Monday, September 26, 2005

still...

a floater in my left eye. i really wish someone could tell me how much longer i'm gonna have it...so annoying.

went to see my acupuncturist today. she and her husband have moved for the fourth and final time, to a building that they purchased and has tenants (mainly dentists). it's REALLLY nice. i couldn't believe how spacious their office suite was. it has six treatment rooms as well as two separate offices. unfortunately, this location is not as close as the old one...but it's only a few minutes further. no big deal.

i originally went in to see if needling would reduce the dilation in my eye. although it has been nearly a month since my last steroid and dilation drops, my left pupil is still dilated - about twice the size of normal. surprisingly, i'm able to drive (without sunglasses) in the opposite direction of strong sunlight. sure, i still need the shades if i'm driving into the sun, but it's not as fierce.

no needling for the eye though. she treated my goutish right foot and my sour stomach. the foot has been giving me problems since march. initially, it was the right big toe that swelled up and looked like a sausage. the toe is better now but the swelling has moved into the ball of the foot. ugh. and it's achy and maintains a dull throb. damn uveitis...

the stomach, meanwhile, hasn't been right for about a week, the day after we arrived in Cancun. i think we may have gotten a bug at a place we ate (no, not a street stall - they're usually pretty clean because of all the locals - but a hotel buffet). you'd think that after 19 trips to latin america and three stints working there, i'd have an iron stomach. i do, actually. i haven't had a food borne disease in probably ten years. so, instead of bouts with diarrhea, i got a testy tummy...much preferred.

anyway, i got three or four needles in my belly, four in my toe, and three more in my legs. she told me that the stomach stuff will clear up (and already has), the gout will need both needling and herbs, and that i'll get eye treatment on the next visit. i guess you can't do eye stuff if you have stomach related problems.

so i go back on thursday for more pincushioning.

have i told you that i love my acupuncturist? she is so cool...and such an amazing, caring doctor. Cindi, didn't we talk about getting you to go see her?

Monday, September 19, 2005

breezy...

man, these keyboards are strange. i know that last year, when we were in Spain, we had a hard time with keys in different places. i think this keyboard layout is similar to the ones we were using in Bolivia and Peru...but i wasn´t blogging then.

right now, we have settled into an a/c cooled internet cafe on Avenida Uxmal, near the bus station. it´s fairly new, has extremely clean bathrooms, and has excellent LCD monitors and super T1 connections.

we´re off to the supermarket for water and maybe some souvenirs. really. if you want pretty good souvenirs for a good price in Cancún, large supermarkets like Comercial Mexicana and Chedraui have t-shirts, etc. sure, you can´t get the ´special´souvenirs like blankets, serapes, or nasty pipes, flutes, keychains, but enough already...

as i mentioned, we´re in cancun now. the heat is strong but there´s a breeze. we did get into the place that we had been considering...but it´s not as nice as the website pics. i digress. the rooms are as nice as the pics. however, there are small details that you can´t see...just ask lois because she was gonna go on a rampage about the lack of electrical outlets/hangers/closet and the inclusion of a kitchen sink faucet arm in the bathroom sink. that´s what happens when you ride the bus for 22 hours out of 48...RAAHRRR

grouchy baby

you shoulda seen the scene caused by her and a little shit yorkie by the name of martina when we were in Puebla. we had walked into a coffee place called ´Coffee All Day´(a real nice old house with cool tile and fountains). well, as we ordered, the owner of the place was standing next to us when her little yorkie went up to lois and started licking her hand and kissing her. lois asked to lift her into her lap when the dog went postal on her. SHE FREAKED and was nothing but a ball of teeth, hair, and eyeballs - all over the place.

okay...

of course, we just laughed and the shitter retreated to her gramma and auntie on the sofa. what´s even funnier is that martina went after lois when she got up to go to the bathroom!!!

YOU GO GIRL!

after another chuckle, lois went on her merry way to pee and martina got thumped in the back of the neck by her auntie and whacked on the side of her face by her gramma.

that ga-bing ga-bing...bouncing off the walls and snapping like a venus flytrap

that was three days ago...and we still get a kick out of it. i think cokie was never ka-razy like that because she never got thumped or whacked...even if she did deserve it ;)

today, we´re just gonna continue recovering from our bus rides. late in the afternoon, we may go to the beach and stroll before hanging out with our friend Yani.

