided to walk home. It is quite a hike but a stop at the Harbour Castle Hilton for a cold libation (or two) helped! On Saturday, I jumped on the GO, our commuter train, and went east of Toronto to Whitby to see my friends Debbie and Jim. They have a beautiful home with a gorgeous backyard garden. We drank and ate and talked and then, drank and ate some more. I stayed overnight in their newly decorated guest room. Great job hanging the door Jim! :) The next day, Deb drove me to catch the GO train at 4PM and from there, I went straight uptown to Yonge & Bloor to have dinner with Rosa at her house. Unfortunately, it was also the day of the Pride Parade so the subway was jammed. Over a million people came out to see the parade and on Monday, most of them were sporting nasty sunburns.

Monday I spent on my own, wandering the City. I stopped at The Condo Shoppe and talked about the value of my condo with the experts. Looks like I will be hanging on to it for a few more years! :) Then I ended up shopping (again). I thought I would share a contrast between life in Toronto and life in Mexico with respect to shopping for lingerie. Woolworth's in PV actually has a surprisingly good selection of lingerie at really decent prices. However, when you go to try anything on, the change rooms are really dingey, with plastic shower curtains and, for some reason, you are not allowed to try on anything white.

Yesterday, I went into The Bay's newly renovated lingerie department and was directed down a sleekly designed hallway with 12 identical black wooden doors. I went into room number 10 which was big enough to contain a small cocktail party! There was a well lit three way mirror, enough hooks and bars to hang my entire new wardrobe and even a call button for the attendant. I was in lingerie heaven! And guess what? Every single piece I took into the dressing room was white! Hahahaha ...

I'm Tired!

This being on vacation is a very tiring adventure. I just got back from spending 2 days in Kitchener-Waterloo. I took a bus on Wednesday morning at 10AM and then my Dad drove me back this morning. During that time I saw my parents and my friends: Anna, Winne, Janice, Marcie, Mary Ann and Ellen. I shopped a little bit and ate out a little bit and also sat in other people's backyards a bit. The weather here has been stupendous! Warm and sunny with a breeze. Of course everyone here is complaining that it is SO HOT but I just don't feel that way. There wasn't much humidity before today and I'm actually having some trouble with dry skin and flyaway hair. I could actually use a bit of rain or something to add curl to my coif! LOL

BTW, I decided to go The Passport Office in Kitchener and that turned out to be a fabulous idea because it only took me 5 minutes to hand over my application with $87. My new document will be sent by registered mail in two weeks. I also saw my accountant this morning and he e-filed my income tax return for $30. I am getting back a lot of the taxes I paid last summer while working here. Tonight, Heidi and I are going to the Santana concert at Molson Ampitheatre on Lake Ontario. It should be a good show since Los Lonely Boys are playing with them. Tomorrow, I'm off to Whitby (just east of Toronto) for the weekend to visit with good friends. So as you can tell, I'm not sitting still very much but I'm still having a wonderful time! I hate to say it but I don't miss Vallarta AT ALL but I've only been here for one week. Four more to go!!!

Consumerism At Its Best!

I haven't actually made a tally of all my purchases in the last four days but if the sound of my VISA card whimpering in my wallet is any indication, I believe I have single-handedly increased the profit margin of several North American clothing stores in the last few days. I am still under budget but I will have to stop soon ... my suitcase only expands so far! Boy oh boy, has it been fun. I've made some incredible buys and found some amazing bargains but I am tired. I am so out of shape. I haven't shopped like this in years! I'm having so much fun ... LOL

My efforts to renew my passport are failing miserably. On Monday morning, I stopped by The Passport Office to get the forms and then I got my photographs done in accordance with the specifications set out in the application. I arrived at my former employer's office before noon so that Robert (my former boss) could sign my application. Unfortunately, I did not have my birth certificate or health care card with me so he couldn't sign as my guarantor. Later, I found both cards in my luggage but not after a few nervous minutes when I thought I had left them in PV!

This morning, I stopped by The Passport Office around 11AM and it was relatively quiet. Only a half a million people there waiting as opposed to the million that were there on Monday morning. Sheesh! What a racket! I went back to the office again, this time meeting with Lisa (my other former boss) and had her sign as my guarantor. I was back at The Passport Office by 11:30AM, third in line in the "pre-screening" line with all my documentation in order. Or so I thought until I read item 2 under "Helpful Tips for Completing Your Passport Application: Complete and sign all three pages."

THREE PAGES!?!?! I flipped the application over and found a whole other page which I had neglected to complete. I needed two references -- names, addresses and phone numbers -- which information was not with me. Apparently an original un-expired passport, an original birth certificate, an original signed Provincial Health Care Card and the guarantee of a lawyer registered with Canadian Bar Association are not enough. I suspect they might want to draw blood tomorrow in addition to charging me $87 CDN for the privilege of having my passport renewed. *sigh*

I had to put my visit to my parents off by one day. Now I am wondering if I should chance spending the day at The Passport Office in Toronto or get on a bus and spend half the day at The Passport Office in Kitchener. I figure there are less people in Kitchener so maybe it would be easier to file there. What to do, what to do ... Passports are taking approximately two weeks to be issued so I still have a lot of time. I don't have to be back at work in PV until July 26th and I am sure that if I called and told them I don't have a passport, they would understand.

The weather has been grand! A little bit cool on the weekend but it has warmed up nicely the last two days and the sun has been shining constantly. I thought we might get a bit of rain tonight but it looks like there will be a beautiful sunset instead. The first day of summer has finally arrived! Heidi and I took Rose out last night for her birthday dinner. The three of us do this three times a year, for each birthday. My birthday in October was celebrated here in September before I left and Heidi's birthday in May was celebrated in April while we were all in PV for GCIV.

