Reciprocity, anyone?

I generally avoid issues relating to my wife's work; it's a good way to get her in trouble. This is more of a general political-diplomatic issue, so, with her caveat that she's not allowed to post such things, I'm going to rant a bit.

First off, a brief explanation of the IVA tax. It's a value-added tax (VAT); details here. The tax doesn't apply to everything, so it doesn't help with much of the food cost or medicine, but it does apply to imported items and luxuries. If you go to a nice restaurant and order drinks, you will be paying IVA. If you have a sizable group of folks at a happy hour or a farewell dinner, the IVA can add up to a sizable amount.

American diplomats in Mexico are entitled to a refund of the IVA tax. Sounds great, right? There's just one problem: lots of hoops! First off, you can't apply for a refund on any purchase less than US $50. Some stores and the Pemex gas stations allow you to combine receipts obtained within a month into a single "factura" (tax statement/receipt) and meet the $50 minimum. (Telmex, the monopoly phone company, and Pemex also don't have to hit the $50 limit for filing.) If you miss that target amount, even if it's only by a few pennies due to the fluctuating currency valuation, you get nothing back.

So, you have some qualifying receipts - what next? Well, first there's a deadline: you must submit within 90 days (60 days is advised for us, since we have to ship our stuff to the Embassy - does it really take 30 days to travel there???) of the date on the receipt. Second, there's a form and procedures: fill out the spreadsheet, print it out, sign it, tape (not staple) each factura and accompanying receipt to a plain sheet of white paper, sign that, too, group the receipt/factura bundle with the spreadsheet, put it in an envelope, and send it to the US Embassy in Mexico City. At some point in the future, you'll get a refund. When? Who knows? (Turnaround has been several months for us.)

If you make a mistake on any part of the rules, you have probably lost any chance of getting your refund. Some of you may say, "but at least you're getting a refund!" True, but let's look at how Mexican diplomats are treated in the United States. A Mexican diplomat is presented with a tax exemption card. No sales taxes are charged on purchases made with this card. No muss, no fuss, no taxes.

Meanwhile the Mexican government decided to encourage tourists to visit Mexico by (wait for it) refunding the IVA tax at handy kiosks in airports. The story doesn't give all the relevant details, but here's a great little quote:

"Of the money they can claim back at airports, tourists will be able to get half in cash pesos, up to a maximum of 10,000 pesos ($955). The rest will be credited to their bank accounts or credit cards within 40 days."

Immediately?! Within 40 days?! Gee, do you think they'd mind if US diplomats started queuing up at these kiosks? According to our own government's web site, we're supposed to receive reciprocity; obviously we are not. The Mexican government is clearly more concerned with the happiness of US tourists than US diplomats. Perhaps it's time to write my representatives and complain about this specific issue or start a petition.

Oops, forgot one!

I forgot to include this bit: Christian Bale (currently playing the new Batman) has been cast to play in the next Terminator film and two possible sequels! Woohoo! I'm currently trying to keep up with the local rebroadcast of Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles and gladly welcome another feature film or three!

Emily and I have been practicing our Albanian vocabulary before bed most nights. I've learned a few words. Mostly I've learned just how painful the learning process will be, before we even get into all the compound tenses....

Saturday night Emily and I went to see "El Hombre de Hierro," otherwise known as Iron Man. I loved it! I liked the effects, enjoyed the sarcastic dialogue, and, what can I say, I'm a sucker for SciFi/Fantasy, which is the heart and soul of most comic books. Upon returning home, I immediately tried to find the soundtrack, but unfortunately they only seem to be selling the score.


I forgot to mention, I saw it in IMAX for less than six bucks. Gotta love that bit of Monterrey! Unfortunately that is my single complaint of the entire movie: the theater. The left side speakers faded in and out quite often, really detracting from the auditory experience of seeing any film in an IMAX theater. Even so, it was well worth it.

Spoiler alert: my only complaint of the film itself was that Obadiah seemed to pick up the basics of suit function far too quickly for my liking. You could assume that maybe we didn't see all the training that Stark himself went through, but you can't make the same leap with Obadiah.

Rumor has it that if Iron Man does well, which by all accounts it's done very well, the studios are already looking into an Avengers movie. That could be fun.

