Contents Under Pressure May Grow Abnormaly Large & Scare the Bejeezus Out of You

Remember the ticks? Do I have a story for you.

First let me explain that we have large sheets of two-inch thick styrofoam on several walls and most of the ceiling. You know how those cheap coolers keep things amazingly cold? Well, we were hoping that sealing ourselves in would have a similar effect and keep the heat OUT. We're on the end of the building so the sun hits us from sun-up to sun-down and the first couple months here were HOT.

The styrofoam does a reasonable job and we've painted it the same color as the walls so most people don't even notice our homemade insulation. (Just ask Mary.) We have to be careful not to bump it because as you may be aware, styrofoam crumbles pretty easily. Even elbows and fingernails can take big chunks out.

Now back to the ticks. About a month ago we had quite a few of the creatures crawling all over our bedroom. Most nights I'd be just getting into bed when I'd see one scurry across the floor, so I'd get up, get a tissue, and toss it in the toilet. I'd get back into bed and STUPIDLY look at the wall and see another one, even though I SWEAR I just checked when I still had a tissue in my hand.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Well one night I saw one of the black ones that look like a water bug on the wall with the styrofoam and I just couldn't bring myself to get up again so I did what any normal person would do: I shoved it deeper into the styrofoam and blocked it's escape.

This would be the time when you should glance at the title of this post.






Yeah.






Oh... about a week or so later I was making the bed when I noticed a black thing roughly the size of a dime but in DIAMETER emerging from the depths of the styrofoam. I screamed for Ibis and together we stood there, jaws hanging on the floor.

I mean, seriously? What the heck was it eating in there?

He eventually popped it out with a pencil and the mongo-tick joined his brothers in Mexico's water system. We found another one about the same size the following day, and I hope to GOD that's the last we see of those.

*shudders*


Did you know ticks could get that big?

A Minor Rant

I planned to write today's post about the curiosities of Mexican refrigeration compared to US standards -- what things go in the fridge, which do not -- but then we lost power. Monday afternoon I had just finished doing whatever it was I was doing and got up to make lunch when that dreadful pinging sound came from the fuse box. Kind of like a shock from static electricity.

Yes, the power was out. Again.

We waited the ten minutes it normally takes to come back, and when we heard music coming from our neighbor's house I asked Ibis if we'd paid the bill. Now, some of you have heard me complain about this before and are probably wondering why we never pay our electric bill on time. Thing is, they used to put the bills on the meter, then they started putting them on our door/mailbox, and apparently now they're back on the meters. The meters are around the side of the building and half-covered with plants, so they aren't very easy to see, plus the billing cycle is every two months, so it's easy to lose track.

The last time this happened was right when I got back from my trip home, which was roughly a month ago, which also means something is off. We shouldn't have gotten disconnected until NEXT month.

Anyway, Ibis went down to the electric company and paid the bill, but instead of it coming back on within half an hour, we STILL don't have power over 24 hours later. Around 6pm Monday evening he ran an extension cord rigged from our downstairs neighbor's house that runs through our window and keeps the fridge running. And a fan, a light, and as of Tuesday, our computers. I'm writing this on Tuesday evening, and the latest from the electric company is we'll get it back Wednesday.

Since we have the extension cord we're really not THAT inconvenienced, but it would be nice to be able to turn on a light and do laundry. Or use the blender or coffee pot. Or watch TV.

*sigh*

Yes, I've made a note when to pay the bill next, and we'll start checking for the bills in a couple weeks.


/rant

My Workspace

Adam at Editing Hat and Stacey at Flibbity Gibbit have both posted pictures of their workspace and inspired me to do the same.


First of all, this is pretty much what it always looks like, give or take a plate or book. Now for some explanation:

> The white books on the left are my web design tutorials. I'm studying Flash now and I'm using the Dreamweaver book to prop it up while I read.

> The two plastic bottles are filled with sand and serve as hand weights. I sometimes lift them while reading stuff online. The wristbands are because I have weak wrists & they sometimes hurt if I've been mousing a lot.

> The speakers are so I can hear the Bejeweled guy say "Excellent!" really, really loudly.

> Notepads, pen, and highlighter are all self-explanatory.

> The purple cup is ALWAYS full of water.

