For my Northern friends (cuz you asked)-

Bertha was the first and only actual hurricane to pass so far this year- early too!  Bertha passed us just before the official opening of hurricane season.  As you may well know, I am already stocked up to the ceiling with candles, canned goods, extra tank of gas, batteries, cat food, litter, gummy bears, buckets, bottled water, bleach, soap, and macaroni and cheese.  I even have plywood to barricade the windows of the room that we will use as a bunker in the case of a hurricane that actually hits us or comes too close for comfort. 

People have been asking me about Dolly.  Dolly was/is a tropical storm.  The neighbor’s banana tree tipped over (I think my cat could have actually knocked it over) and I spent most of the storm in the ocean.  A tropical storm really sucks if you are trying to drive or dry clothes on the line but unless you live in a very vulnerable place is not any bigger deal than a blizzard and well; none of you northerners are scared of a blizzard, now are ya? 

Yes- I did say I spent a good portion of the storm in the ocean.  I went with my crazy professional swearer neighbor and another friend to the beach to twirl.  Yep, it had rained all morning.  Yep, it certainly looked like it would rain again.  Yep, we went to the beach anyway.  When we got there the beach was actually pretty full of people.  We unpacked the swing/twirl ball things (for lack of a better name) and started to swing them around (I mostly bonked myself in the head, but I did learn a new trick, too!) and then it started to rain.  So we hopped in the ocean.  (Mother, stop freaking out, please.)  Seriously, if you are only wearing a bikini in a heavy rain- the rain hurts when it pelts you (for my motorcycle riding audience, I'm sure you understand- errm I mean the being pelted with rain part, not necessarily the wearing a bikini part) and it gets really chilly- so you hop in the water; the rain doesn't beat your tender flesh and it's much warmer.  We hung out in the ocean waited for the rain to pass, got out twirled the balls for five or ten minutes until the rain started again and then hopped back in the water for five or ten until the rain subsided again- that's pretty much how it rolls: on for bit off for a bit. 

I did notice some downed tree branches in my neighborhood and the convertible top on my car blew open so my car got nice and clean on the inside (good thing cuz it sure was grimy!) I did notice that the waves were a bit bigger and more fun than usual and the seaweed did get all stirred up from the storm, but other than that- oh yeah, and the two inches of standing water in my living and dinning room (happens every time it rains)- Dolly didn't seem like a big deal to me.  Maybe I'm just crazy (that is actually a very good possibility) or maybe I have a low arousal rate (another good possible explanation for my need to things like bungee jump- sorry, Mom) or maybe I'm just stupid (I'm sure many of you are nodding at this point) but regardless Dolly didn't seem like a big deal to me- maybe I'm just not that into her...?

By the way- I really don't do things just to freak out my mother- that just happens to be a lucky side effect!  (heehee, I love you Mommy!!)   For my wonderful loving Mother, that would probably like me to end this post on a note that she won’t feel the need to worry about, we have acquired another cat.  So far I just call him/her patio cuz that where he/she showed up one day.  Patio is a huge fatty cat.  I assume he/she has/had an owner because most street cats can barely manage to stay healthy thin looking let alone big -n- fatty pants. 

The cat just appeared on the patio, as have many other cats.  I occasionally put out food on the patio for the strays just passing through and none of them, before Patio, has camped out for long since my patio isn’t very exciting and because Yax and Ixte consider it to be theirs and run off anyone that gets the notion to hang around to long or try to get into their house.  ( I just impressed myself with my ability to make run-on sentaces)  For some reason my Ixte and Yax let Patio stay.  They seem to have some kind of understanding, because Patio doesn’t try to come in the house (even with the door open) and Yax and Ixte don’t bother Patio on the patio- they don’t even mess with the food I put out for him/her.  They actually just sniff at him/her when I go out to say hi or do laundry and don’t seem to care much if I scratch Patio behind the ears.  I think Yax and Ixte are sensitive to the obvious fact that Patio the fatty pants has been somehow displaced.  I’m not sure yet if I am the new owner of a cat or if the house is- I guess that will work itself out in time.

*** Wowzer Dolly is a hurricane now!!  Holy schmoly!  The storm that was just like the many tropical storms that blow through here, certainly picked up when it hit the Gulf of Mexico! 

It takes a while to really settle into a place.  Not just to figure out how to get where, or what stores have the best deals, or where to take your stereo to get fixed, but to really feel like a part of a place; integrated instead of just stuck to the surface.  As a student of sociology, of course, I analyze things like social stratification and the infrastructure of a city, local marginalized populations and the response of local politics, etc... I can have a very in-depth understanding of how a place works, but it's not the same as truly being connected to a place.  For me it's not just the scenery, the local culture, the fun things to do, or the location that makes me feel connected to a place- it's the people. 

It takes a long time to make friends.  I mean first ya gotta meet 'em, then you have to lie to make them like you. (Hahaha just kidding!  Just checking to see if you're really paying attention!) There has to be some kind of click or common interest, and you have to establish trust and rapport; these things take time.  

The first year living in Cancun was hard; it was great to be in a new place, a new job, a new relationship; at the same time it was hard not having someone really know me and spending so much time alone with just a cat to talk to!  It's amazing, really, looking back at how much has changed and stayed the same for me and how relationships have morphed and shaped.  I never thought that blogging would become such an important piece of my life. 

I left the United States of America with a backpack, a little bit of money, and a vague idea of going as south as possible.  I only thought about the adventures I would have and the places I would see; I never thought I would find a home, with heart, and friends and all the rest.  People ask me all the time when I'm coming back.  I don't have an answer for that question.  I'm tied to this place and to these people.  Right now my heart is here (at the beach *wink*). 
I never knew that blogging would play such an intricate part in all of this!  Many of you know my Mommy actually started this blog for me, to ensure that I would check in regularly.  (Regularly is a loose term for me apparently. LOL)  throughout this adventure, blogging has given me more than I could have ever imagined!  Not only has it helped me keep in touch and maintain many important relationships in the U.S.A., but I've also made some wonderful friends here in the blog sphere; not even just my online friends but also my fellow expat blogger friends that I've come to know here in real life!   