We started in The Library Bar at the Royal York Hotel for before dinner drinks. Six martinis later (we had 2 each), we headed out to Spoon (www.spoonrestaurant.com) on King West. Dinner was incredible! Rose had lamb, Heidi had duck and I had chicken. The wine was particularly fabulous. It was a 2001 Hollick, Cabernet-Merlot from Coonwarra, South Australia. I must remember to look for that in my local LCBO (www.lcbo.com). We gave Rose her gifts, had the wait staff take photos and we were on our way by 11PM. My two fellow Goddesses had to work this morning and were a little bit groggy. Being on vacation, I did not feel the effects of the night before as strongly ... ;)

I'm In Canada!

Well, as most of you know, I am back in Canada for a vacation. Used to be, I would live here and vacation in Vallarta. Now I live in Vallarta and vacation here. Go figure! I must say it is good to be home. I was gone 9 months to the day. Kind of like having a baby I guess ... LOL Speaking of babies, the flight home was HORRIBLE! I think that 1/3 of the passengers were under age 10. I sat beside a couple with a two year old and a four month old. When one wasn't screaming, the other one was! Not to mention the two kids behind me crying and kicking the back of my chair. *sigh* I think living in Mexico has taught be tolerance because I didn't lose it ... just smiled a lot and helped distract the two year old.

My flight arrived at midnight and I didn't get my luggage for about an hour. It gave me some time to study the other adult passengers. There was quite a mixed group of people with many different ethnicites represented. It's good to home! :) I met a really cute Chinese couple in line at the airport in PV and when they saw me at the luggage station, they offered me a ride home. Canadians are so nice. Unfortunately, when he called the Park'n'Fly automated service to order a pick up, they weren't recognizing his number. So I jumped in a limo and was home 20 minutes later. By the way, there was quite a contrast in my rides to and from the airport. It cost 60 pesos to the airport in PV in a yellow cab with no shocks and a Mexican driver. It cost $47CDN to my place in Toronto in a limo with leather seats and a Punjabi driver. Both spoke excellent English! :)

I had called Heidi from the airport so she was ready for me with a big hug and a bottle of red wine. We stayed up until 4:30AM talking and getting caught up. Funny how we can never run out of things to talk about even though I just called her on Friday and she only left PV two months ago! We finally passed out and then woke up a scant four hours later by the sound of many, many sports cars. Apparently there was a MG convention at the Distillery District and they were revving their engines at 8:30 in the morning! After a lazy morning, we finally made it out of the condo around 1PM and walked along The Esplanade to the market. I love this area of downtown Toronto on Saturday mornings! The colour (yellow flowers, fresh red strawberries), the noise (live busker music, many conversations in different languages), the people (Canadians, American tourists, Somalian woman wearing long, traditional robes), the diversity of the goods offered for sale (food, jewellery, maple syrup) ... it's good to be home again!

After a delicous breakfast (which included a well-deserved Bloody Caesar), Heidi and I headed off to The Bay at The Eaton Centre for some serious shopping. After nine months of being deprived of one of my favourite past-times, I had reached Mecca -- makeup counters, exotic shoes, fabulous handbags, clothes in my size!!! Our first major purchase was made at Sephora (www.sephora.com), a cosmetic/skin care store which carries major brands from all over the world. I found a product here, recommended by my dermatologist in PV, for only $70CDN (I paid 820 pesos ... DRAT!!!). In the end, given all of our choices, I ended up buying some Cargo makeup which, of course, is made in Canada. :)

I found some terrific bargains. I bought 5 summer tshirts (2 for $15; 3 for $25), two lightweight cotton tops ($25 each less 10%) and another pair of sports sandals since the thick sole on one of mine cracked in PV (I think it was a cobblestone-related incident). We hit the mall at 2PM and left after 6PM. Talk about "shop until you drop"! We were both exhausted. We agreed on dinner at The Hot House Cafe, a local favourite, and after more wine and some seriously garlicky pasta, we headed home with a rental movie. I slept extremely well last night. The last thing I saw before closing my eyes were the lights of the city twinkling outside my window.

Blah Blah Blog

We had our first rain the other night; Friday I think it was. It wasn´t like a floodgate opening and the water didn´t come up over the curb (yet) but it was definitely a precursor of things to come. I am looking forward to the rain. It has a cleansing effect on everything here! The warm weather has arrived and so far, I am managing quite well with one fan on low. Still sleeping under the covers at night! :)

A couple of things I wanted to share with you. I needed to get a pair of shoes fixed. The synthetic insole had puckered and I had to get it replaced with a leather insole. I put it off as long as possible knowing how expensive this is to get done at home ($20-$25). I finally took them into my neighbourhood shoe repair shop and got them back a day later. The cost was 20 pesos. I also needed to get a watch battery replaced but I wasn´t too worried about the price since it usually only costs around $5 at home. Here it was only 20 pesos.

I think I have mentioned before that I have a lot of blog fans out there whom I have never met. They are just silent readers who somehow stumble across this site while doing research about PV. The other Sunday I was having breakfast at Freddy´s (chocolate waffles with strawberries and whipped cream!) when a couple stopped by my table on the way out. They asked me if my name was Juliana and when I said yes, they told me that they are readers. It´s a small world isn´t it! :)

My apologies again for not posting as often as before. I´ll be online daily while in Canada (but not sure you want to hear about that) and then back to full strength upon my return here in July with my new laptop. Not much else to report. I´m off to dinner tonight at Los Xitomates to enjoy the second last night of "restaurant week" which is actually two weeks during which many of the restaurants in town offer 3 course meals for 149 or 249 pesos. And then the free Alejandro Fernadez concert is tomorrow night downtown. I´m not sure if I´m up to facing the crowds though ... we´ll see.