Now, on to Prince Caspian, followed by the new Indiana Jones film (rumor has it it'll open in IMAX here, too!), and possibly The Incredible Hulk (sure hope they do a better job with this one than the last attempt in 2003) before we head back to the States. Unfortunately I won't be here for the IMAX screening of Batman: Dark Knight. Maybe I'll catch it at the Dulles IMAX.

Woohoo!

With a tremendous sigh of relief, reportedly heard as far away as Nuevo Laredo, I completed two of my classes recently (Biology and Geography), having already wrapped up an Advanced Composition class earlier. I extended a Java class until mid-July; given pack-out preparations, I needed the extra time. As I told one professor, I should have either taken no classes or maybe just one this semester. I'm burning out. My old brain can't handle this college stuff! :-)

So, I have some additional Java programming to do in the next six weeks and one more exam, but other than that, I am done. Whew.

Now maybe I can get back to a more reasonable schedule, to include walking the dog (now that her broken toe is completely healed) and more exercise in general, not to mention sorting my books into several piles: going to Albania, going to storage, donating, and possibly shipped to my brother. I believe the "donation" pile will end up being the largest. Most of my much-read SciFI/Fantasy paperbacks either have to be donated or shipped to my brother. Given that I can't ship media mail from here, only Priority Mail, it would probably cost about $30 to ship 20 pounds of books. I could probably replace them at a used book store at that rate.

What I do know is going with me is my reference and writing section. I expect that section to slowly expand over the years. My few signed first editions will go to storage, as will some hardbacks. (If anyone knows of a website where I can buy professional/library archiving materials, let me know quick!) Many of the computer books that Emily and I brought will go away; they've become too dated at this point. I might pursue a couple certifications if time permits during Albanian.

Critter Pix

A few days ago I spotted a lizard on the bricks of the patio. I grabbed the camera and sneaked outside, but couldn't spot it. Suddenly the lizard, an anole, dashed out of hiding and snatched a small roach as it ambled in the shade of the bush I was looking at. I had trouble getting the camera to focus on what *I* wanted, rather than whatever it chose, but I did get a decent action shot.



The greater tail grackle is one of the most common birds spotted here year-round. It's breeding season, so they are quite action right now. Boots has enjoyed chasing them out of our yard, repeatedly. She doesn't stand a chance of actually catching them and it makes her feel empowered, so I allow it. This male grackle was doing a bit of prancing atop our wall. I hope to get some better pictures of these guys later. In the right light, the black has green and blue overtones.


Today the woodpecker almost cooperated with me. We have several in our neighborhood (at least one mated pair), but I never manage to get pictures. Today this one was on the tree just outside the sliding glass door to the patio, but I didn't have a camera handy. I did get a picture of him on the other tree in the yard though, before he decided he didn't want an audience for his prospecting.

Too bad I didn't make the reunion...
...'cause I had ammunition!

No, I would not have gone psycho at my 20th HS reunion, had I been able to attend last October. And, yes, that does date me.

While going through boxes of stuff that were packed and shipped here that I never unpacked, I found a manila envelope containing the Senior Prophecy. In the spring of 1987 the senior class at Buffalo Gap High School was asked to fill out a short survey. Based upon that survey, personal interviews in some cases, and our general knowledge of our huge (@ 125 graduated, I think) class, Sean Neff and I composed a skit and performed it for the seniors. In this skit I played myself (a very complicated role, let me assure you) and Sean played a gypsy fortune teller. He wasn't a very well-to-do fortune teller; he couldn't even afford a crystal ball. Instead, he had a crystal bowl, complete with gold fish. Whenever he wanted more money he would complain that the future was cloudy, at which time I'd bribe him. He would then sprinkle in some food for the fish and things would clear right up. What can I say, we were operating on the cheap.

When I pulled out the slightly-yellowed notebook paper from the envelope, I immediately recognized Sean's handwriting. The first lines at the top of the page caught my attention, so I flipped the page and here was Sean's line:

"I see... I see... I see space, the final frontier. I see a ship boldly going where no man has gone before. I see Curt in the captain's chair.... Oh, he's just an actor. This is the set of Star Trek XIII: The Last Voyage."

I thought: how appropriate. All through college and beyond, Curt Sawyer has religiously maintained the roster of his ship, the USS Excalibur. Maybe the prophecy wasn't too far off after all.

Not only do I have the skit, I have our original notes, the surveys that people turned in, and other assorted bits. As I said... ammunition. Coulda been fun. Guess I'll save them for the next one. Let's see, I'll be home from Albania in mid-2011, so if we have a 25th, I might manage to make that... or I might already be at our next post. Only the Shadow knows.