It still seems so strange to me that you can get to know someone so well just from reading their blog and all the interactions that stem form there.  The friends I’ve made on Yahoo 360 and Multiply have supported me, laughed and cried with me, have helped me over the rough patches, and celebrated my small successes.   Thanks to each of you for touching my life and sharing yourselves with me.  Five or ten year’s ago the whole idea of getting to know someone online was outlandish, dangerous, etc...  Now more and more people are meeting, connecting, and loving.  I see a community growing and flourishing before my eyes!  It truly amazes me.   

I've all of a sudden become a socially busy person, which I LOVE!  If you know me even a little bit, you know I like to have my hands into everything!  I love to be social and be involved in tons of activities.  I responded to Heather in Paradise's blog about the mail system here in Mexico which put me in the right place at the right time to be invited to the 4th of July Celebration in Playa del Carmen at a beach bar called Bad Boys.  Some of my other expat blogger friends were there too!  Isla gringo, life's a beach, and blah blah blah ginger.  We had a great beer drinking, music listening, food eating, shoot talking time!!  I even managed to get myself kidnapped and spent the night hanging with the blah blah blah ginger clan in Akumal!  I love the stuffing out of this group of people!  Thank you blogsphere for putting these funny, smart, caring, ambitious, adventurous people in my path! Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

After sleeping it off in the bestest doggie snuggle pile ever, I came back to Cancun just in time to clean up and go to my friend Mexico “Way”s going away party.

That's the thing about Cancun: a lot of people come here and then go back to where they came from.  This is only my second friend that has left so it's still new and strange for me.  The party was fun.  So many people to know!  There were many friendly faces that I had met at other parties (thanks to Mexico “Way”).  The expat community here is small enough that we all kinda know each other even if it's just by sight (mostly from Mexico “Way”s parties or being introduced by her in some form) and from the internet forums on the Cancun Care site (also read to me by Mexico Way).  I got a little tipsy at the going away party (oops) and thank the stars above for my other wonderful friends that made sure my drunk self got home ok!  What would I do without you!?

I'm lucky.  What can I say?  It seems I am constantly busy running from one social engagement to the next- super YAY!  I have some great friends that live here, Mexican, Unitedstatesian, Canadian, Puerto Rican, French, Venezuelan, you name it- people here are from everywhere but Cancun.  It's taken all this time to network and meet people and force myself to join everything presented; book club, exercise classes, dance classes, Mayan language courses, film festivals, the cool cool cool cool club, and even to meet potential axe murderers from the internet!  It really makes a difference.  The bigger the social circle the easier life can be, especially here in this crazy transient touristy city.  It's necessary to be able to ask other people to refer a good plumber, or how to navigate the immigrations offices, where to bank, or to smuggle in chili powder the next time they go to the United States of A. (Sorry if it seems lame that I constantly say the full name of my native country, but Mexico is technically called the United States of Mexico and so I feel the need to specify)

This past week was even extra crazy!  I was invited at the last minute to a casting call, as if it's not strange enough to go to a casting call, there was an attempted bank robbery at the bank next door to the studio, complete with a shoot out and burning cars.  Talk about surreal!  The neighbor of another girl friend was shot, while he innocently was taking money out of the ATM machine.  (This place is far from dull.)  I started yet another new class with a friend.  I went to the weekly cool cool cool cool club meeting (it's really cool) and I went to the beach with Cancun Canuck and her family- we made a new doggie friend- he was our personal dog for a day- we named him Doggieberto.  I went to a neighbor’s party.  I hung out with my little niecey and friends. 
To round out a busy social week I attended a BBQ with work friends for the final good bye to Miss Mexico “Way”. 

I have to give a special shout out to her- not only has she introduced me to so many cool people, but she has referred me to a hundred services and stores, explained how to get places here in this tangle town, and encouraged me to read expat blogs outside of the Yahoo 360 or Multiply community, we even went together to meet the internut axe murderers! 

Thanks for all your help and generous donations of all your stuff you don’t want to lug back to Canada!  Seriously, I don’t have words enough to thank you.  Way to go Güey!  LOL!  Good luck back in Van City- they'll be so happy to have you back that all doors will be open for your success.  You will be missed here, not just by me, but by all the other people who you've helped pull together.  Rock out.  Godspeed!

                               http://minimumsecurity.net/blog/2007/05/11/simple-but-not-easy/

                                http://minimumsecurity.net/blog/2007/07/02/death-wish/

*heavy sigh*  funny but true!! 