More Thank You's Required

I forgot to give a BIG thank you to Christina and Will from Bellingham who graciously brought me down a mosquito net from IKEA! The best part of that gift was walking around all night in southside Vallarta with a big IKEA bag, telling everyone that there was a new store in town! LOL

I also wish to acknowledge my new friend, Char, from Chicago, who brought me a new tiara and a HUGE dark turquoise boa! The Goddesses are going to be SO jealous when they see the boa! Speaking of GCV, the dates are set as March 31 to April 14, 2006. We are currently in the process of booking suitable accommodations.

Well, in one month I will be back in Canada. I am really looking forward to my vacation time. I plan to see my family and friends, do some heavy duty shopping and a bit of travelling around Ontario. My base camp will be in Toronto but I will be going to Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa and up north of Barrie, Ontario. I look forward to seeing many of you while I am there!

I suppose you want to know what is going on in Vallarta. The weather is still gorgeous. No humidity as of yet so the nights are blessedly cool for sleeping. The daytime temps must be up over 30C but without the humidity and with the breeze, it is quite pleasant. I am looking forward to experiencing the same type of weather in Toronto when I get there near the end of June.

I am still off on Sundays and Mondays and trying to get in at least one day a week at the beach. I think my Mom is expecting me to come home with some kind of tan or something. So I am going to keep this short and post it right away. I am really starting to miss blogging on a regular basis and can hardly wait to come back here with a computer! In the interim, keep those emails coming!

Juliana xo

Casa Juliana

I tried to write something last Monday at an internet cafe but, in the middle of typing the second paragraph, the whole place lost power and I lost everything I had written to that point. *sigh*

Anyway, to bring you up to date -- I moved last weekend on Sunday. It took my three hours to pack my stuff (9 boxes, 3 suitcases and various other weirdly shaped articles that could not be packed) last Saturday night and then one hour on Sunday to move it. I had it all downstairs, in the driveway, waiting for my driver by 10AM and we were finished moving it all into my new place by 10:30AM. Suffice it to say, there are a lot of advantages to living a pared down life.

The new apartment is great! Very cozy and it already feels very much like home. I am trying hard to get used to living on two floors. It seems like every time I'm downstairs and I need something, it is located upstairs and vice versa. I also have a small staircase leading into my place so I am getting a little bit of extra exercise too! I might have mentioned that my friends, Jeff and Liz, are my neighbours so Liz and I have started walking in the early mornings.

Liz doesn't speak much English so my Spanish is improving greatly! :) And since one of my bedroom windows is about 5' below their bedroom window, we are doing a lot of communicating "al fresco". Good thing too since I don't have a phone anymore. Living with a cell phone is hell. For those of you who thought I would easily adapt, forget about it! I can hardly wait to get my computer and a toll free line to the rest of North American via Vonage.

The new neighbourhood is very Mexican. I don't miss my old neighbourhood all that much, other than my former landlord, Arturo, who surprised everyone at the office by calling twice last week and telling them that he is "my husband". LOL The little church is close by but I haven't heard any bells. That might change tomorrow, which is Sunday. There is everything I need close at hand including corner stores, internet cafes, restaurants, gym, lavandarias, etc.

I am quite settled and happy to be there. No weird animals so far except maybe these two strange birds on the second floor of the corner store who both emit a rather weird noise when they are "singing". I will have to ask someone what they are. Initially, they annoyed the hell out of me but after one week and a good set of earplugs, no hay problema! Work is going well. We are still a bit busy with cruiseships but I am now working only five days a week, with Sundays and Mondays off. Life is good!

Many thanks to friends for their recent "gifts". Anne Marie, I got my boa back from John and I just love it! Tell your Mom I might need another four by the end of March next year! A woman from my hometown of Kitchener-Waterloo discovered my blog and recently came to PV with her sister, her niece and future nephew-in-law. Sandy, it was great to meet you and your "clan". I hope we can get together for a drink at Ethel's when I get home this summer!

I guess that's it for now. I'll post this quick so that those of you who have been asking for an update will have it. Remember, I am always available by email and soon hope to be available via a Toronto phone number. Keep in touch!

Juliana xo

Quick Blog

I am so sorry I've been out of touch. This not having a computer at home really sucks. Most nights I spend there, reading and thinking about everything I could be blogging.

I wanted to let everyone know that I am moving this Sunday, May 1st, into my new apartment! Val got bored and decided to head back to Canada early so I am getting in there as soon as I can. Unfortunately, I will lose my telephone line and will have to start using a dreaded cell phone. Oh well, I guess that was inevitable living here in Mexico.

I won't be online and blogging again on a regular basis until after I return from Canada in late July with my laptop and have internet service at home. As usual, I am available by email at montyjam@hotmail.com or montyjam@gmail.com. Please feel free to write and let me know what's going on in your life.

Love, Juliana xo

GCIV - Photos

Some photos of the Goddess Convention to make you smile:

http://community.webshots.com/album/325474732rRcrWp

Sorry but I don't have a computer at home anymore and blogging at an internet cafe just isn't the same. I will try to borrow a friend's computer soon ...

Juliana xo

Long Time, No Blog

Sorry I've been so out of touch recently. As you know, the girls have been here for two weeks (they leave tomorrow) and we've been busy doing Goddess-like stuff: dining, drinking, dancing, shopping, laughing, etc. I can tell you that I've some of the best meals I've ever had in Vallarta the last 13 nights. Tonight we are going to Boca Bento which is another restaurant I've never eaten at (other than opening night).

Unfortunately, I will be losing my home computer today since my roommate is heading back to the States tomorrow. I will try to jump online at work or at a friend's house (John -- HELP!!!) or at an internet cafe. No word yet on when I'm moving but it will probably be sometime in May. My vacation is confirmed from June 20 for a month. Now all I need to do is find a cheap flight to Toronto.

