Impromptu Mexico

I am back from my impromptu trip to Mexico City to visit family.  It's been awhile since I last visited...almost 13 years.  My grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins treat me so well that I felt completely pampered.  They live simple humble lives but there is also a deep abiding love for family.  It was amazing.  I spent time cooking, helping out in the workshop and catching up with my cousins.  Most of my first cousins on my mother's side are married and have 2 or 3 kids.  Most of my first cousins on my dad's side are single and have either one kid or no kids to speak of.

My grandmother is getting on in years and I think she is lonely living in her house by herself.  Altho' my aunt and uncle live right next door, her worry is that she will slip and fall and no one will find her in time.  It's a valid concern since she suffers from low blood pressure.  She wondered if I would come and stay with her in Mexico.  For a fleeting moment, I considered it.  The problem is I have grad loans to pay off and trying to make a living to pay those loans off would be too difficult in Mexico's economy and the exchange rate being what it is, it just doesn't seem very feasible.  Anyway, I told her that I would do my best to go back in December to visit and stay with her for a couple of weeks and then bring her back with me to stay with my parents during the holiday season. It's a tentative plan and we're putting a pin in it until I get my job situation sorted out.

My aunt and uncle have a workshop where they sew knapsacks.  It's something they have done as long as I can remember.  In fact some of my fondest memories is of helping them out whenever I went to visit when I was younger. Some of their daughters still work with them and I pitched in when I could this past week.  I don't bother with the sewing though, they use industrial machines that quite frankly scare the crap out of me.  When I was little I accidentally sewed one of my cousin's fingers.  It was a terrible accident with lots of blood and screaming, his finger is crooked from they way the bone was snapped.  Ergh.  Should I state the obvious here and say that it's not the fondest memories I was writing about earlier.  Ergh...feeling queasy.

The city itself was congested with both people and traffic, so much so that everything is covered in this gritty soot from the nasty smog.  The few times we were traveling around the city the back of my throat burned from the acrid air.  The only times it let up was after a good rain and then the wind would pick up and clear things up for a moment.

It's taken me a couple of days to readjust to the time change and the climate change.  It was in the 80's in Mexico and I've come back to 60 degree weather.  Tonight I was supposed to go see Halestorm in concert and I opted out.  I can blame it on still being jet-lagged or something else but really my heart wasn't in it.  I'm sure it was probably one I shouldn't have missed but I've buried myself under my duvet instead.  Ostrich maneuver.

Last bit, I can't stop listening to Rihanna's song Stay ft. Mikky Ekko.  I love Ekko's voice against Rihanna's.  I kind of think I've mentioned this song before in a previous entry but either way here it is again.  Enjoy!

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2013 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Impending Mayhem

Cancun, 2006

It's been a busy week looking for a new gig.  The response is slow and that does stress me out a bit.  But next week it looks like I'm heading down to Mexico City to go visit relatives.  It's a much needed break to gain a little perspective. It's only for a week but I haven't been back in quite some time so it'll be good to connect again with my family. I may head out to Teotihuacan to visit the pyramids. It's one of my favorite places and it will help me loads.

I haven't spent any time on the novel this week.  The "not writing"is making me antsy. I've spent time journal writing but that doesn't seem to be quite enough.

Journal writing helps offset some of the stress of being out of work.  It's a place where I can bitch and whine and get that angst out of my system.  It helps me from acting out impulsively. It steadies me in the face of this new reality.  So it does help somewhat.  But it's up against that part of me that wants to be MORE productive.  Notice the capital letters...the same emphasis happens in my head.

I've been reading books and articles on a new way of looking at the world economy and taking ecological factors into the equation. Finite resources are impacting the way we think of GROWTH  in this world and there are some countries who are looking at a sustainable steady-state economics instead of a growth economy as a possibility.  It's A LOT of new information and I'm trying to take it in and process it but I have to write it out.  I want to use this new information for my next novel but how I'm going to integrate it into fiction...I'm not quite sure just yet.  Makes my stomach churn with nervous energy.  Perhaps that's what I'll start working on while I'm down in Mexico.  Just hash it out in some free-write exercises to see what comes up and out onto the page.  Oooo now I'm excited.

Anyway, I've been working at eating better and exercising more.  The healthy diet is coming along.  I've lost a couple of more lbs.  Yay! The exercising is still a bit rockier for me.  I just have an unbearable block about it.  I'll be good for a series of classes and then I quit.  No rhyme or reason...just quit.  Ergh!  It's a bit annoying.

Let's see tomorrow I'm going to be baby-sitting my nieces for the weekend.  Heaven help me!!  I have a 5 year old and a 7 year old to entertain for two days.  Eeeek!!  Hehehe.  I'm sure it will be fine. I've just finished picking up foods and snacks for them.  I also picked up a slew of markers and drawing paper so we can have some creativity time.  I keep having to remind myself that I need to pick up more children's books because they like a good story time.  Perhaps I need to go relish the quiet apartment because tomorrow it will be mayhem.

Peace,
L~

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2013 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Cat Power - Manhattan

Just because I dig Cat Power!  And I love that this video plays with NYC in the backdrop.

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2013 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.