Saturday, September 17, 2005

WTF?

we did make it to villahermosa today. freakin´hot...that´s what it is. imagine a Dallas or Houston summer - year round. luckily, we found an internet cafe with a/c...

well, there was a slight change in plans. we were planning to go to one of our favorite archaeological sites, Palenque, which we haven´t visited in more than six years, but i spaced getting tix for the noon bus and ended up staying in town instead. sigh. sure, we´ve been there more than a half dozen times, but they´ve been doing some extensive work over the past few years. ah well.

now, where did we leave off? oh yeah, blogging in mexico city before the internet place closed early for the independence day celebrations.

i forgot to mention that we had visited a couple other places, the Diego Rivera Mural Museum and the Franz Mayer Museum. both are within a block of each other in the Alameda Park area.

the Diego Rivera museum is not that special. the central piece in there is his most famous work, Sunday in Alameda Park, which depicts mexican history from the conquest to 1947 (whgen he executed it). it´s a massive piece, probably 15´x 60´. i´ll look for a link so you all can see it.

sorry about the vague descriptions, we´re a bit short on time. we still have to eat and get back to our room before we head to the bus station for our overnight to Cancún...

the Franz Mayer museum is mainly a decorative art museum with pieces from the sixteenth century forward. while the pieces, especially the carved wood, were impressive, what really caught our attention was the temporary exhibit of world press photos awards for 2005. we´re talking about uncensored, heart-wrenching pics that are certainly not ´pc´ enough for our society. much of the photos are from war torn areas, recent disasters, and areas of strife. whenever you see stuff like this, you continually reaffirm how damn lucky and fortunate we are. what´s even more powerful is that many of the iraq photos certainly didn´t put the US in a good light...truth hurts.

on to the independence day celebrations...as interpreted by lois. ¡Qué emocionante!! to be in the heart of Tenochtitlan 500 years later celebrating the biggest Mexican holiday with our southern neighbors. We were crushed with the other 100,000 people in the Zocalo laughing, spraying canned foam, throwing confetti and enjoying ourselves immensely. The walk down Madero blvd was a hoot. Thousands of people in the streets where usually we only see crazy traffic. When we arrived in the Zócalo, it was surrounded by vivid light displays depicting the flag of mexico, the eagle, and banners declaring ¨Viva México¨

At 11 o·clock, President Fox came out on the balcony of the presidential palace accompanied by unbelievable noise of cheers, toy horns, screaming...imagine that followed by a stunning display of fireworks over the Metropolitan Cathedral. The wall back through Cinco de Mayo blvd was like forcing a camel through the eye of a needle. We were jostled, shoved as we literally inched our way back to our hotel. It was an experience I´ve waited for for years, and will remember forever.

See ya soon from Cancún.
Spencer & L

Thursday, September 15, 2005

weird...

thought i´d blog some and when i logged on to blogger.com, most of the icons/info is in Spanish. Right now I´m dictating to Lois because she types about 90 words a minute. (at least)... which is about twice as fast as me.

getting here monday was like coming home. the familiar sights, sounds, and smells (although not always good) greeted us as we got into the city. weather has been good, mostly in the 70`s with cool nights and rain in the late afternoon.

the city has been gearing up for the Independence Day celebrations, which start later tonight. there´s a bunch of vendors selling plastic mexican flags, assorted new year´s items, and even cascarones, which are colored egg shells filled with confetti. usually, these eggs are smashed on other peoples heads during holy week.

so far, it has been a very busy trip. of course, monday was spent getting our bearings and resting a bit. we took a walk into the center of downtown, which is due east of our hotel. it was a bit strange walking along Avenida 5 de Mayo, which takes you right into the main plaza and cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana). it seems that the city has moved many of the ambulatory vendors out to other areas of town. i think they want to portray a cleaner city with more upscale offerings. granted, the hoity toity still reside in affluent neighborhoods such as San Angel, Roma, and Condesa, but we were truly surprised to find the street vendors gone and upscale boutiques in the storefronts.