I was invited to Querétaro by my friend Magi to a family party, not so much as invited, but rather instantly told that I must attend Magi and .  Ironically Querétaro is where Roberto lived his years of late School through ; could say years, I suppose.  The way he has referred to Querétaro, not to mention the way many other I have know refer to this , had made me more than curious to experience the place for myself.  They say, that Querétaro is vibroso- literally that is has a vibe.   If we consider the colorful history of Querétaro, it would make sense that it would have a certain vibe about it...
Querétaro actually was, at one point in history, the capitol of Mexico.  The original Mexican Constitution was written there, as well.  It is referred to as 'the cradle of the Mexican Independence' since the revolution was largely planned there.  Querétaro has seen many battles throughout history and is home to MANY legends, ghost stories, haunted buildings, and supposed entrances to the spirit world.  It is a beautiful state just north of the state of Mexico and only a 3 hour bus ride from Mexico City.  The city of Querétaro is a beautiful colonial city and a sprawling modern city know for industry and fabrication of everything from cereal to car parts.  It is an amazing blend of culture, historic and modern. 
I was quite confused about the whole family party aspect of the trip.  I originally thought I had been invited to some kind of yearly family bash.  Then I understood it to be the baptism of my precious little Anafer.  When I got there, I found that I was there for the first communion of one of Magi's many nieces.  Anafer had been baptized the weekend prior and had also had her ears pierced.  Even though it had only been about two weeks since I had seen her last she sure managed to grow and change a lot!  She got new fat rolls!  Yay!  I just loooooove the fat babies!!
We all piled in the car of Magi's comadre for a day trip to her property in Bernal.  Bernal is considered to be one of the magical places in Mexico.  It is a picturesque town, where the people have the most longevity of the whole country. 
There is a huge rock formation that juts out of the ground and is said to have a certain vibra- vibe.  There is a natural spring way up in the rock formation that is the supposed fountain of youth to some.  There are many UFO sightings reported yearly in Bernal.  I was shown photos of unexplainable orbs and other mysterious flying objects that appeared on or near the Peña de Bernal, taken with a regular digital camera.  Suspend all judgment and rational thought, until you sit in the presence of this magnificent rock for yourself. 
There are so many ancient legends and myths about La Peña de Bernal; I do not know them all, what I do know is only the very tip of the iceberg of theories that relate to the Peña's overwhelming presence.  One theory is that UFO's charge themselves with the magnetic energy that the Peña emanates, another is that there are caves that lead to the center of the earth where there is another race of beings that reside, yet another is that the mountain holds the secrets of the Toltec tribe.  Whatever you may choose to believe (or not believe for that matter) the Peña is magnificent.  I spent the day happily staring at it, almost hypnotized by it, mesmerized in a half meditative state of being.  Anafer likewise, I moved her baby chair to be closer to mine, inadvertently blocking her view of the mountain and she cried and cried; amazingly, when I moved her little chair back to where she had a view of the mountain she sat there and cooed happily as she stared at the enormous rock formation. 
The mountain feels alive.  I can't describe it, but clearly there is a reason for all the speculation, myth, and mystery that surrounds it. 
The property the comadre owns is my dream.  There is a kitchen for travelers.  There are places to camp and a beautiful common area for weary travelers and adventurous climbers to warm themselves by the fire and settle in for the night.  There is even a temazcal complete with shaman for those who may be interested in a spiritual ritual cleansing.  This place is not advertised.  Pure word of mouth brings travelers here.  The comadre commented that she always surprised at whom and how find her place.  Little old Señoras that come walking down the mountain on legs that look like they couldn't climb the stairs to the bedroom, only to rest for a bit before mysteriously disappearing; and many such stories of visitors.  The rock formations begin to look more like precisely carved sculptures the longer you stare at them, they are enticing; the call to climb and explore is strong.  This place is not on the side of the mountain that is the town of Bernal; rather it is tucked in a small valley on the opposite side, quite a way out of the very small town of Santiago de ??? I wasn't able to ascertain the full name of the tiny town, but it is the only tiny town on the other side of the Peña.  There in that small (to me nameless) town, through a maze of clay and rock pathways, is a cupola.  Inside the cupola there is an ancient artifact that was found amongst the rock formations in La Peña.  It is said to be Toltec.  This would make it, possibly, as old as 4,000 years.  
The cupola is located in front of an ancient 'church' with a dirt floor and large wooden door.  The 'church' is a small square room with no furnishings; I can't accurately describe it, but I swear you can smell the earth there in a way that transmits the passage of hundreds and hundreds of years.
There are many other magical places in Querétaro I have yet to explore.  I had been told to be careful before I went to Querétaro, that the magic of that place follows one enticing them to return, that it is a place that could suck you in.  Perhaps it is working it's magic on me, I am drawn to go back, to know those other places, to climb La Peña de Bernal for myself- or perhaps I am just a wandering soul, a gypsy my grandmother always called me, and maybe just maybe there really is something magical waiting for me there around the corner.

What about the party, you ask!  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, ya know 1,000 wards and all that...


One last pic just to leave you with some sweetness!

I just keep staring at a blank screen- this is not the first time in the past few weeks that I've done this.  I am jumbled I guess.  I have a word build up, like a log jam in my brain.  I have to many things to say and not enough ways to make them intelligible. 

Mexico is strange that way, for me at least.  Someone recently told me that Cancun, is the place where people go to work off their karma faster.  It made me think of one hour dry cleaning; am I clean yet?  Someone else recently mentioned, in conversation, that Cancun means, snakes nest in the Mayan language.  What can I say about that?

Mexico is magically real.  There is a juxtaposition of simultaneous realities playing out at any time.  I seem to live in this half state of being lately; half magic, superstitious, and mystical- half logical and rooted in paper work, laundry, and elevated gas prices.  What is real?  This system of time, which is an illusion, created by us, to order and structure our daily lives and give a linear definition to something indefinable, that keeps us running in circles and constantly living in, the moment past or the moment to come- what is it to be actually present in this moment, is this moment not just another illusion?  What can I say- I feel like a Pink Floyd song lately! 

I've been meaning to blog about our last excursion to Campeche, which now feels forever ago- except for the magic part, which must have been dragged into the rest of my life on the soles of my shoes.  Things don't seem to make sense outside of the environment of my somewhat delusional brain; even when I have a moment of clarity, where I am able to express my jumbled thought exactly as it were- it is in the essence of itself, jumbled and somehow nonsensical and yet perfectly expressed at the same time.  This is how my life seems to be living itself.  I'm not even sure when I stepped halfway into this mystical state of being; perhaps it was in Edzná...

We drove to Campeche.  It was actually a VERY ambitious trip.  We hit a couple of the archaeological zones in Yucatan along the Ruta Puuc on our way to Campeche with no real plan except to see whatever we could along the way and to get photos of Edzná.  It was a quick trip- just two days and we managed to see seven sites: Kabah,           Toheok,             Sayíl,             Labná,             Xlapak,             Acanceh,   (see the ruins sticking up through the town there on the left?)             and Edzná;             an enormous cave: X'tacumbilxuna'an; and the beautiful and clean colonial city of Campeche.
What happened in Edzná maybe, should stay in Edzná- I fail to see how it makes sense or fits into the real side of the magically real life I find myself living here. 

Edzná is the archeological site closest to Campeche city.  Our aim was to arrive at Edzná around 4:00 pm when the sun would be in the perfect position to photograph the main temple of the site.  We had 10,000 adventures that day and somehow managed to make it to Edzná at the perfect time regardless.  When we arrived, there was a congregation, of what appeared to be, every kids soccer team from across two states, milling around preparing for some special event to take place in the ruins.  We waded through the field of brightly colored uniforms to the entrance only to be told that the site was closed for a special event- no amount of whining about this being our only chance to photograph the main temple with no contra luz, was sufficient, to make it past the guardians of the gate.

We drove to the city, feeling somewhat defeated and peeved about being denied access to a federal site that is supposed to maintain a federal schedule.  We spent the night in a crappy (with a great location!) hotel room in the beautiful and clean, clean, clean city of Campeche.  There is a cultural festival in the historic town center on Saturday and Sunday nights.  When we arrived, the stages were being put into position for the festivities to come and there were tables of ladies playing loteria (a game not unlike bingo) and a few vendors with tables of wares. 

