I feel badly that I haven’t called yet after saying I would. Things were totally hectic at home trying to get the stuff packed up and out of the house. We were still packing both at home and at Leigh’s office while the movers were loading the truck. But it all got done and the house closing went through on schedule.

Leigh’s actually in Las Vegas this week. She’s involved with AEA again. This time as Director of IBEC (International Board of Electrology Certification). If she knew she was moving to Mexico she probably wouldn’t have taken the position. Then again, it will give her something to do. I just remembered that I told you all this already in connection with the desktop publishing stuff. We haven’t done anything in that regard yet although Leigh says she has to get going as soon as we get our good computer down here.

It’s three weeks yesterday since we’ve been here. We’re getting along pretty good. The house we rented sight unseen over the Internet is OK for what it is. It is one block from the main road, which is good considering we don’t have our car yet. We just walk a block to catch the bus that runs every twenty minutes or so. We can also walk to a grocery store and a few restaurants. Most of the nicer homes are a few streets back or in other neighborhoods, but this is working for us for now. We have a six month lease. More properties should become available in the Spring but the two cats will be a problem. Prices and interest in the region is high again after a long slow spell. The stock market rebounded, AARP did an article, and the lake recovered quite a bit after being very very low. Bad timing for us. We’ll see. We don’t even know if this is what we want to do long term. It’s pretty good for now though.

I’m set up with DSL Internet (over the phone line) at home now. I guess it has been a week already. It felt like a major success when I finally got the modem and got it working. I’m using a service through TelMex, Mexico’s telephone system, and the day I was there they only had one modem available and I got it. Of course, that was the second time that I waited two hours to talk to the representative. The first time I was told that they didn’t have the type of modem I wanted, so I had to come back. I had a certain amount of distrust and wondered if this was a case one reads about where a small “tip” would have expedited matters. In the end I think everything was totally legit and that I was treated fairly.

I did have one experience recently where a clerk purposefully tried to trick me out of about $90 pesos change. Another time I paid double for a couple tacos and the owner chose not to correct me - maybe he was just being polite ;). I had a lot of paranoia that the water delivery guy was over-charging me but that has worked itself out…

The weather is great here. I little warmer than usual so they say.

There is someone speaking Spanish outside through a loud-speaker again. I hear her almost every day. About the only words I can pick out are muy importante. Not knowing whether it is something important or just someone trying to sell something is muy bothersome. She could be saying we are about to be hit by a missile or something. Then again, I don’t see anyone running for cover. I might have to ask someone what that’s all about…