Don’t know what it is about these

Since Pat’s leaving this morning, we had our b-day celebrations a day early and went to La Matera to eat our own weight in perfectly cooked very rare steak. We sampled a couple of Chilean wines and at the end of it Sita got a waiter to come over with a mil hojas cake with a candle and i was sung (with varying levels of expertise), Las Mananitas. It didn’t reach the level of brutality that Ed mustered with his pinata, and that’s a good thing. Jose also showed up with the latest Propaganda (Jose’s an incredibly accomplished poet… among other things). Anyroad, a few more beers and comeraderie at home and then off to bed latish. A fine, fine night all round. The only negative point is that I might not be up for Fernando and Aldo’s DJing this evening, then again, maybe with a strategic power nap… I’m not as young as I used to be you know. I don’t know how these kids manage it. The prospect of a quiet evening in with Sita, vino tinto, scrabble and one of the DVDs she got me is looking better every minute. Thanks for all the emails and comments, muy amables todos.

It’s very tricky to photograph jet black dogs in very sunny conditions, especially when they never look at the camera… Sita and Monica photograph well though. And they pampered Mr. Cus to bits yesterday afternoon with special Barbie-Princess-themed “Champú para perros”. He enjoyed it more than the photos appear to show…

After all that fun, Jose came round and made his trademark dish: Bocado de Cielo. It’s billed as a lasagne with tortillas instead of pasta and jumbo prawns instead of meat. But actually, every lasagne ingredient goes out the window and is replaced with chilis or manchego cheese and other stuff, and what you end up with really has nothing to do with lasagne. But is delicious. Jana and Victor came round too and showed us some of their photos from Ecuador. A good night…

I´m liking the daily cartoons from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.

Ice cream in the shade in Ajijic, Jalisco

I’m not looking for sympathy here, and I know it doesn’t sound like hard work, but eating out, sight-seeing and cocktails every evening soon takes it out of you. It’s been a really fun week between Easter with its attendant activities and barbecues and travel, even fitting in an hour or so of lucha libre, but it’s time for a break of sorts. I could probably have handled it all before I turned 31, pero ya no…

Anyroad, yesterday Sally, Minnie and I did the obligatory Chapala, Ajijic trip, this time with added open house visiting goodness. There’s photos if you click around enough after clicking the photo above. Some very nice, newly-built places with jacuzzis, lake views, and neighbours from Ontario that won’t cost you much more than 275,000 of your Earth dollars. I’ve still yet to manage to drive back home from the chapala/airport road without taking the wrong turn off though and touring either the netherparts of Central Guadalajara or the Perifery delights of Gwod’s ring road. One day… It doesn’t help that if you want to get to the house you have to follow signs for cities hundreds of miles away like Puerto Vallarta and Nogales neither… Eeh well.

Sita’s had some great news on the academic/ financial front, email her for more info. Suffice to say we should be able to stay in MX longer than originally planned and we’re celebrating tonight. Not sure where yet though. I think the only place I could really handle would have to be an oxygen bar. And not if it’s even slightly crowded. Sometime this weekend we’re also going to celebrate by buying a lovely new kitchen bin which won’t overflow once you’ve put an avocado skin and a water bottle in. And Sally’s treating us to a microwave oven too so we can enter into a glorious new age of nachos and cheese, quesadillas and baked spuds. Thanks Sally & Martin : )

Also this weekend, time to stock up on DVDs again. Though I’ve just got myself season II of Monkey Dust which is proving to be as ascerbic and entertaining as ever. Any recommendations? (comments below, preferably recent releases or Mexican classics, cheers). Proof (2006)’s been getting good reviews, anyone seen it? It’s got my tocaya in it, Gwyneth Paltrow…

Alrighty, regards, I’m off to do my election sloganeering. The best one I saw yesterday was “He’s not a liar, He’s not a cheat, He’s Alberto Ramirez”, your candidate for Tlajomulco or some such.

And your pun for the day: Da Vinci Code II via B3ta

Am now officially knackered after my 3am drain unblocking, computer unplugging, sandwich eating antics last night… Couldn’t sleep even with gentle music in my earphones and my eyes covered by the sheets… So apparently, the rainy season has started…