> And finally, Owen. He's normally on the floor directly beneath my chair, but I put him there so I could get a closer shot of the desk.


Care to play along? If you post a picture, leave a comment so I know to check it out!

Seven o'Clock and All is Well!

After our overly exciting Thursday evening, the weekend was rather uneventful. Typically I wouldn't bother writing a blog post about that, but I know a lot of you were concerned (or still are concerned) and I wanted to reassure you. Sure, there were more killings and mutilations and all that fun stuff, but things in the Avila household were business as usual.

One thing I keep forgetting to give you an update on is my toe. (Adam, please control yourself.) I had a "procedure" done my first week back from the states where a portion of my toenail and some infected tissue were removed. I've had to wear a bandage ever since -- and let me just tell you how fun that is with a puppy.

My latest appointment was this past Friday and the doctor didn't have much to say about it, just that I'm to return in three more weeks. The biggest hassle is because I'm only supposed to change the bandage once a day, I have to encase my foot in a plastic bag if I shower more than once. This time of year I typically shower three times a day, so let's just say while things in the Avila household may be business as usual, they are a little more ripe.

Ahem.

Anyway, things are fine, I'm writing over 500 words per day (give or take) and I'm almost to the climactic scenes of my story.

Anything exciting happen over the weekend? Did you SEE the adorable picture of Owen crying? *sigh*

You Tell Me

Our neighbors are adding something to their house, but we can't figure out what exactly this addition IS. Ibis guessed storage, but then they closed off the walls. I'm guessing that they're expanding the rooms, but doing it in a really bass ackwards way.


So. What do YOU think?

Around the Condo

I've talked a lot about some of the odd things in our building, and today I'm going to finally show you some pictures.

First up, the water tanks. These two are for our building and as long as the pumps keep working, we have plenty of water. Trouble starts when the pump dies or "someone" doesn't pay the electric bill that keeps the pump running. That electric bill is still in the developer's name, so that's why it keeps happening.


Still on the roof, these are the pipes that run to the four units on our end of the building. Do you like the fancy bricks that keep the pipes level? It's amazing we ever even HAVE water. That's also our satellite dish and a possible storm coming in. Sometimes the clouds stay in the mountains and it never rains on us. Other times we get a downpour.


Here we have what appears to a convenience store refrigerator. It was there when we woke up several months ago and has been in that spot ever since. "Misc" is common in store names -- it basically means they have a little bit of everything -- and no, I don't know who Carlito is.


Here is the infamous "mailbox." This is why we tell everyone not to mail us things. Thursday morning we were leaving for the gym when I spotted my grandmother's handwriting sticking out of the metal bars. (Thanks gramma!) There's absolutely nothing to prevent people from taking what's there. In March the developer promised a mailbox that would attach to the front gate (which would also need to remain locked -- right now there is no lock) but we've yet to see anything.


And finally, the "yard." I don't think this needs any explanation.

Where's Robin When You Need Him?

I need to be more careful about my blog topics. In the past week I've written about seeing the movie Batman and having a new predator in my home. Can you guess where this is going?

Last night, as I innocently watched The Lords of Dogtown on TV, a bat swooped through my living room.

A BAT.

IN MY LIVING ROOM.

RIGHT OVER MY HEAD.

I managed to maintain my bodily functions and flattened myself against the sofa. The whole thing was over in a matter of seconds - I barely had time to yelp before he (she?) flew out the window.

I've seen them downtown, circling the trees after dark, and we even encountered a pair in a friend's hotel room, but I've never seen them in our neighborhood.

Perhaps someone turned on the batlight?

Some String's Trying to Get Me

This morning, while working out, I innocently tugged at a string hanging from the side of my shirt and managed to rip a chunk out of my finger. Ouch. I carried on with my day, started laundry, read the internet, and just discovered this:


What in Tar Nation is going on? (And yes, those are Corona pajama pants, courtesy of my sister, several Christmases ago.) The strings are out to get me!

*****

In serious, writerly news, my aunt has given me the go-ahead to talk about the promotion for her book, Freezing Point, that I helped with. She's doing a "World Tour" with her book, sending it to readers in different countries, where they take pictures. I had fun toting the book to the beach, among other places, so go check out her blog!

*****

Finally, here's a picture of the sunset the night before all the rain came.