As we drove up and down the malecon trying to decide which open air seafood restaurant we would grace with our presence, the sky literally opened up and dumped a lake's worth of water and the thunder, and lightning came with a ferocity that almost seemed personal.  All of the restaurants closed.  Our hopes of dinner were thwarted and we were lucky to find a bar/restaurant that would serve us the rest of the ceviche left over from the day, along with a couple of beers, while they were closing.  Needless to say, the town party was canceled and wet people ran for cover everywhere we looked. 

We shut ourselves in our partially dry, crappy hotel room (with a great location) and waited out the night.  First thing in the cloudy, overcast, half-raining, morning we drove around the town, that we missed fully exploring the previous evening, trying to absorb it all through our camera lenses, before making our way to Edzná. 

Slightly wet and disgruntled we made it to Edzná.  The sky was overcast and the sun was in the wrong spot to make this visit to Edzná the photo session that we had envisioned.  Funny how life seems to ignore our plans!  Our mood quickly shifted to elated, when we found ourselves to be the first visitors to the site that day.  We wandered the ruins.  Amazing.  The ruins of Edzná are... wow... see for yourself....
We wandered back from the main plaza of the ruins to a smaller set of temples/pyramids only partially excavated.  The bigger structure in this group is called the house of the witch (loosely translated). 
We left an offering on the temple stair- I don't know why- it is not something we normally do.  Roberto later confessed, that upon entering the site, he said some words of protection over us- another thing we don't usually do.  We wandered around the the site taking photos. 

We followed a path through the jungle.  The distinctive electric buzzing sounds of the cicadas filled the heavy air.  The jungle seemed to shrink in on me, in the oppressive humidity and the sound of the insects rose like a roaring in my ears as we neared a small temple with short pillars.  The sound intensified as I moved closer to the platform.  Roberto instinctively held back as I walked, like a sleep walker, to the small temple, all the while the sound of the buzzing intensifying in my head until it ceased to be buzzing and became a heavy and rhythmic beat. 

I felt strangely not myself, in a half-reality kind of way, that is not definable with mere words.  I felt my energy vibrating, bigger than my body, as if this small shell could not contain everything that is my being.  I stepped up onto the platform and stood before a low wall amongst the pillars.  I put my hand on the wall; I put my hand there to connect myself to this world of concrete senses and at the same time, to feel the vibration that seemed to take over everything.  I stood there for what seemed like a long time. 

I have felt something at other archaeological sites: an unnamed something.  I have had glimpses of insight and imagined what it must have been like, when it was a thriving city at it's peak.  I have envisioned the temples covered in stucco, brightly painted, and decorated, but I have never experienced before, the feeling of being in two times at the same time, as I did that day while the cicadas buzzed and I laid my hand on the stone wall of that small temple in Edzná. 

It were as if two transparencies from an overhead projector had been laid cattywhompus, on top of each other, before projecting the juxtaposing images on a screen.  I saw clearly and unfocused, at the same time, activity, color, people, ruins, buildings: it was like witnessing two time periods, simultaneously but, opaque.  I do realize, that my description of these events is nonsensical- there is no other way to describe it- it was surreal- magically real.  I stood there for I don't know how long; trapped in the sensation of spanning time.  I finally turned to Roberto and asked him to take a picture of me there, on that temple, part of me thought for sure, in the picture, some sort of apparition or vague shadowy figure would be visible.  The feeling was strange, for lack of a better word.  We continued on exploring the site, without addressing, what had or had not happened at that particular small temple. 

When we felt that it was time to go, we walked down a small path through the jungle that I assumed Roberto knew was the exit and he later told me that he followed me assuming that I knew it was the exit.  As we walked along the thin path through the jungle, we passed nothing; just trees and jungle.  About halfway down the path we realized that we were coming up to the small group of pyramids where we had left an offering.  Dang!  Oops wrong way.  We turned around and walked back the way we had came (the only way there was to go).  We were walking along, when all of a sudden, we were standing right in front of the small temple where I had felt the tugging of another time pulling at me.  We stopped.  Miffed.  We looked at each other, both of us incredulous.  How?  What the...?  It wasn't like we were walking along and saw the temple up ahead either, it was like, we were walking along and one moment to the next, we were standing in front of it- like it appeared from no where or we had been dropped right in front of it.  I have no explanation.  It was like a dream.  As I recount the story, I wonder if it was a dream.  We kept walking and came out of the jungle and into the main grouping of buildings in a different place than we had gone in.  There is no logical explanation.  We walked a straight line down a corridor and turned around 180 degrees and ?? 

Ednzá is more magical than real, is the only explanation I have. 

OK.  So, I don't usually complain or freak out, cry, and rant as a post- I try to mostly paint a pretty picture of me -n- Carmen car living in paradise so as not to worry the Rents and Rellys, but I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!  So if you choose to dip out now before the swearing starts, I completely understand!!-------
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Is it not enough that Multiply has grounded me and denied me the right to post- the same post I've been trying to post now since last week!!??  Why even bother to have that stupid button that says "save as draft" if really what it means is "eat your post and crash your computer"!! 

But wait- I digress- that is not what has pushed me over the edge- oh no- nor is it that some culero poisoned my dog, or the fact that I lost my favorite ring, or that I had 3- count them- 3 flat tires in the span of 2 weeks was overcharged by one vulcanizadora to fix one of the tires and completely ripped off for two NEW tires that clearly weren't freakin' new and on top of that had to fix the damned cow thing on my car and a week later replace one of the octopus looking things, nor does it have anything to do with the 7 times the cats broke the window to escape the house where I've been holding them hostage for their own protection, nope none of those things were enough to push me over the edge- what it finally took is the pinche electric company AKA CFE. 

I swear to you I am holding a bottle of gasoline with a dirty rag stuffed into it in one hand and a lighter in the other as we speak and I have just spent the last half hour sharpening my machete. 

I didn't even loose my mind officially until today- never mind that I haven't had electricity in my pinche casa for almost a whole week!!!  Today, I will prolly go to jail.  I hope at least a few of you will come to visit me and bring me some clean panties and cigarettes. 

The electric bill comes every other month- how incredibly stupid, first of all- so the first electric bill that came to our pinche casa was high from the güey that lived there before us and su puto air conditioning.  So we gave the bill and around $20 bucks to the administradora of the house along with the rent, so she could pay the chingado CFE and charge the güey that lived there previously. 

Time passes...