It looks like the weather up north is warming up! Same thing down here although the nights are still deliciously cool for sleeping. The sun is getting hotter down here as is evidenced by my sunburn from being at the beach, in the shade, yesterday. I've had a few days off to enjoy time with my friends. Work is definitely slowing down as well but that just means we are having more fun there.

I hope you are all healthy and happy. Keep in touch and I hope to write again soon ...

Love, Juliana xo

Semana Santa … BLECH!

Well, it is that time of year again. The Nationals are, for the most part, on holidays for two weeks. At the very least, the kids are out of school for two weeks and the adults had THREE statutory holidays this week – Monday (which was Benito Juarez's birthday), Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Vallarta is overloaded with extra people and their extra vehicles, which means extra BIG headaches for anyone trying to get around town during the day. The buses aren't even running because traffic is so bad. The banks and most offices are closed for all three holidays (ie. three business days) this week. Oh and I almost forgot the flying termites are back! Currently, life in Vallarta is a nightmare!

But the sunset tonight was just beautiful … *sigh*

I'm at home tonight, hiding out. And I'm writing my blog using Word because I don't want to lose it all again. Sheesh! What a pain in the arse that was. The internet is still desperately slow tonight. It's taking me forever to answer emails and post on the Vallarta Scene board (http://www.vallartascene.com/forum/phpBB2/index.php). Other than my usual Monday night out with the girls (my friend Heather started this last month and so far it's been me, Heather, Sherry and Sally out for drinks, dinner with more drinks and then drinks after dinner), I've been here every night. Tuesday night I watched Sex and the City, last night I watched Spanglish and tonight I'm drinking una chela (beer) and talking to you.

Let me see – what's new? The store's been busy. We've had several ships in so far this week and even a tour bus stop by yesterday. That was kind of interesting. We decided to serve margaritas to these people so a lot of them came in, had a drink, used the bathroom and left. Somehow I don't think (1) we're the first stop on their tour or (2) they have a toilet on the bus. We are now just starting to receive all the stuff Mary Sue ordered in January while she was in New York so I'm very busy trying to get all that merchandise marked and down on to the floor for sale before the end of the holidays.

I went to Mezcales last weekend. My friend Caryl invited me out to a client's house with the rest of her office staff, along with their significant others. Caryl and her husband, Tom Carota, own Vallarta Sunset Properties, and we've been friends for over a year now, especially since Caryl and I learned we are both Librans. Anyway, Tom was in the States so I was Caryl's date. Her client, Fritz Schmitz (I kid you not!), owns a "fixer upper" is Mezcales about a five minute walk to the beach. The first thing he did when he bought the place was put in a HUGE swimming pool! It was a fun day, filled with too much sun, way too much food and very lively conversation. Fritz is Dutch and has an interesting "take" on just about every subject. The highlight of our visit was watching Fritz milk his goat, Rosa, while she ate leftover baked potatoes stuffed with goat cheese made from her own milk! Very surreal … LOL

My Spanish lessons are going well. I know how to say just about everything in the past tense which came in really handy last week when I left my sunglasses in the change room at Woolworth's. I was able to say "I forgot my sunglasses!" to the female employee AND the security guard who came running after me as I was leaving the store. I bought a beautiful Indian cotton full skirt for 50 pesos (about $5) and a couple of Indian cotton tops for the hot summer months. While we're on the subject of shopping at Woolworth's, I can't figure out why they won't let you try on any white bras there. How are you supposed to buy them if you can't try them on? I've learned to circumvent the system by trying on BLACK bras in the styles I actually want in white and then going back to pick up the white ones on my way to the cash.

Buying lingerie in a specialty store is even weirder. The merchandise is all on display behind glass with code numbers and sometimes the price. You have to go in and ask for the code number in order to see what you want. But there are no change rooms so you can't try anything on. The same thing applies to shoes. They are all on display in glass cases with code numbers and prices. You have to ask for the code number and then they will bring out the shoes, BUT only one pair at a time! You are allowed to try them on though. This probably explains why I have bought more shoes than lingerie since I've been here. Besides, the last bra and panty set I bought here went untested in the change room. Although it purported to be my size, when I got it home I was a little surprised at how my moderately sized Canadian breasts filled that pretty little Mexican bra! ;)

On that note, I think I will sign off and do some Spanish homework. The flying termites have disappeared so it is probably safe to turn on a few more lights. The full moon is due any night now. Govern yourself accordingly …

Friendly Favours

(My apologies for not posting something sooner but I've been having major headaches with my ISP! I had a terrific blog started on Sunday but lost it when CosmoRed crapped out on me! Thank you for your patience. -- Juliana xo)

Lately, there has been a lot of controversy in my life about "favours". Frequently, I am asked by my friends (and even blog readers I've never met) what I need/want from NOTB. Usually my frivolous requests for gum or candy are granted and the gifts are delivered by happy people on vacation who are thrilled to do this small favour for me. I remember I felt the same way when I was a tourist, bringing stuff down for the people who lived here. For the most part, the satisfaction I received from giving was enough repayment. I didn't ask people to reimburse me for my gifts although I'm sure they always offered, as I do now.

My first true experience with this "give and take" down here was during the initial Goddess Convention. My friend John Russell offered to pick the four of us up at the airport and transport us to our accomodations at Puesta del Sol. In exchange, we agree to bring numerous pints of Guiness for John. I had never met John in person but we had corresponded online for quite some time. What a great trade I made that day! Not only did I make a friend for life, but I experienced the joy of giving and receiving a favour from a friend (although the sight of John's car was a little disconcerting!) ;)

When I first moved here in October 2003, my future "landlords" were still in the process of closing the deal on the condo in which I was going to live so I needed to find another place to stay upon my arrival. I called my friend Jeff Musto about his place at Plazamar. I had stayed there before and really liked it. I have also referred numerous people to Jeff since then so I was confident that if he was able to rent me one of his units, he would, even on short notice. I only needed two nights accomodation and was surprised when Jeff said to take it for five nights, at no charge. Apparently he was familiar with real estate deals in Mexico! I will always be thankful to him for that. (You can see Jeff's condos at http://www.internetpv.com/!)