I Think I've Lost My Marbles

Remember way back yesterday when I said July is hot? Seems I need to take that back. Yes, the air is so heavy you can see the hydrogen and oxygen atoms merging right in front of you, but the temperature is - get this - 74 degrees. In July.

It's been raining for about 24 hours and the clouds have blocked out the scorching sun (and my satellite signal). Last night we slept with the fan on LOW and this morning I actually wore a long sleeved-shirt. It was still sprinkling and my Midwest blood thought the mid-70s felt chilly, so I climbed inside my closet and grabbed a remnant from my old life.

By the time I'd navigated the market and walked home, I'd worked up a bit of a sweat. Before getting in the shower I did a bunch of leglifts and squats, then jogged in place for a couple minutes, because we don't have hot water. When the sun is out the water warms up but with weather like this, the water stays very cold - probably the similar to the cold tap on a normal sink or tub - and it's somewhat bearable if your body temperature is elevated.

By now you're probably wondering where the title of this blog post comes in. Right here: I got in the freezing cold shower and after the first excruciating thirty seconds, I loved it. It woke me up, refreshed me, and calmed my eternal headache. I don't know when exactly I became a person who likes cold showers, but I am. The only drawback is it's too cold to shave. ;)

Dead Hornets

If you've ever wondered what a pile of dead hornets looks like, here ya go:


Ibis destroyed the nest on the side of his nightstand and this is what was left on the floor. Yummy.

I've since eliminated (terminated?) the ants in the kitchen, but I still have to go through the cabinets to make sure there aren't any more cockroaches.

In other news, my friend Jes has resurfaced! Hurrah!

My Kitchen

After the talk of my view yesterday and this morning I decided to capture the morning sun and make you really jealous. ;) While we have a beautiful view, there are plenty of things I dislike.

1) The kitchen is really narrow. The property line cuts at an angle so the units on our end lose space in the kitchen. Notice how the counter extends beyond the doorway. Brings bonding while cooking to a whole new level.

2) The window doesn't have glass. While this keeps the breeze flowing, it also means we can't block out bugs, rain, smoke, or the neighbors' music. But it does give me a place to keep my clothespins.

3) We don't have a real countertop. The man would made our cabinets put plain wood on the top so we'd have a working surface, and we planned to finish it shortly after we moved in. One year later we still have the plain wood, gaps and all. We're hoping to get a concrete counter, but the car needs work so that may have to wait a bit longer.

4) The sink is tiny. No comment necessary.

5) We have very little counter space. What you can't see in the picture is our stove, which begins at the left edge of the counter, and the fridge is beyond that. I get very creative when cooking meals.

6) We don't have a stove or toaster oven. While I've mastered making toast on the stove (and actually prefer it that way) I'd LOVE to be able to toss dinner in the oven and not have to worry about it for half an hour. My mom is baking cookies tonight and now I really want homemade cookies!

It's Raining Styrofoam

This morning I woke up to the sound of someone drilling the bedroom ceiling. The concrete ceiling. The developers have promised to finish all the work within the next couple weeks and one of the final projects is our roof deck. I use the word "deck" loosely since right now it's basically a concrete slab with water tanks and a couple palapas (thatch umbrella thingys).

The key piece they're working on now is a wall to keep people from falling off. We asked about it at the building Christmas party and (ticks off fingers) six months later it's finally happening. Building a wall doesn't normally require drilling, but remember my post a few weeks ago with the picture of our satellite dish? The one on the edge of the wall-less roof? Yeah, that needed to move.

Fortunately Ibis took it upon himself to move the dish (I was worried the workmen would drop it) and an hour later and several calls to the satellite company, we had signal again. Since I was awake I got out of bed to start my morning cleaning, and was greeted with this:

Zooming doesn't seem to be my strong suit, so what you're looking at are little styrfoam balls. Why is there styrofoam on your deck? you ask? Because of the materials used to build in Mexico. Most buildings are concrete and they use inch-thick styrofoam sheets with a metal frame/cage-like support around it. If you drill deep enough into the concrete, you hit foam. Pull out the drill and voila!

While I was on the deck I remembered to take a picture of our washer/dryer unit. Yes, I have a nice view while doing laundry. The white plastic box on the far wall is a retractable clothesline. I stood in front of the kitchen sink to take the picture, so this is also my view when I wash dishes.

