"They will tell you, 'you can't sleep alone in a strange place', then they tell you `you can`t sleep with somebody else.`"

by Stephanie... in Mexico

I referred to a coworker as the "Canadian Time Share Messiah" and I got fired from my job as a real estate efficienado. Surprising? Not really, though I am certain the two events weren't directly related. What is surprising is that a week after firing me, my former boss tracked me down and asked if he could rent a room and be my flatmate. He did not see the strangeness of asking someone he just fired if he could move in. He also apparently did not find the humor of a real estate broker needing somewhere to live. I passed on my first chance at a 55-yr-old Mexican roommate. My Spanish might suffer. That's a risk I'll have to take.

For morale, I feel that it is important to be doing something more difficult than trying to learn Spanish, so I am surfing a couple mornings a week. The problem I find with both these endeavors is that improvement at either is nigh impossible to detect. All I notice is the things I cannot say and how much sand I have in my nose.

It has not been all losses since you last heard from me though. Operating on a standing policy of speaking to strangers in bars, I met the owner of the local skydive operation. I now have a nameplate on the right seat of his Twin Otter. As missing out on flying was the principle sacrifice of "Operation: Move to Mexico, Learn Spanish, and Eat my weight in Chips and Salsa", this turn of events was miraculous. "The Lord, He does provide." One of the company planes needs to go back to the States, so tomorrow, weather allowing, I will be spending 10 hours flying, 3 hours getting searched for drugs at the border, and 12 hours on the ground eating Cheez-its and drinking all the tap water I can swallow.

Happy Birthday, Carrie!

by Anna

You know you're really my friend if you get this for your birthday.

In honor of the trusty soundtrack to some long car rides and late nights, I proudly presented my old college roommate with a bottle of Old Whiskey River for her birthday. And yes, the faux autographed guitar pick is yours to keep.

A Standard Exchange Between Steph & Anna

From: Anna
To: Steph
Subject: Flight Details: Game On
Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2006 10:18 AM

Ok, dude. I bought the ticket [to come see you]. A lay-over in Mexico City? I better bring a pocket knife...

-------------------------------

From : Steph
To : Anna
Subject : RE: Flight Details: Game On
Date : Friday, February 3, 2006 5:03 PM

Awesome Opposum, I say.
I can top your layover in Mex. City with the news that I have been recruited as a copilot for the local skydiving company. they busted an engine in one of their planes and the replacement is being held hostage near the border in Monterey. I am supposed to do an overnight mission with the company owner tonight to try to recover the lost engine and bring it back. It will be 7 hours of flight time in a night cross country over all of mexico. and, handily, the plane we will fly is a very common alaska bush plane. if i get shot down by a drug cartel, you can still stay at my place in feb. I live in the neighborhood of Pelicanos in Ixtapa... the pink apartment building. no. 303. that should get you there.

see you soon,
steph