Last week I'm hanging with my girl, we go to the mall to wander around and what not- ya know girl crap- we walk past the machines to pay the estupido CFE and I say, "hmmm, I haven't gotten the electric bill yet... it must be due about now... I better call the company tomorrow"  (yes this is back in my days of innocence when I thought you could actually GET INFORMATION from one of the MENSA phone operators at the puto CFE!).  We wander and giggle and look at tons of crap-o-la in the mall that we can't afford when my phone rings, it was Roberto calling to tell me YES, WE HAVE NO ELECTRICITY!!  (sorry for all the yelling but it's either that or I light this dirty rag and send it sailing- stand back just in case!)  I figure I'm a pendeja who wasn't on top her shizzy and oops, I'll have to go pay the bill at the CFE and hope for a speedy connection. Meanwhile, since we never did get a bill and Roberto swears it was just paid, he calls an electrician to come out to the house, only to tell us that there is a lock on our meter (thanks) cuz our shizzy has been cut off.

Let me make an aside here for a second.  The Mexican mail system is so bad that the electric company doesn't even use it.  The houses here do not have mail boxes on them -just to make matters even worse for the whole jodido mail system.  So CFE has some cabrones in a truck that drive around and shove the bill in the door, usually the freakin' day before it's due.  NICE!!  So, when I didn't get the bill, it didn't strike me as odd, anyway.   And here, not getting the bill is not an excuse for not paying the mo fo and YES, the bastardos will cut your power off the very next pinche day after the pinche bill is due! 

My wonderful loving friends, that don't work and have plenty of time to go and hang out in line at CFE in exchange for using my car to go to various other government offices to fix various other ridiculous and stupid bureaucratic crap-o-la, were kind enough to take an old receipt to the chingado CFE office so they could look up my account, pay it, and hopefully get it reconnected in a timely fashion. HA!! (sorry didn't mean to spit on you)  They paid it and gave me the receipt.  They told me it would be connected within 12 to 48 hours.   Of course, my friends also told me how it really goes down, that is, ya gotta be hanging 'round your house and see the technician in his flippin' CFE truck coming so you can run out to the street with your paid receipt and some pesos to tip the pendejo.  Well that don't happen in my house, cuz I have to go to work and so does Roberto. 

The bill was paid.  I (silly bunny that I am) assumed that it was THIS MONTH's bill, seeing as the administadora for our house had sworn to me no less than 3 times that the bill had been paid.  So now, (so I thunk) we just had to wait for reconnection.  The allotted time period passed, no electricity, then it was Sunday, no way was gonna get connected on a Sunday, so I figure Monday was the sweet spot day, ahh so naive am I!!  So, the beautiful Monday comes along and still NO ELECTRICITY!  But guess what did come on Monday!  The missing electric bill.  Yes.  The bill that we thought we had just paid.  But it wasn't the same amount.  Roberto called the pinche electric company.  They couldn't confirm that our electricity had been turned off.  Nor could they confirm that there had been a lapse in payment.  What could they confirm, you ask??  They could confirm that they were LYING THROUGH THEIR FLIPPIN' TEETH when that puta said she'd send out a technician this morning!!!  Because SURPRISE no one came this morning either! 

Well, my friend was tried of hearing me sing, would you light my candle from the musical RENT, so she called the bastardos at CFE for me today.  Once again, no confirmation of anything and the puta operadora couldn't even tell me what freakin' bill we did pay!  ARRRRGGH!  The super puta couldn't even tell us what the anillo looks like that they put on the meter so we could verify if fer reallys our electricity has been cut off by those F-WORDS or if we have some kind of problem in the actual pinche house itself that we will have the joy of dealing with the administradora to fix!  My friend hung up in frustration (Iz sorwy nice friend lady!  Iz make headache go away fer yous!).  And ya know what- I still didn't loose it at that point. 

Here's where I loose it...

I call the administradora for the pinche casa and I tell her that I am on my way to her house to pick up the receipt from the prior billing cycle cuz now I'm thinking that the pinche CFE double charged us.  I get there and I wait for her husband to get there from his office with the receipt.  I'm on my lunch break so I ain't got all day, so I leave and tell her I'll be back after work.  I ran home to check if anything was different there- and it certainly wasn't- down to Mr. Betito taking a nap and not bothering with his afternoon free to freakin' fix anything or do anything or even- oops- I digress yet again!  On my way back to work I call the administradora again to see if she has the cuenta yet and lo and behold.  The pinche hijo de la chingada that used to live in the pinche casa is there with the previous bill THAT HE NEVER FLIPPIN' PAID! 

Apparently, she gave the bill to her SMFCS husband, who in turn gave it to the pinche culero hijo de su puta madre that used to live in the pinche casa, and that mo fo just didn't pay the bill.  Lovely.

Yep.  I lost it.  I screamed at him, at her, I came back to work and bitched about the whole deal to my friends and office mates, and now I am trying to type with my toes as I light this Molotov cocktail- not even sure where I'm going to throw it.  The machete is reserved for the cara de pinga that didn't pay the bill. 

Ya know, I live in Mexico- I don't expect things to run like they do in the U S of A, but WTF!!?? 

Why can't CFE at least TELL you by looking at their blasted COMPUTER SCREEN if they have turned off my electricity!!?? 

Why couldn't they say- hey dumb ass, no body paid the bill!!  Why!?? 

Why am I under the proverbial black cloud for like almost 2 months now!!

Did someone put a curse on me!!??  Pinche mala racha!! 

Ok! Universe, I get it, you are trying to tell me something- but what!!?? 

What am I doing wrong! 

Was I too smug that all this crazy crap wasn't gonna get me down?? 

Well you won!!  I'm down- I'm pissed and I'm prolly going to jail! 

ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!!?? 

The edge- there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.  ~Hunter S. Thompson

I swear it takes less time for the weekend to WHIZZ past than it takes me to get all organized and blog about it!

**Before I begin to unveil the many tales and trials of my recent adventures, I just wanna say that I am totally pretending that I wasn't tagged by Cancun Canuck  *la la la la la la la la la- I can't hear you!!*  hahaha!  Actually, there are NOT  7 weird things about me, so I really CAN'T complete the tag... muahahahahahaha *maniacal laughter*  seriously- if you've read my blog even one time- it is so glaringly obvious that there are more like 7-billion weird things about me, that there ya go- I already did your tag, Miss Silly Bunny In the Barbie Shades!  heehee *runs away from you while giggling*

Back to our regularly scheduled program...