Birds (and other beasties) of Monterrey
It's spring and bird-love is in the air. We have regular coo-fests and squabbles among the doves. I've heard the clay-colored robins (this site has the distinctive call they term the "mono-duet" that I hear frequently) this year, and seen a few, but apparently they've elected not to nest in my yard, which is fine by me. (See last year's problems here, under "critter updates.") I've heard, but not seen, what I believe to be Great Kiskadees, which we saw and heard last year. We also have what appear to be Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, or a very similar species. They don't nest in our yard, but do in our neighborhood somewhere. I also saw what I think was a pair of crows this morning, which is very unusual. I see plenty of great-tailed grackles, which are black, and buzzards, but no crows. Perhaps they're migrating?

We see a gecko on our front porch nearly every night and we've spotted several anoles this season (one in our yard, one in our neighbor's, and one the neighbor found on a plant in their house - they moved him outside).

In a case of extremely poor timing, a little hummingbird started building a nest in a tree in my yard last Thursday, while I was discussing tree trimming with the gardeners the landlord sent. I asked him not to cut that particular branch, but I guess all the trimming and activity was enough to scare it away. I saw it pop by a few times when things were quiet, but I've only seen a hummer back feeding on our lantana since. The few tiny twigs and bit of windblown insulation are the only signs that a nest was imminent. I tried to get a picture of the hummer on the branch, but it was too skittish. Here's the best picture of the (barely-started) nest I could get:



Today I spotted what appeared to be a Yellow-tailed Oriole in our neighbor's Jacaranda tree and also perched on a power line outside our bedroom window. It was feeding amongst the numerous purple blossoms. It would make a great picture, if only the bird wasn't so skittish and/or I had a better camera. (Note: if anyone has any digital camera recommendations, please let me know.) Nice pallet: light green foliage, light gray-brown bark, purple blossoms, and a bright yellow and black bird. You'll have to settle for a shot of a jacaranda branch, followed by two partial shots where I've circled the bird in red.




I also spotted one of the local hummingbirds (probably a broad-billed) and the local bumble and honey bees in the same tree. I'll try to get a shot of the bumblebees one day. They're large and solid black, unlike the black and gold we have back in the States.

I also spotted a migrant in our yard: Danaus plexippus, a Monarch Butterfly. Here's a picture I managed to catch of it feeding on our lantana bush.

A few quick updates
Travel - My trip back to the States went well. Visited with family, participated in my mandatory on-campus BIO lab, and did a little shopping. Watched the Transformers movie on DVD with my brother. It was okay, but it was a bit mature for the market for which they design the toys. Overall, I still prefer the cartoons.

Scary robot
Slashdot referred me to this YouTube video on Boston Dynamics' "Big Dog" robot. All I can say is... creepy. If I encountered that thing alone, particularly in the woods portion of the video, I might freak out a bit. Just a bit. :-)

Here's the video:


Weather update
Perhaps I'll post more about this later, but yesterday was a bit rough. I went to the Consulate in the morning to take an exam. That went fine, but when I left to catch my bus home I found that the pollution level had increased dramatically. Buildings less than 100 yards away were blurred. The hill that divides Monterrey from San Pedro, Loma Larga, was nearly invisible at a distance of maybe half a mile. You could smell and taste the pollution. The wind had picked up a little and it was gusting grit and dust everywhere. Altogether an unpleasant day was had by all. After catching my bus home, I did have one small high point. Walking from the bus stop to the house, I heard a distinctive tsk-tsk-tsk noise I've come to know well: hummingbird. I looked up and a small, dark green hummer with a bright red bill was perched in a tree overhead, looking decidedly unhappy over the increasing winds. Trash, leaves, and trashcans were blowing down my street. I managed to get our trashcan out to the curb just a few minutes before the trash truck picked up, and then quickly grabbed the empty can before it blew away.

We lost power briefly several times over the next two hours, with numerous flickers and dimmings, and then lost power completely around 1:30 PM. Power was restored about six hours later. Anyone know how long food is good in a refrigerator/freezer if the door is left closed? Guess I'll Scroogle it. Anyway, once Emily arrived home (had to manually open and shut the garage doors) we set about finding candles and flashlights. We baked a frozen pizza and ate it by candlelight.