Shortly after my arrival here, someone did me a small favour and as is my custom (and maybe yours), I said to her, "I owe you one!". She jumped all over me, telling me that wasn't necessary and that's not how things "worked" down here. Well I can tell you from my experiences living in PV, that nothing could be further from the truth. If there was ever any place in the world where the "you scratch my back, I'll scratch your back" philosophy was embraced by so many, it is here in Vallarta! From the tour guides to the OPCs, from the restaurants to the jewellery stores, EVERYONE here does for one another and there is always some type of exchange involved. I get a discount or a free drink whenever I take new people to a favourite restaurant. We pay commissions to anyone who sends potential customers to our store. It is a way of life down here and it works!

I was recently berated online because I asked someone to bring me some Hershey's kisses. I was told that I could buy them here, at Sam's Club. All I had to do was find the time to go out there and get them. Oh and buy a membership card too! This was my reply: "People who have visited PV before know you can't always get "stuff from home" here and being generous of spirit, they are always asking us what we need/want. I can hardly say "Bring me your unmarried sons!". When I was a tourist, I used to offer all the time! It was a way for me to say thank you to the people down here who were giving me their time and advice. I didn't mind then and I certainly don't mind being on the receiving end now! I really don't see what the big deal is! If you don't want to do it, don't do it. No one is DEMANDING that you bring them anything! Better yet, direct your generosity towards the refugio or the cats by the Rio. I don't really need no stinkin' chocolates! Fair enough?"

My two "brothers" down here are perfect examples of this give and take. One wanted a job so I asked my boss if she was hiring. He came in to meet her, aced the interview and is now impressing the hell out of her! I got my job at Viva through a friend. I am so happy to be able to pass on this good fortune to someone else, especially someone as deserving as James. My other "brother" gave me some money last summer so that I could fly to Vallarta for a week. He just wrote out a cheque and mailed it to me, no strings attached. I was in the position to return this "favour" recently when Mary Sue was looking for someone with his skillset. Jeff is now working for Viva too! MSM calls me her own private personnel agency. ;)

So try not to forget the nice things that people have done for you in the past. If you have the chance to "repay" them, please do so. If they're gone from your life or not in a position to accept your favour, pass it on to someone else. It will be good karma if you do.

Live Webcam!!!

They've installed a webcam at Cuates y Cuetes, one of our favourite watering holes right on the beach. Here is the link:

http://www.cuatesycuetes.com/home.htm

If you don't have Java installed, you will have to download it but once that's done, you can see what we see, especially at sunset.

Last night you would have seen John, Myles and me posing for the camera around 7PM. We might try again tonight, right before sunset so if you're interested, check us out!

Juliana xo

Inquiring Minds Want To Know!

I received two emails yesterday asking me as follows:

Sherry: What's your plan, Amiga? Staying for the steamy weather or bailing out and heading for Toronto?

Linda: Did you ever make a decison about this summer?

So here's the answer you've all been waiting for ... (insert drum roll) ... I'm staying! I feel a lot differently about living here than I did last spring. There are a number of factors involved actually. My boss wants me to stay and I want to stay. In fact, my job seems to be more clearly defined this year with regular hours and that makes life easier. I'm earning more money than I did last year because I'm working more. Hopefully, things will slow down soon so I can take a vacation and see a bit more of this gorgeous country!

I feel happy and content here. I know more people and my Spanish is improving a lot. As a result, I feel more confident dealing with Mexicans in every type of situation and I feel more like a local. Plus I'm not homesick for Toronto like I was last year but still miss my friends and family! So a quick trip to Canada is in my, hopefully, not to distant future. I need to do my taxes, renew my passport and visit with everyone up there who is too reluctant to take a trip down here. With all the bad weather reports I've been hearing lately, I don't understand why more people aren't getting on the next plane and getting the heck out of there!

So what happens now? Well, Colleen is heading back to the U.S. on April 14th and our rent is paid until April 15th. I need to move out of here then and move into the cute little apartment I found yesterday! It's on Calle Naranjo ("Orange Tree Street"), about 1.5 blocks from El Brujo (a great restaurant), 1.5 blocks from Macchi's BBQ (another great local restaurant), 1.5 blocks from a gym and about a five minute walk to work!

My friend Valerie (from Canada) is living there now but she goes home to BC every summer so it will be available. The apartment is quiet and clean but very small. There is no stove so I need to get a microwave. There is cable TV but no phone. I would rather have the latter so I want to speak to the landlords about getting that hooked up if possible. I'm also thinking of buying a laptop with wireless capabilities so I can be online while I'm at home or outside when I'm not working. Everything in due time ...

I will miss the convenience of having a washer and dryer right off my bedroom like I have here but there is a laundrymat right around the corner! The coolest thing about the apartment is that is contained on two levels! The living room and kitchen are downstairs and the bedroom and bathroom are upstairs. There's no view of the ocean but that is not important to me. As soon as I saw the place, I knew I could live there and love it! I'm really looking forward to making it my home.

If you haven't already planned a trip to PV this year, what are you waiting for? I love having visitors and look forward to seeing you soon.

Busy, Busy Bee ...

Geez, even my Mom has started emailing me to tell me I'm not writing enough in my blog! :)

Before The Party

It's been a very busy fortnight. As you may recall, we had our very first trunk show at Viva last Tuesday night, highlighting two very talented, young female designers from Mexico City. In order to prepare for the show, they sent us about 15 kazillion pieces of their jewellery to be prepared for the party. Guess who got to mark it all? I worked ten days straight, including 10 or more hours the day and night of the party as well as the next day.