Friday after joyously bursting out of the office doors like a kid on the last day of school, one of my girlfriends and I went to the Hotel Zone to Plaza la Isla just to wander around n stuff (sorry Heather in Paradise gotta keep in clean for the Rents and Rellys).  Since I rarely go any mall or the Hotel Zone, for that matter, it was this crazy surreal treat for me!  Plaza la Isla is actually kinda pretty, it reminds me a lot a a mall that I've been to in Miami, Bayside Marketplace; outdoor mall, on the bay, mostly American expensive chain stores and restaurants, and tons of little kiosk type specialty shoppes.  Since I never go and I've really only been back in the States like once or twice in the past three years or so, I had this strange feeling of being in the U.S. while wandering around the mall speaking Spanglish with my friend.  It was a really nice feeling.  Reminiscing I guess you call it.

We wandered around the mall until we came to the new(ish) museum/gallery.  What a seriously pleasant surprise!!  Museo Pelopidas has some really amazing pieces in it!!  The private collection is a mixture of some copies of original painting and some AMAZING surrealistic art.  The paintings are huge and the technique is reminiscent of Salvador Dali (who is by far one of my favorites).  The artist is Quim Hereu; his paintings are huge, technically amazing, and are a juxtaposition of his travels around the world overlaid with images of a contemporary take on traditional legends. There is also a collection of art from local artists and a gift shop which, we were happily surprised to find, sells the original clothing designs of another friend.  Since, hanging around museums is so far removed from my Cancun life, I really felt as though I had entered a worm hole through space and time continuum.

After the museum, we went to Chili's for dinner.  Chili's!  I walked in and I said, OMG we are in Blaine, Minnesota.  We joked around about being in Blaine, MN over margaritas and buffalo chicken.  It was awesome and weirdly creepy at the same time.  Really, this Chili's has the EXACT same design, layout, and artwork as the chili's in Blaine, MN- exact!  I couldn't get over the feeling that I had entered into some kinda of inter-dimensional parallel world or something.  I mean, I know it is a marketing ploy by the ever smart, money making, chain restaurant tycoons to replicate and create a 'signature' that we come to know, trust, and rely on for consistency, but in this particular instance- holy creepy, Batman!- I just got transported to Blaine, MN!!  I loved it, in a trippy kinda way. 

So, a funny thing happened in Blaine, MN... we were having such a nice time chatting, smoking, and drinking margaritas that the next thing I knew, I looked around and realized that, not only were we the last customers in the restaurant, but part of the staff was sitting half-slumped over the bar patiently waiting for us to "Hotel/motel- don't care where ya go, but ya can't stay here".  Oops! 

We decided to hit the litter box (oh the joy of euphemisms the for bathroom!) on the way out.  When my friend tried the door, it was locked.  Of course we told the woman who had been our server, she looked perplexed and grabbed the manger.  The manager, like most restaurant managers (oh, don't get me started on THAT particular subject!) was gruff and insisted that the door was unlocked and walked us all back to the biffys (the joy, really!).  The server kind of did some weird warning knock and said something to the effect that maybe someone was in there, which would have been a logical theory, had it not been the outer door to the general loo (yay and rapture) area and not the actual door to enter any gender specific john (yay again- seriously how many different ways can you think of to call the peepee room!?). 

The grumbling manager unlocked the door and entered the hallway to open the door the powder room (there's another one) for us.  Out came all sneaky-like a girl with WAY too much make-up and a skinny guy in a Chili's shirt.  When he opened the door to the lav (I guess I'm running out of good ones) another guy came slinking out and the manager said in Spanish (I think assuming that we didn't understand) Damned it, what the hell it, smells like weed in here too!!  Hahahahhaa!  We waited until the manager shut the door, we both sniffed the air, and then fell out with laughter yelling BUSTED almost as loudly as possible!!  The perfect end to a surreal evening. 

Stay tuned for the next exciting episode-- our hero (ahem, that's me) goes almost directly from the mall to Yucatan and Campeche; in a mere 2 days visits 7 ruins sites, a huge cave, and a beautiful city.  *insert cliff hanger music here*

And while we're on the subject- what side of the road are you on- did you cross it?  Did you get your socks?  heeheehee

**stolen from Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures - I Can Has Cheezburger?

This is my Carmen's adorable little engine, awww ain't she just so cutie!!

Last week I stopped by the corner store (how is it relevant to the story that I stopped to buy beer?) and when I came out Carmen wouldn't start.  She turned over just fine, but she just didn't fire.  Now, I gotta say, I do have a bit of a way with cars- I mean always know more or less what the problem is and I understand (at least instinctively) how all the systems work together to make vroom vroom happen.  Since being here and meeting other Vocho owners, well I now am close to expert level on Vochos- yay me!  Anyway, the bovina is something that goes out pretty regularly on Vochos.  In case you remember, that is exactly what died on Roberto's vocho at the police stop where the soldiers had to push us off to the side of the road.  Anyway, I digress. 

The bovina from any translation I can find is the bovine- yes, apparently there is a little cow in that square plastic piece on my car engine that hooks up to the distributer cap.  It is some kind of transistor/battery thing-a-ma-jiggy that causes sparkage to happen thus igniting gas ta-da- we have vroom vroom!!

Since it is such and easy little thang to fix I decided to do it my dang self *insert animal howling noises with chest beating here*.  So after I FINALLY mangaed to free myself from some very nice ladies who truly want to save my everlasting soul; I got right down to it.
Thank the stars above for my most awesomest neighbor chica in the know universe!!  She came by (mostly to swear- which I absolutely adore) and when she saw me struggling with one of the bolts that was on REALLY flippin' tight, she swore (it's her way), shoved me out the way and cranked on that puppy till it came loose!  Whoo hoo!  So having changed said small cow part on Carmen car.  It was on to the next project.
Yes.  Flat tire.  Oh, did I mention that this is a supposed brand new tire?  Yeah, there's a story- get comfy cuz I'm gonna tel it.  Maybe you remember that I met up with some other blogger aka internut axe murderers on Isla Mujeres like almost a month ago...?  Yes?  Anyway, I rode back on the ferry with Mexico Way and she kept saying that she was worried about her tires, she had this strange feeling of having a flat, etc.  When we got back to where we had parked I waited for her to check her tires; she was all good.  Duh- of course I didn't check mine (seriously have you ever met me before!? LOL) and lo and behold I got a flat.  I made it to get it fixed and was on my merry way. 

