On July 4th, my teenaged girls held little American flags and waved them around for the first time in their lives. Born here in Mexico, they´ve been to the States several times and think it´s "cool", mostly because my dad makes an after-dinner run to the ice cream shop routine when we visit.
July has been a woefully tourist-light month. July is usually our biggest month but apparently all the Texans are afraid of driving south. You might see me selling sno-cones on the street soon. Or micheladas-to-your-door! Naked messenger service! Lack of business does inspire one to think creatively.
There are SOME Americans in town. They probably flew. We like Americans-In-Town because they like massage, and they like OUR massages and services and prices. But not a single one of them walked through our door today and now I think it is because we are spooked. I did a 90-minute massage in the spa on Sunday and interrupted my work once when I saw my husband standing behind the screen. But when I went around, there was nobody there. Yesterday, Carlos saw a girl in a jeans jacket in the same room were I saw "him". He went in to see what she wanted but there wasn´t anyone there. Psychic Carla, our 15-year old, is going to check out the situation this afternoon when she returns from her job riding horses.
I don´t mind ghosts. I just don´t want them chasing business away.
Blue Iguanas, Cold Caguamas, Blinking Jesus and other surprises found in Mexico diario
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
manuscript request
So I got a request from a NY agent for the full manuscript to Flirting in Spanish today. Yeah! It´s not the one that my psychic daughter predicted would be interested. News to come...
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Go Mexico
Mexico just beat France in World Cup soccer! Car horns are blasting outside the Jasmine Spa (my business) window and two gringo tourists in golf shorts are taking photos of people in the streets.
I just sent a query to an agent. Maybe all the good feeling in the Mexican air will help it arrive with a special Read Me, Love Me vibe.
I just sent a query to an agent. Maybe all the good feeling in the Mexican air will help it arrive with a special Read Me, Love Me vibe.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Beatles doing Shakespeare!
For their end-of-the-year project, I have both my high school and junior high English groups doing different scenes from A Midsummer Night´s Dream.
To inspire them, I searched YouTube for similar performances and found the Coolest Thing Ever. I found an old BBC show featuring the Beatles doing the last scene, where the bumbling actors put on The Cruel Death of Pyrams and Thisbe! Go to this link now! http://tinyurl.com/2bukroz Or search Beatles - Pyramus and Thisbe on YouTube.
See John Lennon as Thisbe, Paul McCartney as Pyramus (with a P letter sweater), George Harrison as Moonbeam and Ringo Starr as Lion.
I´m speaking about my memoir at the San Miguel Literary Sala this afternoon, so must get back to work on my talk...
Go Beatles!
To inspire them, I searched YouTube for similar performances and found the Coolest Thing Ever. I found an old BBC show featuring the Beatles doing the last scene, where the bumbling actors put on The Cruel Death of Pyrams and Thisbe! Go to this link now! http://tinyurl.com/2bukroz Or search Beatles - Pyramus and Thisbe on YouTube.
See John Lennon as Thisbe, Paul McCartney as Pyramus (with a P letter sweater), George Harrison as Moonbeam and Ringo Starr as Lion.
I´m speaking about my memoir at the San Miguel Literary Sala this afternoon, so must get back to work on my talk...
Go Beatles!
Friday, May 28, 2010
May - Time for a Pause
It´s May in San Miguel, which means it´s hot and there is very little business. Everything comes to a standstill for a minute, and then June happens and kids in the States get out of school and the summer tourists begin to pour into town.
One year ago, things felt very different. One year ago, due to, or perhaps, promoting the Swine Flu Hysteria, the Mexican government shut down businesses, schools, playgrounds, pools, night clubs...anywhere where people might meet and "spread the disease" or spread the news that the hysteria was invented and furthered by the government, which was my suspicion. Tourists fled the country, clutching their straw hats and passports. Doctors met incoming tourists at the airports, when they returned later in June, to inspect them for signs of the flu. Welcome Foreigner! Stick out your tongue! Life was not easy.
On top of that, our landlord was kidnapped! I don´t write about kidnappings in Mexico lightly, so let me add right away that he was released a few days later unharmed but lighter in the pocket. Kidnappings don´t happen to random rich people here. Rather, it´s like this: In the States when someone wrongs you and you want retribution, you can sue the offending party. Here, you can kidnap him to let him know that in your opinion he hasn´t been behaving like a very nice fellow. I guess I want to bust the myth of the Random Kidnappings here in Mexico. It´s not like that.