As of 9 AM this morning, our cable TV still isn't working. That means we missed Jericho last night, as well as the opportunity to see if the Warner Channel carried the new episode of Big Bang Theory which we missed on Monday (Darn the revised Daylight Saving schedule! We're still an hour behind!).

With internet and power back and stable, I have lots of school work to finish (it's about mid-term time). Back to the salt mines.

Travel update and sad news
First off, I'm headed back to the States for a week. For part of that time I'll basically be unavailable by email (the horror!) since I'll be visiting my folks in the valley. I have to head back to do an on-campus lab in Alexandria. I'll also get a new student ID, maybe try to sell a few old books back, and take an exam. (I tried to take one here yesterday and the Blackboard system went down.)

For the sad news, I just heard that Gary Gygax has died. I never met the guy, but he and the other authors of D&D had a profound influence on me. D&D was a staple, along with SciFi/fantasy books and films, both a source of wonder and a good way to stay out of trouble. I credit D&D with vastly increasing my vocabulary and sending me off on many a fine quest to find more information on the origin of a particular mythos. Rest in peace.

Rippin' good time

Tonight I've completed an important pre-move task: ripping all our music CDs to MP3s. I've been working on it off-and-on for over a week now and I'm done (barring the discovery of a few loose discs buried in a drawer or something). I haven't done a disc count yet (I'll post one soon), but it amounted to 34 GB on a new external drive purchased just for music and iTunes.

Why? As a part of our "weight-reduction" plan (a household effects diet?), we're not going to take the physical discs to Albania with us. The discs will go to storage (so we're still legal) and the MP3s and iTunes' TV shows will travel.

Just a quick plug

I just wanted to give a quick plug to WUWM (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee) radio, both NPR and, more importantly perhaps, WUWM2 "The Deuce." The NPR side of things has allowed Emily and I to keep in touch (in the same time zone) with current news. "The Deuce," WUWM's HD channel, is also broadcast on the web and has proven a godsend for us. We've been introduced to so much good music through this one station. I've been working my way through the MySpace pages for a number of bands this evening:
Silver Seas
Standfast
The Weepies
Midlake
Persephone's Bees

And probably my favorite band for the past... maybe five years?... Hem. I managed to catch three of their four DC-area shows before we moved to Mexico. I even bought tickets for an NYC show at the Lincoln Center, but had to sell the tickets (thanks, Craigstlist!) when Emily got her dream job with the Foreign Service (worth the loss, believe me). If you listen and like their music, I recommend you sign up on their list. I've gotten links to MP3s of various songs over the last few years as freebies.

We've bought at least two CDs based on music heard on WUWM's Cafe Tonight or The Deuce in the last year:
Brett Dennan
Carbon Leaf *

I encourage you to tune in to WUWM and The Deuce and take a listen. WUWM introduced me to another program I hadn't experienced in the DC area: Alternative Radio. Not all of the programs are of interest to me, but some are so I try my best to remember to tune in at 8 PM (CT) on Sundays.

* How odd that I'd hear a band from my home state (Virginia) for the first time over the internet from a Wisconsin radio station, while living in Mexico!

Spring must be here!

Why? Because the geckos are back! :-) (Sorry, no new photos - Emily has the camera!)
I spotted my first gecko of the new year tonight, plastered to the wall on the front of the house.

In a previous post from last year, I had a sky-shot of new leaves. We have those, too, but I think the old leaves took a little longer to fall this time. Our winter has been much warmer and far, far drier than last year.

As for an update, I've been busy with classes - too busy. I've never been a great student, but this all-remote bit is getting old. Thankfully this is the last semester I'll have to do it. With any luck, I'll be an in-person full-time student at the University of New York - Tirana once we get to Albania in 2009. Taking classes in person will be a pain, in some respects, but I'll honestly welcome the structure.

We still don't know when we're leaving Monterrey, only that my language classes run from September 2008 - April 2009. Emily still doesn't have a schedule, so we have no departure date. Hopefully we'll know soon, so we can start planning for the big move.

We are probably going to purchase a condo (or townhouse/house if we can afford it) while back in the States. We'll live there during training, then rent it out after we move to Albania. If we're back in the DC area for an extended period again, we'll probably live there, since we plan to get something convenient to the Foreign Service Institute and Metro.