At The Party

In order to display their handmade jewellery, primarily made of leather and semi-precious stones, we had three huge display ramps made and pinned all the jewellery to them in various combinations of colour. ISHI bracelets and necklaces are meant to be wore 2 or 3 at a time and the effect is quite striking. This year, we had live music and served wine with finger sandwiches. Gina and Claudia were overwhelmed with the store, our staff and the people who came to see them. The party was a huge success.

The Day After The Party

We continued the trunk show on Wednesday since there were four cruise ships in port that day. At some point on Wednesday afternoon, the store was so crowded with cruiseship people, it felt like we were all back at the party from the night before! And people wonder why all I want to do is sleep on my day off. LOL

The Rest of This Week

I finally took a day off to recuperate as I had also worked Sunday (my usual day off) so on Thursday, I was able to join a group of friends down on Los Muertos beach for a get together of friends from the internet. Technically it was called a "beach party" but we ended up having lunch on the patio at the Lazy Lizard for a couple of hours. They grilled hamburgers, chicken breasts and chorizo (Mexican spicey sausage) for us on the BBQ and the beers were deliciously cold. I think at some point there were 16 of us sitting there, enjoying the day, which was sunny, breezy and warm. A perfect Vallarta day!

Friday and Saturday I returned to work. There is still so much merchandise to be marked, I'm not sure when I will get through it all. Easter is fast approaching and once it is over, the high season ends with it. At that point, we will all be able to take a breath, take one more day off a week and try to rest over the summer before starting it all up again next November.

The Becas Ball

Today, as Mary Sue and I were going over the price of things in the back room of the store, she got a phone call and near the end of it, she turned to me and said to her caller, "Yes, I have a willing victim standing right here in front of me". I wasn't sure what she meant but I am prepared for just about anything at this point in our working relationship. :) She asked me to do her a big favour -- she wanted me to go the Becas Ball at the Westin Regina in her stead. All she wanted to do was have a quiet evening at home so how could I resist? It was a chance to dress up, wear fabulous jewellery, eat free food and meet new people in a posh setting.

I popped into my local hairdresser (Salon Dili is right around the corner from where I live) and asked Benjamin if he could "do me" before tonight. We made an appointment for 6PM. I rushed home, showered and washed my hair before heading out to Chili's for a quick lunch. Then I came back home, laid down for 45 minutes before my appointment. Benjamin did a fabulous "up do" for only 200 pesos and I was on my way to looking incredible. After an extra meticulous make-up job, I donned my gorgeous Denise Cruz top, black slacks and black leather espadrilles and headed over to Viva with a mission to find the perfect jewellery to go with my ensemble.

Having a whole store at your disposal might sound like a dream come true to most women but the fact is, the choice is overwhelming. And I've heard this many time from people who come to the store for the very first time. There is just too much to take in during one visit. So many people come back 3 or 4 times during their vacation. I sort of had an idea of what I wanted but relied on the evening staff to help me, particularly Amaranta who has an unerring eye for what looks good. Plus, we have sort of the same taste so I knew I would love whatever she picked out for me and I did! A beautiful pair of chandelier earrings made of sparkling faceted blue topaz briolettes on sterling silver chains meant no necklace was required but the outfit was still missing something. Donna helped by placing a 3" wide bracelet set with Swarovski crystals on my wrist. Now I was ready for the ball ...

I arrived in time for the free bar and silent auction. I bid on two framed Marta Gilbert posters and a Salon Dili gift certificate. I was outbid on all items. I didn't know any of my dinner companions at Table 12 but I knew people at every table around me including Lucy from Lucy's CuCu Cabana and my friends Donna and Irv, who were sitting at the table right across from me. My hosts, Pat and Richard, were intrinsically involved in the planning of the Ball so I felt very fortunate to sit with them for this wonderful event. Dinner was surprisingly good (given the number of people being served) and was complimented by two great bottles of wine from Oregon, bid on and won by one of my table mates who graciously had both bottles uncorked for our enjoyment. A scrumptious chocolate cake rounded out our meal. Ymmm!!!

Items up for live auction included two rounds of golf at the Four Seasons golf club valued at (get this) $4,950 pesos! EGADS!!! One of the most interesting items up for auction was a backgammon set purportedly owned by John Huston but there was no certificate of authenticity so I had to let that one go to another bidder. :) All in all, it was a tremendous evening, benefitting a very worthy cause. Becas Vallarta, A.C. is a non-profit, tax-deductible Mexican foundation started in 1961 to raise funds for scholarships for students in grade 8 through university. The annual Becas Ball is the main source of funds for supporting the deserving students, and at present the foundation is giving grants to 286 students, 79 in Secundaria, 136 in Preparatoria and 71 in University. The bar for receiving a Becas scholarship is deliberately set high. Families must demonstrate real economic need and students - with their parents' full support - must be fully committed to serious educational progress. Students must maintain at least an 8.5 grade point average. The grade point average of students who receive scholarships is actually much higher than that, with many perfect 10's among them (copied from www.banderasnews.com).

That's it, that's all for tonight folks! I'm off again tomorrow for my regular day off and then back to the grind on Monday. I hope you're having a wonderful time wherever you are and look forward to seeing some of you very, very soon. ;)

One Month to GCIV!!!

THE GODDESS HANDBOOK

Goddess Heirarchy

Julie Anne is the Head Goddess. This doesn't mean she knows everything but she knows enough. Besides, she organizes the convention every year so that, in itself, gives her certain rights and privileges. Juliana says, "It's my party and I'll invite whoever I want!"

