Some weeks are filled with events and excitement, while others… well, just aren’t. The last seven days, since I last chatted with you, was one of the latter type, except for one happening which I will share with you a little later. And I’m sure that Mr. Murphy, you know, the one who wrote his own laws, had a lot to do with the uneventful part of it.
My friend and I decided that we would finally go see the «Bob Fosse – And All That Jazz» production at the Santa Barbara Theater, but that was not to be. They were all sold out – again. I think that’s the fourth time we tried. But that’s ok. We’ll just have to keep on trying.
The next evening, a Saturday, we figured we’d go see Eragon, the movie, but that was not to be either. The original English version was no longer playing at the theater. So we decided that we would just go out for dinner. Wrong again. My computer technician came up against some stubborn problem with the computer on which he had begun working around 2 p.m. He didn’t finish until 9! I really felt bad for him, but I felt even worse for my evening … wasted. Did you notice how there’s nothing to watch on TV on Saturday evenings? The programmers must know that everyone goes out on Saturday night. On the positive side, the new «seasons» of my favorite shows are starting. And I am so glad that Hugh Laurie won a Best Actor award at the Golden Globe ceremony. I love that show, «House». But I’m not sure about Sacha Baron Cohen… I’ve heard conflicting reviews about «Borat».
But, as I mentioned above, there was one major event in my life. It all began with that picture that appeared in last week’s issue of the Tribune, the one of the two kittens. Some of you may remember that Enya brought me a kitten to take my mind off my beautiful, beloved Rottweiler’s untimely death a year ago. I even held an unofficial contest to find a name for the kitten at the time, a contest won by Lucy of Lucy’s CuCu Cabana (Lucy is Gil Gevins’ wife). She suggested Suzi CuCu, and the name stuck.
Getting back to the picture, I called Heather Wilson to ask her where the kittens were. She told me that Silvia, our Tribune reporter (and animal protection activist), had them. I called Silvia and asked her if the little nearly white kitten in the photo was a female, ‘cause I’m not particularly fond of males as far as pets go. She said yes. I was delighted. I told her that I would like to see her, to which she responded, «I’ll bring all three to the meeting on Wednesday.» Three? Yes, there were two little males and the little female. I begged her not to do that. She ignored me.
I arrived late for the weekly meeting late -again, way out there in Lomas de Coapinole, out where the streets on the map end and the Sierra Madre mountains are right there, in your face. But this time, the reason was different. I really thought that I had learned the route my first time out, so I didn’t even bother bringing a bottle of water as I usually do when I think I may become stranded forever. I was wrong. I made it all the way out to 21 de marzo, and turned right. I looked for the numbers… 965, 1041, 981… 1174! The number was right, but it wasn’t the Tribune. I figured I’d taken the wrong street by mistake. Perhaps I had misread the date, perhaps I’d become confused with all the different months and days of the streets out there. So I doubled back, made a big circle actually, double-checked the name of the street, turned right on it again, and ended up in front of the same 1174 building – NOT the Tribune. A lady was cleaning the sidewalk in front of her house, so I asked her, «Buenas tardes, senora, disculpe, me podria decir si las nuevas oficinas de la Tribuna estan en esta calle?» «Si, claro, estan unas dos cuadros mas adelante.» I thanked her profusely. Yessiree. There are no less than TWO 1174 on Calle 21 de marzo in Lomas del Coapinole. It reminded of the first time I tried to find our friend Liana Turner’s place. The allocation of the house numbers on that little dead-end block of hers are also totally haphazard…
Getting back to the Tribune, I tried to explain the reason for my lateness to our director. He smiled (while others laughed out loud) and ushered me into the meeting room. There was Silvia, with her cat carrier. I already knew what would happen so I was reluctant to look inside, but look I did.
Sure enough, there were three little kittens inside, all cuddled together, looking up at me, two of them with huge blue eyes. The smoky grey «Russian Blue» has green-grey eyes. It was all over. I didn’t stand a chance. Silvia asked me if I still wanted the little light-colored female, but she already knew what my answer would be. How could I separate such loving siblings?
So there you have it. I now have a one-year old cat who’s not at all sure about the three little kittens, an 11-month old 100-lb Rottweiler «puppy», a 12-year old «Heinz 57» who’s the best guard dog in town …and three tiny little kittens who play together, mostly on and around my Don Quixote, who doesn’t appear the least bit frazzled by the excitement. They also sleep together, all wound around each other. Obviously, if you’re not a cat lover, that’s ok, but you cannot empathize with my position. But if you are, then you know that my life has been filled with joy and delight ever since these little souls became part of it. If you’re interested, besides the little Russian Blue, the little female looks like a blue point Siamese, while her other little brother looks like a seal point. Very much like the Himalayan I brought down when I first moved to Vallarta. I also had a Cameo Persian back then. All three kittens have long hair, so who knows what their parents were…
Mr. Murphy didn’t just play havoc with my plans. He also played a role in the distribution system snafus at the Tribune. The office has been fielding numerous calls of complaint; frustrated people can’t find the paper. Now there’s one thing I want to share with you: because normal Sunday and Monday distribution has been disrupted recently, the papers have gone out later in the week. I’m saying this because normally, if you can’t find a paper by the time Tuesday comes around, means you can forget about getting it that week. This does not apply any longer, and probably won’t until the distribution matter is settled, so if your favorite pick-up place didn’t get any papers on Sunday, don’t give up. It might get them on Tuesday, or even Wednesday.
Did you notice that there have been nearly no local «news» articles in these last few issues of the Trib? I know why. You see, we usually look for news in the local dailies that may be of interest to us foreigners, and then yours truly translates them for you. Problem is that over the last few weeks, the papers have been covering the transition of the new municipal administration as it takes office for the next three years: discovery of the last administration’s corruption, cover-ups and foul-ups, and promises by the newcomers to fix it all up. Disconcerting …and depressing. Ergo, no news. So let’s apply the good ol’ saying: «No news is good news», and hope for the best. This town deserves it.
Have a wonderful week, dear reader, and while you’re here sharing our little corner of paradise, do consider sharing your good fortune with the less fortunate. Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com
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