I must say, NBC Universal, the owner of Battlestar Galactica, has greatly annoyed me. In December, they dropped the show from iTunes. I guess we'll have to wait until the new season comes out on DVD and pick it up while we're back in the States. Grr. At least Stargate:Atlantis is still available, although I think the season ends soon. With any luck, Big Bang Theory will make it back with a few episodes now that the writers' strike is over. We've managed to catch all but one or two of the few episodes released on either the studio channel (Warner, I think) or a re-run on the network. We are also watching Jericho, although we didn't see most of the first season, just the last few episodes of it and the new show that just kicked it off. I don't know when/if Smallville and Supernatural will resume here in Mexico. I think a few fewer episodes aired down here than in the States; we stopped getting new episodes before the Christmas episodes.

That's about all I have time for now. I have some class work to wrap up this weekend and, with Emily in Nueva York with her parents, I have nothing else to do . Other than TV... and games... and books... and a dog that really needs a walk... more accurately: I have no excuses.

'tis the season

My all-time favorite seasonal song has been running through my head lately, so I did a quick search and found the video on YouTube.

Without further ado, enjoy!

Argh! Time flies!

I've been promising myself I would get back in the habit of posting, but... well, it's been over a month, again. So for those few who actually check the site now and then, I apologize. I'm basically lazy when it comes to these things. In my defense I can only blame college classes, the early-onset of move related stress, and the lack of better excuses.

Snoozy dog
Today, though, Boots was just too cute to pass up. She hates cameras, so catching her asleep is almost the only way to get a picture. With no further ado, here are two pictures of Boots, sleeping on her downstairs dogbed, curled up with one of her toys.

Nifty story about nerdy celebs

Slashdot referred me to this story about nerdy celebrities. Some weren't a surprise (Tom Schulz of Boston fame, Danica McKellar, etc.), but it's a very interesting read. I found it reassuring, although the idea of Dolf Lundgren going to MIT on a Fullbright is simply mind boggling. The reference to Hedy Lamarr was probably the most surprising to me.

It's been a month?!!

Time flies. Well I don't have much time tonight, but should post at least this much:
We're going to Albania next! Tirana here we come!

Going to Albania will entail learning Albanian, so we'll be in the US for 8-10 months after we leave Mexico next summer.

I've been very busy with school this semester, far more reading and studying required this semester than previously. I hope to get ahead soon and gain a little breathing room, but it's touch and go right now. Next semester looks like another minimum 14 credit hour semester, and I really should do 17-18 credits if at all possible. I will take few, if any, college courses while learning Albanian, so I need to get in what I can while I can. Next semester should leave me just a few math courses short of a degree in IT, and a couple more English classes short of a Certificate in Professional Writing (which I hope to grow into a degree in future). If all goes well I'll be able to complete the math courses while back in the States.

Anyway, I need to run and do some "pre-maid" cleaning: put away laundry I've washed this week, do the dishes I neglected to do earlier today, etc. I also need to try and keep Emily on track: she heads out for a Consulate visit to Durango tomorrow and needs to pack tonight.

The Weird Juxtaposition That Is Monterrey
Two San Pedro municipal workers recently gave me yet another example of how this area is a bridge between Latin America and the US. I was walking the dog on the Calzada a few days ago. I passed a worker using a backpack leaf blower to clear the leaves and dust from the sidewalk, a scene I've witnessed countless times in the US. I reached the end of this branch of the "cross" (where the two Calzadas, del Valle and San Pedro, intersect) at the statue of David and turned back towards home.

A few minutes later I encountered another worker. This one was probably 15-20 years older and he was clearing the sidewalks with a large dead palm frond, sweeping it back and forth. I'd say this method was just as good for the leaves, seeds, and twigs, though probably not for any dust or dirt.

A few days later I saw this same older worker using a backpack leaf blower. Maybe he lost the rock-paper-scissors or coin toss that determined which worker got the gadget the first time around.

Modern and primitive, high tech and low tech, Hummers and donkey carts - this is Monterrey, Mexico.

P.S. I finally saw the tangerine sherbet colored Lamborghini that everyone told me about about a week ago. I can add that to all the Ferraris and Porsches I've seen tooling about. Have I mentioned that San Pedro has one of the highest per-capita incomes in Latin America?

Multiple topics to cover this time, so I'll try to make each quick.