Rose is the next best thing to Julie Anne. She is Julie Anne's 2IC (Second In Command). If Julie Anne is too busy or too tired, speak to Rose. When it comes to matters of good taste, speak to Rose. When in doubt about proper Goddess behaviour or attire, speak to Rose.

Heidi is the Mini Goddess. She may be the smallest Goddess you'll ever meet but she's got the biggest attitude. Watch and listen to Heidi -- you can learn a lot about Goddess behaviour from her!

Beatrice is the person most likely to lead us into trouble. Watch out for Beatrice! She is also our resident "Frida-phile" so if you see anything Frida-related, tell Beatrice. Beatrice also has the strongest liver of any Goddess you will ever meet. You will be taking your life into your hands partying with Beatrice. She also is the most fun! Oh, and if she has an idea for a group shot, go with it.

Mary Ann is also very capable of leading us into trouble. So make sure you follow her and do whatever she does. When she starts drinking margaritas, watch out! Either get out of the way or join in. Joining in is much more fun. Mary Ann has a great nose for wine and bars where good looking guys can be found. Like I said, follow her anywhere and you are guaranteed a rip snorting good time.

Goddess Behaviour

You must be over 40 to be a Goddess.

If you're under age 40, you are a GIT (Goddess-In-Training).

If you're confident, funny, outspoken, assertive and friendly, you are definitely a Goddess!

Every Goddess has a Spanish or Mexican name. Choose one for yourself and advise the Head Goddess or the 2IC. The following names have already been taken:

Juliana - Julie Anne
Rosa - Rose
Nancy - Heidi (it's a long story!)
Frida - Beatrice
Mariana - Mary Ann

If you're too shy to wear your tiara in public, you are not Goddess material.

A diva is not a Goddess. A diva is too high maintenance to hang with the Goddesses (you divas know who you are … don't bother coming to the party).

If you have to ask a fellow Goddess what to wear, more than once, you're a diva so get lost!

If you complain ad nauseum (that's Latin for "a lot") about your weight or hair or makeup or clothes or anything else (other than men), you are a diva. Take a hike!

If you talk incessantly about your husband, boyfriend and/or children, you are a diva. Shut up and go away!

However, if you have a husband AND a boyfriend, you are a Goddess.

Goddess Attire

Tiaras are MANDATORY for all Goddess Events.

When not worn, tiaras must be kept in a place of honour.

Tiaras can be worn anywhere on the body.

Tiaras are not to be used for home decoration. (Martha Stewart is a diva!)

Tiaras can be handmade, store bought or priceless family heirlooms. It's the thought that counts, not the value (unless you count sentimental value).

Boas are not mandatory but do add style and flair to goddess functions. They also make you feel like a million bucks. (FYI -- boas and hot flashes do not mix well together!)

Name tags can be worn anywhere on your body and/or clothing.

Anything with the word Goddess on it should be bought immediately, preferably in bulk.

If you see anything with a tiara on it, including jewellery, cards, pins, tshirts, hats, WHATEVER, buy as many as you can immediately! If you have to wrestle small children for these items, please feel free to do so but don't let their mothers catch you doing it.

Only past attendees of the Goddess Convention are allowed to buy and wear the official Austrian crystal Goddess pin. See Julie Anne for details.

And finally, it's not what you wear, it's how you wear it!

Goddess Law (there's only one)

What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico!!!

Goddess Sayings

I am SUCH a Goddess!

You are SUCH a Goddess!

She is DEFINITELY Goddess material.

Oh my Goddess!

Thank the Goddess!

It's not a crown -- it's a TIARA!

Get your hands OFF my tiara!

What time did we get home last night/this morning?

Did you say 2 for 1?

Do these shoes match my tiara?

BYOB -- bring your own boa.

What do you mean you want me to cook? I did that once already this month!!!

Give and Take

Have I told you yet about my new friend Candice? I met her a scant three days after her initial email to me on February 2nd. The subject line on her email was "Incoming Goddess". She was only in Vallarta for a few days so we agreed to meet at CCs on Saturday February 5th. She plied me with gifts of Kit Kat Chunky chocolate bars and a magic Goddess wand. We spent the evening together with some mutual friends and since the next day was my day off, I took her on one of my famous "walking tours" of Vallarta. After a long hard day of seeing the "real" Vallarta, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Coco Tropical before she left early the next morning for Talpa and beyond.

I knew she was returning to Vallarta with her husband for one night before flying back to Seattle. I thought it was last Friday so I was more than a little disappointed when the day came and went, but no Candice. :( Well, silly me had the day wrong! They were in town last night and showed up at my Spanish class (after receiving directions from someone at Viva) and invited me out for drinks. Drinks turned into dinner and they insisted on buying and then walking me part way home. Dick wanted to smoke his cigar and we were all loathe to let the evening end, so I offered to take them for a nightcap at La Palapa.

We walked into the bar and found Alberto, the owner, playing live music as he does every Monday and Tuesday night. I haven't been there this year so it was a real treat to hear Alberto, Memo and Bobbie playing together. Dick and Candice were utterly delighted with the bar, with the restaurant and with the music ... Candice was particularly transfixed by Alberto. If you haven't seen him before, you won't understand what I'm talking about but trust me, a photo is coming! Anyway, it was the perfect ending to a perfect evening with wonderful new friends. It was an unforgettable way for them to spend their last night in Vallarta.

Today I was super busy at work. I have a kazillion pieces of merchandise to mark in preparation for a huge trunk show Mary Sue is planning at Viva next Tuesday night. So when Liliana called me on the in-house phone to tell me I had a "visitor", I was less than thrilled to go downstairs, looking for someone who told Lily, "Juliana doesn't know me". Imagine my surprise when I was approached by an attractive woman, around my age, who introduced herself as Annette, a lurker on JR's board (http://vallartascene.com/forum/phpBB2/) and also a big fan of my blog. She and her husband, Richard, are from Illinois and as we started chatting, she handed me a shopping bag and said, "This is for you."