ugh. *$$, McDonalds, and even 7-11 have infiltrated downtown mexico city. in our walk the first night, we passed four 7-11s in just a mile radius. we don´t get the draw of a *$$...why pay such exorbitant prices when you can get a much better cup of joe in regular cafes? and i know that McD`s, KFC`s and Subway have already indelibly permeated Mexican society, it´s just a shame. in the name of progress, they will start losing much of their identity, replacing it with trivial convenience.

enough though.

yesterday, we got out late and attempted to find our favorite cafe, El Reloj. i state "attempted" because it´s gone...damn. although we never knew the exact address, we knew it sat across the street from a huge bakery. looks like it has been replaced with a clothing store. sigh.

anyway, we found a really nice place to eat our lunch, even if it was tinged with nostalgic sadness. the food was quite good but the service was not. uninterested youth who don´t value a good job; some waiters keep a job for life.

after lunch, we made our way to Cafe Emir, which has been run by a Lebanese family for nearly 70 years. the coffee was grand as usual, although the prices have spiked (probably due to *$$ moving in). thank god they´re still there. tomorrow, we´re going to our favorite coffee place in Puebla...in all of Mexico, actually - Tres Gallos. they have phenomenal coffee drinks that are on the foo foo side. Cindi, you´d really like this place...put ALL those american coffee places to shame.

we finally got off our lazy coffee swilling assses to get over to the Trotsky museum, which is located south of town, in a quiet suburb called, Coyoacan. we`re not huge Trotskyites, but history is history. it was almost eerie to walk in a place where a revolutionary had lived and had been assassinated. the fortifications of Leon Trotsky´s house were remarkable.

dang, the internet cafe closes in six minutes. we gotta get some pertinent info regarding some hotels in Cancun...so we gotta go.

see you soon

Monday, September 12, 2005

has...

it already been a week? sorry 'bout that.

well, other than cramming some new songs on the iPod, the week wasn't anything special. we watched Lois' eye swell up from a stye and eventually subside to a small pimple on the eyelid. we almost had it out with an idiot company that 'books' hotels in Mexico...only to find out they don't have instant confirmation and give you the run around. i'll keep you posted on that. there had better NOT be any charges on my credit card...grrr.

so i just got a hotel booked for Mexico City. usually, i wouldn't worry about it because there's a surplus of rooms...even in a town of 8 million people (20 million in the metropolitan area). however, seeing as this is the week of mexican independence, many places will be sold out on the night of the 15th. better safe than sorry, right? and trust me, we have had our share of being sorry when it comes to a hotel room...

weather is supposed to be in the 70's all week with a 30-60% of rain - kinda typical of mexico city from june to september. villahermosa and cancun will be in the mid-90's and high humidity. lois was mentioning how it's a bit of a hassle to pack for two climates.

gotta jump in the shower and be at the airport in an hour. hope you all have a great week!

Sunday, September 04, 2005

have you been...

to PostSecret lately? there are new post cards up.

go look...NOW!

finally...

finished watching 'How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'. we had been trying to watch it over the past three days, only to fall asleep after 20 minutes or so. it's not that it was boring - not at all - we just started watching too late every time.

ever see it? kind of a classic...considering there were few movie musicals in the late 60's. i can only think of 'Thoroughly Modern Millie'...'Oliver'...'Sweet Charity'...'Hello, Dolly!'...'Camelot'...and 'Paint Your Wagon'.

i was totally surprised by the awesome voices of the cast. i had no idea that Michele Lee, who is known for her dramatic work in 'Knots Landing', had such a sweet voice...kinda like Barbra Streisand w/ Lena Horne phrasing. wow!

basically, the movie is about a window washer named Pierpot Finch, who buys a book called 'How To...(same as movie)' and moves up the corporate ladder. within a couple weeks, he has back stabbed, manipulated, and ass kissed his way up to Chairman of the Board. it really is a hilarious ride. what's even funnier is that, even though the movie was made nearly 40 years ago, much of the corporate crap portrayed in the movie is evident today.

the strongest points of the movie are definitely the choreography and music. the legendary Bob Fosse choreographed the slick dance scenes and Nelson Riddle (who was famous for his work with Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole), with his sweeping strings and soaring horns, directed the music.

i think i must spend another three days watching it again ;)

one last update...

on the eye. i did see the retinal specialist on monday and he says that everything is looking extremely good. although i still have a major floater which has detached from a nerve ending, that and the cloudiness will dissipate over the upcoming months.