The next day, I was cruising down the highway trying to make it to the airport to say goodbye to my friend (remember that she left recently; back to Turkey?  Wow- you follow right along then don't you!) when all of a sudden  I felt the car pull and there was all this thhud thud thudding going on.  I pulled over only to find that the tread was peeling off one of my tires; it looked like an old guys comb-over blowing around on a windy day!  I made it to yet another tire place where they sold me two new tires at a good price.  I loaded up the recently fixed tire to use as a spare.  So ater fixing the little cow thing I popped the hood/trunk to pull out the spare and volia-Check it out!  Another bad comb-over blowing in the wind!  The lug nuts were on so tight that I couldn't get them loose.  The neighbor guy who'd been hanging around watching chicas bend over a car finally came over in a supreme act of chivalry.  He couldn't get the lug nuts loose either, not for lack of jumping up and down on the tire iron and everything!  So awesomest neighbor chica to the rescue- she happened to have a can of fix-a-flat with her.  Ladies- go out and buy a can of this stuff to have in your car NOW!  This stuff works great to get you to the next place that can fix your tire- you ain't even got to break a nail or work up a sweat!!

I drove down the street to get a patch put on the new tire.  The nice joven pulled my tire off the rim and showed me- wow- three other patches!  So I guess my NEW tires were only new to me.  *heavy sigh*

The good news is that I got Carmen all ready to go just in time to bring Ana Fernanda to the beach for her first time!!
I have to admit this is not the best beach house I ever built but after a whole morning of chasing off religion and playing Mcgeyver, I guess I just didn't have my usual inspiration.  Anafer really liked it though- look at that smile!
We had a great time on the beach.  Anafer (that's what we call her now) really loved the beach!  She chilled out in out little gypsy looking tent and tried to get sand in her mouth for a while and us grown folk took turns heading to the water.When the sun went down just a bit, we brought Anafer out into the water.  She loved it!  The ocean goddess loved Anafer too! 
WE just chilaxed on the beach for a while, enjoying the late afternoon sun.  This baby girl is gonna be a beach bum for sure!  And she loves to hang with Tia Lisa- I can't wait till she can go beach camping!!Here's a pic of the happy family!  I just love the huge Mexican flag in the background!

Anafer had a regular laugh riot just enjoying the sea breeze and our company.  I guess we are pretty funny! The sun started to sink lower in the sky.  The colors began to change.  Anafer started to get tired.  We piled back into Carmen car and headed for home for bath and bed-time.  Thanks ocean goddess for blessing my little niecey.

Try this at home- let a random song lyric enter your twisted head, then another, and another...


*I don't know why she swallowed the fly perhaps she'll die

*Hello world is the song that we're singing, c'mon get happy

*Shot through the heart and you're to blame, honey you give love a bad name

*If we can not make babies, maybe we can make some time

*Ya know you shook me, you shook me all night long

*Now the parking lot is empty everyone's gone someplace, I pick you up and in the trunk I've packed a cooler and a two day suitcase

*Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away

*At the drive in, in the old man's Ford, behind them bushes, 'till you got me screaming for more

*I've been running down the road, trying loosen my load, I got 7 women on my mind

*Suavemente, besa me, quiero sentir tus labios besandome otra vez

*baby te quiero ooo oooo desde que te conoci yo vivo tan feliz

*Run little children don't say a word and never mind that noise you heard, it's just the beast under the bed, in the closet, in your head

*She has eyes that it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memories

*Moving out, oooooo, I'm moving out, uh huh whoo hoo ahh haa

*Bottle o red, bottle o white, it all depends upon your appetite, meet you anytime you want at our italian restaurant

*Cut through the park to git to school, knuckle heads out there cold shootin' some hoops

*let me love you little darlin', let me love you babe

*she was only 16, only 16, but I loved her so, she was to young to fall in love and I was to young to know


Hmmmm- what would Freud say...?

First I just wanna say, HOW DARE SHE!!  Seriously!  How dare she get older- she does it just to spite me; to rub in my face that I too am growing older and not in the sweet, chubby, unbelievably adorable way that she is!  All babies do this.  They get older and bigger and do cuter things without giving a thought to how their actions might possibly affect our own feelings of self worth and/or loathing, not to mention mortality.  If they weren't so deliciously cute cute cute I would have to be really angry!  But look at that face, who can stay mad!?  *melts*

Check out  the princessness that is chocolate cake!


And piñata...  for some reason I had a moment of conflict as this fair-haired princess was literally getting her stuffing knocked out of her by children with sticks- can you say damsel in distress any one!?
That Baby takes a whack at woman beating- errr, I mean, breaking a piñata.
Daddy sure looks like he wants a turn!!  Hit her harder... why do I feel wrong saying that!? 

Everyone rushes for the goods.  Hmmmm suspicious amount of grown ups rushing for candy there!
I am totally jealous of the cool jumpy thing the kids got to play on at the party!  I had to beg my mom to buy TICKETS so I could go on the jumpy thing once a year at Como Park! 

Pssst- hey guys- bemember, it's not yer b-day it's That Baby's B-day!  Jeesh!

My friend Becky came for a long weekend.  OMG did we ever have a blast!  We have known each other for about 14 years.  We worked together at the same restaurant, in our former lives LOL.  she is cool.  She likes to be active and do stuff outdoors; she has a camper heart!!  It is so fun for me to show off the amazingly cool and beautiful natural places around here!  I love it!  Before she came she requested to see a cenote and to camp in Tulum- YES!!  On Saturday we went to 7 Bocas near Puerto Morelos.  For me this is by far the coolest cenote EVAR!  It is a closed system meaning is is underground caverns filled with crystalline water with some holes in the ground/celling that act as skylights.  The light that comes in those skylights illuminates the water causing it to reflect a color of turquoise like you have never seen- it looks neon almost.  Roberto even finagled the day off so he could come with!  We had the best time splashing around the cenote and freaking our selves out looking underwater- it is so deep you can't see the bottom and the stalactites are huge and hang down a long way below the surface of the water. 

From the cenote we kissed Roberto good bye and we drove to Playa del Carmen.  We stopped at a seafood restaurant on the highway and totally pigged out on ceviche and seafood tacos.  We wandered around Playa for a bit, window shopping, and stopped for Starbucks.  Then we drove to Tulum.  We got to Tulum just before sunset.  Perfect timing to set up the tent and get beer.  We found a good spot on the beach and settled in with beer and smokes to watch the sky and ocean change a bazillion shades of pastels.  We hung out on the beach chatting to other campers, revel rousers, and drunken crazies (oh, that was us, oops) until we ran out of beer and couldn't bum anymore either.  After that it seemed pointless to be awake longer so we poured ourselves into the tent until the morning.