Lately, I've been receiving many thoughtful gifts from old friends and new friends but none as amazing as this. Inside the shopping bag were TWO velvet bags with the word "GODDESS" inscribed on the outside in Swarovski crystals -- one in black and one in red. I couldn't believe my eyes so I laughed and enveloped Annette in a huge hug! How could someone who has never met me before pick out such a perfect gift? Also enclosed was a Goddess bumper sticker that matched my uniform. I made them promise to meet me for drinks on Saturday night so I could introduce them to some other board members and thank them for their generosity.

So I've been asking myself lately what I'm giving back as a result of all this generosity and the answer is probably not enough. Hopefully, when time permits and as my work slows down, I will be able to find some way to give something back to this wonderful cyber community. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them!

Only In Mexico ...

I have a nine piece mariachi band playing LIVE outside my window! It is Arturo's birthday (my gay landlord). He is 37 today and since Monday is his day off, he decided to throw a party. He knows I work days and has been very concerned about inconveniencing me. He even told me about the party in advance and offered to put me up elsewhere. I told him not to worry about it. It's his birthday after all. He also mentioned that it would be from 8PM to midnight -- NO LATER!!! LOL Let's just say I'm not holding my breath with respect to the time the party will end and I'm warming up my earplugs ...

Not that they would block out the mariachis who arrived punctually at 10PM. They are incredibly loud but I'm thrilled. I love mariachi and they look so great in their matching dark teal suits (not to mention the tight pants!). They're not the best mariachi I've ever heard but then, they're the only ones I've ever had right outside my bedroom window. *sigh* Life is good. Time to finish my Spanish homework, grab a glass of wine and head downstairs! :)

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 ...

Small World

I'm walking down the street tonight on my way home from work, just after 6PM and I pass a guy wearing a tshirt from "Ethel's". Something tweaked that name in my memory and I recalled that it was the name of a popular university bar in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where I grew up. So I turned around and said, "Have you been to Ethel's in Waterloo?". They stopped and said yes. I explained that I recognized the tshirt and the young woman told me she had worked at Forewell's Variety for 9 years. I explained that I went to school with Susan Forewell. I told her I went to St. David's (junior high) and then Bluevale C.I. This same young woman went to St. David's and her boyfriend/husband went to Bluevale. Cool!

The other day in the store, I was waiting on two ladies who, through the course of our conversation, admitted to living in Toronto. Most people in Southwestern Ontario will say that even though they live hours outside of Toronto because no one knows any of the small towns close by. Well, I grew up in the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo, about an hour's drive west of Toronto. It turns out one of these ladies lived just outside Stratford, which is about 20 minutes from Waterloo. The other one lived downtown Toronto and when I asked her where, she said "Bloor and Sherbourne". After a quick geography lesson, we determined that she lives in the same condo building as my friend Rose. Very cool!

It's a small world after all ... :)

Looking Ahead

I've been thinking a lot about staying here vs. moving back to Toronto for the summer. I think I could live here year 'round. One thing I did notice on my four plus months at "home" last summer was the fact that I felt fearful. I don't feel that way here in Vallarta. My Mom said I never felt that way about Toronto before I lived in Mexico and she's probably right. (I hate when that happens!). I think I have lived with fear all my life, as most women do, but was so used to it, I never gave it a second thought. We are taught to be afraid of men, to be afraid of speaking out, to be afraid of success and so on. Why is that? My fear was exacerbated living in a large urban area. The fact that I am not afraid here is so incredible. Most people, when I tell them I live here, have a hard time understanding why I'm not afraid. They have difficulty believing me when I tell them I feel SAFE here. Most of the crime here is against property, not people. It's so very different than at home. It's hard to explain to someone who has never been here.

The sun finally came out on Sunday after a spectacular sunset on Saturday night. After six days of rain, everyone was smiling. I just feel sorry for those vacationers who were only here for one week. They certainly received a very grim impression of Vallarta; far from the sunny, warm, breezy days we are experiencing right now. Frankly, I enjoyed the change in the weather but I wouldn't want to have more than a week of clouds. Reminds me too much of the summer we had in Toronto last year. It was so dismal (and I was so miserable), I had to come down here for a week to warm up!

I am expecting a lot of friends in town this month so I don't know how much time I will have to 'blog'. Unfortunately, blogging is a solitary venture so if you like what you're reading, drop me a quick note to say "hi". I sometimes receive an email from someone I don't know, who reads this and enjoys it. And once in awhile I meet someone who says, "You don't know me but I read your blog!" I would like to thank all of you for your continued support of my efforts and I will do my best to keep you up-to-date on my adventures.

Rain, Rain, Go Away! :(

This is the fourth day in a row that has been overcast with showers. Enough already! I shouldn't complain since we've been really busy in the store as a result. What else is there to do in Vallarta but eat, drink and shop when the sun is being elusive? It's really windy tonight and spitting a little bit. I just came back from the garbage drop off corner and the store. I wore my pajamas with my jean jacket and sports sandals. No makeup, dirty hair in a ponytail -- what a Goddess!!! No one saw me ... I hope. LOL And who cares if they did?

I'm off tomorrow. There is no merchandise in the store to mark. The boss is still away in the U.S. until Tuesday night. Hopefully, those wonderful guys at UPS or DHL will deliver something tomorrow. If not, I'm off until Monday ... what to do, what to do. I think I will sleep in and then try to talk Colleen into going out for breakfast. She was out all day today on a friend's boat, came home at 7PM and went straight to bed. Maybe the sun will come out so I can go down the beach and work on my non-existent tan. Or maybe I'll go shopping. The possibilities are endless! :)