YAY!!!

i've been off all ophthalmic drops for a week now. the dilation is starting to finally break up; the pupil is ACTUALLY shrinking!

i have one more visit with the corneal specialist the week following my trip to Mexico. still a little anxious...but this time it's for all the right reasons. remember my anxiety in my June 7th posting? THAT was due to the uncertainty of the diagnosis. well, no more. all things bright and beautiful...

i truly think reading blogs is good therapy for eye afflictions. provided you have one eye to read 'em with :)

did you know...

that taking a vitamin B complex from Target

...makes your pee an intense neon yellow?

weird.

Friday, September 02, 2005

whatchudoin...

this weekend? i know some people (like 500,000) are going to the TasteofColorado at the Civic Center Plaza. it's a time honored Labor Day weekend tradition. more than 50 food booths, numerous crafts, kiddie rides, music stages, and never ending throngs of people.

i used to like going...but i'm getting more and more intolerant of crowds as i get older. of course, this coming from a person who loves to go to huge metropolitan areas like Mexico City, Lima, Madrid, Chicago, NYC...and one of these days: Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Shanghai, and Tokyo/Yokohama.

instead, we may go to Lakeside Amusement Park for a train ride and some barf-o-rama rides. well, for lois ;) after i had labyrinthitis in 1996, i can't do the roller coasters, tilt-a-whirls, etc. boo. we could always go to Six Flags and drop some serious money, but we're savin' pennies for our trip. besides, they don't have a train ride or 10 cent tix. it's all about nostalgia, ain't it?

i love eBay...

i've used eBay for the better part of five years now and have loaded up the house with numerous things. it's the must spend attitude, especially when there's a deal to be had, right?

well, today i got some earbud headphones that i won last week. they're Sennheiser MX400s that retail for $14.99. i didn't quite get 'em for a steal, but with shipping, they cost me less than $7.

there's something about the sound of Sennheisers. they create a rich and bassy sound that is usually devoid in Sonys, et al. sure, i have an old, trusty pair of fontopias (Sony earbuds) that have lasted me for probably ten years, but they are a bit tinny. even though i've bought Sennheiser products for twenty years now, it's always nice to get more ;)

never heard of 'em? well, it's a german company that has been making headphones for at least 70 years. they're known for the classic and funky looking HD414's that they started making in the early 30's. and now, their line consists of affordable portable headphones ranging in the $10-$20 range to electrostatic headphones going for $15,000. yeah, you read that right...fifteen grand. would you like this car or a pair of headphones?

of course, those electrostatic headphones are custom made for the audiophile maniac with way too much money. there are some HD650's though, that can be had for a mere $500. here's a pic:




i don't think so. however, i wouldn't mind the HD580's, they only cost $200...



or some HD265's for a measly $160...



gotta look for some better prices you know where...

mouse is dying...

so i'll spend some time typin' while it's recharging. even 15 minutes of charging is good...

speaking of dying mice, we have those too. due to lois' kindheartedness, feeding the birds/squirrels has brought in a bevy of mice into the house. they had already been hanging out in the tall decorative grasses in the back when they decided to move in. after all, if there's good food outside, there may be better INside. and we rodentia hear that the little red bungalow has hot water heat (in the radiators) and a cozy fireplace. yeah, we don't even require deposits...even if they leave a coprolitic one.

so...we've been busy buying glue traps and poisoned bait. a traditional snap trap baited with pnut butter is still a good option. however, these little buggers are pretty good at stealing the treat without setting off the trap. glue? while it's not the most humane option - they end up starving to death - it's more foolproof.

in the past week or so, eight mice have met their fate near the dishwasher, where they hole up underneath. there are two entrances/exits which we put the traps near. of course, it'd be much easier to bung up the holes. unfortunately, that means finding the outside holes from which they enter (as well). i think we're gonna do the traps there for a couple weeks before tackling that. i always have visions of proliferating mice underneath the floorboards...unable to reach them.