In Memoriam...
I heard on NPR today (we're members of WUWM, previously members of a DC-area station that gutted its news schedule for classical music, not that I have anything against classical music) that an author that held a warm spot in my heart, Madeleine L'engle, died Thursday at the age of 88. I fondly recall getting A Wrinkle in Time off one of those grade school book orders, reading it, and then heading to the Staunton Public Library to find more. It was science-fiction written for my age level that I didn't feel talked down to me. Without that book, how long would it have been before I learned the word tesseract? As with C.S. Lewis, faith colored Ms. L'Engle's works, but I honestly didn't even notice as a kid. Later I just didn't care; I loved the book, so why worry about the author's faith? I can only hope that there are other authors out there to carry the torch for our youth. She will be missed. The New York Times has a nice write up.

NPR has a several stories and interviews with her, as well as mentions of her works in various book lists.

Missed Opportunities
Last Friday, Emily had plans to see the Vienna Boys' Choir here in Monterrey. I was waiting for her to get home, knowing she'd have little time to change before heading out to dinner and the show with her co-workers, when she called. Her cell phone was dead and she was borrowing the phone of the woman who had just rear-ended her; said cell phone was also nearly dead so she had little time. She was fine, but they were waiting on the insurance people to arrive. She told me to pass a message on to the co-worker who was going to give her a ride to the show. I did so and waited anxiously for Emily to come home.

When she got home the first thing she had to do was call our insurance people. Since she had no functional cell phone, she had to wait until she got home. She called and we waited. The guy arrived, but took a long time to complete the paperwork. By the time he finished, it was too late for Emily to make the show. Here's the only thing she'll have to remember the show by:

$513 (pesos, about $50 US) down the drain. The only bright spot, if there is one, is that the bumper is likely to be replaced. That will also eliminate the scratches on it from two previous collisions, neither of which was our fault either and neither of which we were able to pursue at the time.

How Sweet It Is...
Emily found this recipe she wanted to try, but it required maple syrup. We found it at HEB, one of the two big grocery stores here, but it was expensive: $119 pesos ($11 US) for 100 ml. Today Emily found it at Costco. Here's the visual comparison:


The Kirkland syrup, also 100% pure maple, was $196 pesos ($19 US) for 1.89 liters. So, that would be nearly 19 times the size for about 66% more. I guess this means lots of pancakes in the next year, 'cause we're not moving it!

South Park Me

Curt is to blame for this one, both on a time-wasted and on the eyesore bit. First time with the South Park Studio, here is Neal in Mexico:

Air Mail - Mexican Style!!!

In the spring semester of this year, the college sent the exam package to the Mexico address for the Consulate. Admittedly my proctor probably put that on part of his correspondence, but the college sent the previous semester's exam package to the Brownsville, Texas, address. In any case, the package took perhaps eight weeks to make its way to Mexico. Lesson learned.

Unfortunately for regular ex-pats, this service is provided to US Government employees and family members only. I say this because we continue to get mail for the previous residents of our lovely house, an American family we met at a number of ASOMO events. Our first few weeks here, we arrived in July 2006, we didn't receive any mail for them, then we received a few letters, then a veritable flood, and then a long dry spell of nothing. Once we met them we would occasionally pass collected mail off to them, a mix of college alumni, retirement plan, bank, and credit card bills for the most part, along with months-late holiday cards. The husband said he once received an American Express bill six months after it was due.

We continue to receive their mail, although they moved back to the US (Michigan, I think) several months ago. We simply shred it, along with any convenience check offers we've received via US Mail in the past week. Recently we received two items which caught our attention (photo courtesy of Emily).


Note the two dates I've high-lighted: June 18 and July 16. Both envelopes arrived on Monday, September 3. You do the math. By any calculation, that's not speedy service. I almost forgot: the front of the envelopes were also marked "Priority." Maybe that was the problem: it simply wasn't a priority for the postman.

The postal system isn't as highly regarded as that in the US. Many companies here use couriers to deliver their bills rather than use the Mexican system. I'm not certain which of our bills come which way, but I've only seen our mailman once in the past year, so I don't think he's delivering the cable or phone bill, and possibly not the water, gas, or electric.

Hmm.... I'll have to think up a motto for the Mexican postal service. I realize the US Postal Service has no official creed, but the "unofficial motto" is: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Perhaps something like: There is no snow, but plenty of heat, and that or rain, or cerveza or tequila, or las chicas... I'll deliver it tomorrow, or maybe next week.