I like this analogy: In the 1920s in America, Al Capone was conducting lawless activities in Chicago. The rest of the country went about its business. People went to school, to work, to the lake on weekends. But the US had a reputation of being a criminal land where all order had been lost. That´s how it is in Mexico. People are living their lives, getting haircuts, buying tortillas and watching soccer and drinking Victoria but all anyone hears about is the narcos.
How did I start talking about kidnappings?? O well, like I said, people are by and large, just living their lives. Tomorrow my 9-year old nephew, William makes his First Communion so to the church we go, and then to my sister Ann´s house for a mole lunch after.
One year ago, things felt very different. One year ago, due to, or perhaps, promoting the Swine Flu Hysteria, the Mexican government shut down businesses, schools, playgrounds, pools, night clubs...anywhere where people might meet and "spread the disease" or spread the news that the hysteria was invented and furthered by the government, which was my suspicion. Tourists fled the country, clutching their straw hats and passports. Doctors met incoming tourists at the airports, when they returned later in June, to inspect them for signs of the flu. Welcome Foreigner! Stick out your tongue! Life was not easy.
On top of that, our landlord was kidnapped! I don´t write about kidnappings in Mexico lightly, so let me add right away that he was released a few days later unharmed but lighter in the pocket. Kidnappings don´t happen to random rich people here. Rather, it´s like this: In the States when someone wrongs you and you want retribution, you can sue the offending party. Here, you can kidnap him to let him know that in your opinion he hasn´t been behaving like a very nice fellow. I guess I want to bust the myth of the Random Kidnappings here in Mexico. It´s not like that.
I like this analogy: In the 1920s in America, Al Capone was conducting lawless activities in Chicago. The rest of the country went about its business. People went to school, to work, to the lake on weekends. But the US had a reputation of being a criminal land where all order had been lost. That´s how it is in Mexico. People are living their lives, getting haircuts, buying tortillas and watching soccer and drinking Victoria but all anyone hears about is the narcos.
How did I start talking about kidnappings?? O well, like I said, people are by and large, just living their lives. Tomorrow my 9-year old nephew, William makes his First Communion so to the church we go, and then to my sister Ann´s house for a mole lunch after.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
OK, so I gave my husband a bum rap yesterday. Complaining because he wants to HELP; what´s wrong with me?! Today, he is cleaning the yard! Tossing out old junk! Maybe, now that the girls are almost outgrown them, the bicycles will get fixed. And the remote control for that matter! I hope this burst of post-graduation energy lasts.
May is always a hot and calm - business-wise - month in San Miguel. There are a few tourists but not many. Businesses close for maintenance and to spiff up for the summer crowds. Life feels darn OK these days. One year ago, getting through life felt like trying to balance on a crumbling cliff. Have to go get my kids from Centro Ecuestre Canales where they ride, and hate to interrupt the buzz of a thrumming weed chopper...so back in a minute.
May is always a hot and calm - business-wise - month in San Miguel. There are a few tourists but not many. Businesses close for maintenance and to spiff up for the summer crowds. Life feels darn OK these days. One year ago, getting through life felt like trying to balance on a crumbling cliff. Have to go get my kids from Centro Ecuestre Canales where they ride, and hate to interrupt the buzz of a thrumming weed chopper...so back in a minute.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
These Days
My friend Jody was just here, along with a pile of Northern California gal pals, and I did more eating and drinking than I´ve done in all of 2010. Fortunately the gals liked our Tae Kwon Do and Zumba classes too.
Carlos doesn´t leave the house at 6:30 a.m. for school any more. This is taking some getting used to. I have a system for lunch-making and now he wants to HELP. Which means get in the way. Until he learns that Sean likes regular mayonaise; Carla likes chipotle mayo. Sean likes tuna sandwich; Carla takes her tuna in a plastic tub. Sigh.
The girls competed in a dressage competition this past weekend. Sean won First Place on her horse, Andale on Sunday, but the best was how both girls demostrated dedication while practicing for the show and sportsmanship during.
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