36 Hours Later

It finally stopped raining this morning. I guess Mexico is an all-or-nothing kind of place. Last night we lost power off and on from 10-11pm and the wind whipping through our windows made it feel like we were part of a horror movie. At one point cracked the kitchen window to see how bad it was and realized it wasn't as windy as I thought; the windows aren't sealed so it was only howling inside the condo.

We didn't go running this morning because when it rains, it pools, and I didn't feel like drowning my sneakers, so our first venture outside was bringing Ibis to work. The streets were still wet, but not flooded, and they were filled with debris from trees and homes alike. The paper said eighteen trees and two posts were knocked down, and one professional surfer washed to shore. I'm not sure if that was related to the storm but Kin Kin's body was found in Ixtapa. I imagine the waves were huge last night and oh-so tempting to those who seek out the big thrills. At least it wasn't a shark.

I've gotten so used to the intense heat that comes with no rain that I was surprised yesterday's laundry was still damp. Typically clothes - even jeans - dry in a couple hours, and dishes take even less time. When the sun came out this morning around 9am and began drying up the remnants from the storm, I put our still-wet laundry back on the line. While hanging it, I looked down at our neighbors and counted three other women doing the same thing. Either I'm turning into a Mexican woman or it's just common sense.

I just checked - it's been a couple hours and everything is dry!

The Sky Looks Beautiful

We've been busy the past couple days tackling home projects and I didn't have anything blog-worthy to write about. Well, I did run over a pigeon but aren't they supposed to get out of the way when you approach them at five miles per hour? I felt bad but it was gone when I returned and I figure the local dogs had a nice meal.

I was on the roof this afternoon and took a picture where you can actually see the bay. Nice day, eh? If you look closely you can just make out the water. Trust me, it's there. At the base of the mountains. Still don't see it? Between the yellow-orange building and the other with a bit of green. Hey, I didn't promise a good view.



But the REAL reason for this post and what I'm super excited about it THIS:


Tomorrow is exactly one year since we moved into our condo and it's taken us that long to break down and get a satellite. The Wings game starts in less than an hour so I better get moving. I have a lot of channels to search through!

PS - That black container behind the satellite dish stores the water. Most roofs in Mexico have them and when they are empty, we run out of water.

I Love the Internet

I feel like I've said this before. My memoir has half a chapter devoted to my adoration of the internet, so I suppose it only makes sense that I'd talk about it here.

Yesterday I tried to find an adapter for my AlphaSmart but the man at the store said they don't exist. "In this store, or in Zihua?" I asked, since most salesclerks are not that helpful and would rather you just leave than make them work.

"Zihua," he confirmed, so off to the internet I went!

Two minutes after googling serial to USB adapter I found many many stores that not only have the adapter I need, they'll ship it to me. Here in Mexico! Well golly gee. Granted it costs $35 to ship a $4 piece of equipment, but since the AS was free, don't mind spending a bit to make it work. I'm sure this won't be the last time I'll need such an adapter anyway.

I was beginning to worry that my new toy would be banished to the closet but now the day draws nearer where I can write (type) wherever my heart pleases.

Paying Bills

Bill paying in Mexico is a little different than in the US. They still want your money, but you have to pay in person and not all utilities are due every month. The only bills we get are the phone/internet (monthly) and electric (every three months).

Last month neither bill arrived and I spent the first two weeks of the month worried that our utilities would be cut off. Yes, I could've gone into the offices but the whole Spanish thing deters me from many tasks that I wouldn't have thought twice about in the Chicago. The phone was cut off last week - but oddly, not the internet - so I brought in an old bill and fumbled through an explanation. The woman scanned the bar code on the bill (much more convenient than rattling off account numbers) and told me the amount due. Easy peasy.

We still haven't received an electric bill so today I plan to go into the office. The main difference between the two utilities is at the electric company you pay at a reverse ATM, rather than dealing with an actual person. An infrared light scans the bar code then a display tells how much you owe. You insert bills and/or coins, then the machine gives you your change. Ibis seems to think I can bring an old bill and it will tell me what we owe.

We shall see.