With no small amount of pain and suffering we arose early, had a swim and some Advil, and then hopped on the bikes and rode up to the ruins of Tulum.  I love Tulum.  It is a beautiful ruins site overlooking the ocean.  My friend was amazed by its beauty and as always so was I.  We enjoyed the morning putzing around the ruins and swimming in the ocean.  From there we loaded the bikes back into my car.  I love having a convertible; I use it like a truck all the time!  As we were pulling out of the campground we noticed two chicks with huge packs, wearing jeans and tennies tromping through the sand up to the road.  I felt like I was gonna pass out from heat stroke just looking at them so, I offered them a ride.  They hopped into the back and sat on top of the folded down roof.  Yes, we were quite a site to behold at that point.  Driving through the small town of Tulum, which btw has seen it's fair share of crazy hippie types, we sure got a lot of attention.  We dropped them at the ADO station and we headed to Coba, about 44 Km away. 

When we arrived at Coba there was a fee to park in the lot.  Ok, the lot had recently been paved so I get that they need to charge now, whereas they hadn't before, but $40 pesos!?  WTF!?  I mean you can buy a whole three course meal with $40 pesos!  Oh well, on with the show.  We unloaded the bikes and paid our entrance fee of $45 pesos each and headed on in to bike the ruins.  When we got to the area where people rent bikes and the tricycle taxi carts are the guy flagged us to stop.  He informed us that we had to pay to use our own bikes there.  Well, that's crap.  They guy at the gate that sold us the tickets never said boo about it, but OK I guess I'll pay.  I go to the other guy to pay and he charges me $30 pesos- top rent a bike there cost $30 pesos.  Ya know, sometimes I let stuff like this slide but I just couldn't not say anything.  I mean, talk about taking advantage!  I would have happily paid even $29 pesos so I felt like I saved money bringing my own bike!  At least give me a discount for being a local or somethin'!  I did actually swear.  It happens.  Sorry universe, I'll make it up to you later, cross my heart. 

It was a hot one that day!  Oh boy!  We pedaled all around the ruins.  I was a bit fuzzy in the head that day and well, we got turned around a few times LOL.  We forced ourselves to climb to the top of the biggest structure.  I thought my friend was gonna pass out from heat exhaustion and hangover.  We were a sight, but we made it doggone it!  Coba is an impressive sight to say the least.  From the top of this pyramid we could see the whole jungle canopy and just the tops of a few of the pyramids poking out with the ocean in the distance- incredible! 

On the way back to Tulum from Coba we stopped at a cenote to cool off.  The cenote is referred to as the Car Wash.  I forgot to ask anyone why it's called that.  We hopped in the cool water and since the cenote in unfathomably deep, we hung out in the middle and tread water for about a half hour.  Talk about refreshing!  We wandered around the cenote enjoying the diversity of the flora and fauna for a while before going back to Tulum. 

We stopped off at a bar/restaurant in Tulum for bloody marys and some food.  That is when I got the message about poor Curly.  Thank the all the powers that be that Becky was with me at that exact moment.  She really helped me deal.  We decided copious amounts of beer were needed since there was really no point in going all the way back to Cancun to be miserable about the dog, when there was absolutely nothing we could do about it.  No go.  Beer sales stop at 3:00pm on Sundays in the Mexican Riviera.  I had completely forgotted!  Doh! 

We went back to the beach and bought beers from the little beach bar and settled into our spot on the beach to watch a Jewish wedding going on at the cute little beach bar.  Later, we even listened in on the toasts made by the wedding party to the bride and groom.  We were kinda tanked and hiding in the shadows listening; trying not to fall out laughing cuz there was so nothing appropriate about the speeches!  They all droned on about drug induced meetings and sexual exploits!  We were trying to get a look at the grandmas' faces I know they were there cuz I ran into them at the restrooms.  Wowzers!  The wedding reception went on till the wee hours.  The bar closed, leaving us sans beer.  We sat on a log in our campsite for about three eternities, watching the crew packing up all the party stuff and watching the druggie wedding party hanger on-ers.  I fell asleep in the sand (passed out maybe would be a better description) and woke up later like a powdered donut and crawled into the tent.

Monday, we went to Akumal to snorkel.  It was the absolute best snorkeling day I've ever had!  We saw at least five different sea turtles.  We saw a big scary fish working a TON of smaller fish into a ball and getting ready to attack and eat them: we swam away from that whole deal real quick like!  We saw all kinds of fish that day!  The water was beautiful.  The colors of the reef were amazing.  The sea turtles were so tame we could have touched them.  They were like doggies almost.  Akumal, hands down, is my favorite place to fishy watch. 

We had already packed up our camping gear that morning and decided to take a drive to Valladolid.  I really wanted my friend to see a more traditional colonial town and to see all the Mayan villages nearby.  We headed back to Tulum to catch the road to Valladolid.  We turned at Tulum and there we saw a young surfer looking kid hitching a ride.  What the heck I thought and offered him a ride.  He hopped in where the 2 Canadian girls had sat with their gear the day before; he was headed to Coba.  He was an interesting kid.  We really enjoyed the chat and even brought him all the way to the ruins, not that it was that far out of the way. 

We enjoyed just being on the road.  The smell of the jungle.  The funny cars that passed.  The tires, two liter bottles, and other assorted trash hanging from trees that mark the entrances to private property.  We just enjoyed, well, everything.  It's easy, when you're in good company.  My girl is, if nothing else, damned good company. 

We got to Valladolid and did the wander around town and buy stuff routine and ate awesome yummy Yucatecan food in the market.  My friend really appreciated the small town.  We hung out in the park and people watched.  Becky made friends with a little mayan girl.  She was so freakin' adorable and she wore the most beautiful huipil.  We saw the cenote in the downtown.  We saw the cathedral and a couple other colonial style churches.  We bought handmade shoes from a little man that made them right there and a hammock from some mayan ladies in the central park.  We did the town.

The drive back was magical.  Passing all the little towns.  My friend was LOVING it!  Taking pictures out the window.  I saw myself in her.  We share that same enthusi