The phone company does have an automatic withdrawal method but the first month we tried to use it, it only deducted the amount for the internet and the phone was cut off. I still haven't figured out how that happened.

In really exciting news, we've decided to finally get cable! We're still debating between satellite (more sports) and traditional cable (don't know the benefit) but hopefully we'll be running in the next couple weeks. As soon as the NHL & NBA finals are over.

Water is Overrated

Yeah, yeah, we need water to live, to bathe, to frolick in the yard, but really is it that important?

Um, yes.

Ibis had yesterday off so we spent the day doing couple things - we went out for breakfast, ran some errands, then watched the Manchester United vs. Chelsea futbol match in an outdoor bar. The length of the game (they were still tied after two overtimes and it went to extra penalty kicks) forced us to skip the beach, but we arrived home very relaxed.

Until we turned on the water.

Once again, we had none. This was a big problem when we first moved in a year ago and the developers hadn't yet put in the permanent pump, but it's been running smoothly since then. Every now and then we've run out - usually when guests are flying in from the States - but we could rely on it for the most part.

In the past month we've run out of water at least three times per week. We discovered the recent dryness at 4:30pm and it's 10:30am now. There is a water supply from the adjacent building so we can get water, but we live on the fourth floor and have to carry it up, two bucketfuls at a time. At least I'm getting my exercise.

As often happens when the pump runs dry, we ran out of drinking water, too. I don't generally use it for cleaning but when there's nothing else, you use what you have. Fingers crossed they fix it soon.

Genius or Lazy?

Please note the piece of bread on the middle shelf.



The other day I told Ibis that something in the fridge smelled bad. I keep it pretty clean so the odds of anything rotting in the back are slim to none, but something was clearly unhappy.

"Can you find what's causing the smell?" I asked.

"I'll take a look."

Famous last words. I didn't pay attention to whether he actually investigated the odor, but later in the day I saw this lonely piece of bread. My initial reaction was frustration. Why didn't he put the bread back in the bag when he decided not to eat it? But then I wondered, Did he leave it out on purpose?

I've heard that various food items absorb odors, often when you really rather they didn't, so maybe he was just being clever. As much as I enjoy giving him credit when it's deserved, I can't decide if this is one of those situations.

So what do you think? Genius, or lazy?


ps - For those of you who've heard me speak of it, the big dark object in the upper left corner is our 4L jug of wine.

Pictures!

Guess who has new batteries for the camera?

First, here are my new flip flops. See how my nail polish matches so nicely? I swear it had nothing to do with my purchase...



Next, a candy wrapper purse I bought last Friday night. I didn't mention it before but figured I may as well throw in it there while I'm taking pictures.




And finally. The moment you've all been waiting for... my AlphaSmart!

Holy Guacamole!

Yesterday I did a very stupid thing. It started with the best intentions but it took a bad turn about an hour in.

You see, I accompanied a friend to the doctor, my doctor, because she needed to go and I speak better Spanish than her. Yes, my doctor thought it was funny that after months of needing Ibis by my side to translate, I'm now the translator. So anyway, we were in the doctor's office when I noticed the scale against the wall.

We don't have a scale at home and while I think that's generally a healthy thing, there comes a time when you do want to know how much you weigh. I knew I'd gained a few pounds over the past few months because while my clothes still fit, they take a little longer to get on. I've been blaming the heat and the fact that I begin sweating five minutes after toweling off from my shower (have you ever tried getting dressed while still wet?) but that little voice kept insisting there was more to the story.

In general I exercise regularly and eat very healthy. My biggest problem is portion control. Last month I decided I needed to crack down on myself and whip my butt back into shape. Literally. It all goes to my hips & rear end. I've been making progress and have started seeing a difference, but I still have a ways to go. Cut to yesterday.

I climbed on the scale and kept pushing the little weight further to the right. Everything here is metric so while I knew the number wasn't good I wasn't sure how much I'd gained until I got home and did the conversion to pounds.

Right now, AFTER losing some weight this past month, I'm STILL ten pounds heavier than I was when we moved here. I'm terrified to know what I weighed a month ago! It probably has a lot to do with the fact that we don't eat dinner until Ibis gets home from work, often close to 9pm. I know that's terrible but I really enjoy sitting down with my husband.

I really hope this isn't my age creeping up on me!