unfettered

I am officially installed in my new house and very happy with the accommodations (which you can tell by the number of photos I am posting.) I just switched bedrooms to an upstairs room that also has a private bathroom, but has more light and is much less damp. Since there is so much moisture in the air, especially during the rainy season, it’s hard for my towel to dry. Having direct sunlight will make a huge difference. It’s also next to the roof deck, which is such a great place to sit and read. Yesterday was absolutely beautiful without so much as a threat of rain. I took advantage of it by sitting outside on the deck to read and give myself a much-needed pedicure. I am so glad that I brought with me the Revlon pedicure kit to go. What a great assortment of tools and although I opted to not bring the callus shaver (my overall favorite pedicure tool) or any nippers, I was able make my feet presentable again. Wow. I can’t believe I’m talking about my feet. There’s just something about having a new pedicure that makes a girl happy :) Another pleasant surprise at this house is that they have a TV and a computer with internet access. I have just figured out that I can plug in my iBook and have completely reliable internet access! I can’t tell you how this has revolutionized my life! Okay, now it is truly like home. I have a better setup than I ever imagined I would have in Guatemala. The only possible glitch is that it looks like my laptop's monitor is going on the fritz and once that happens, my laptop is useless until I can get it fixed at a licensed Apple dealer, which I highly doubt I will find around here. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will remain in full working order until I can get home with it. Since I don't have to carry it around anymore and can just blog from home now, there is less risk of it getting damaged. I'm saying little prayers to the Apple gods.

In addition to the house itself, I really like all my roommates - and just in time for everyone to leave! Mireille, a striking 6’2” Dutch sous-chef from Amsterdam just departed yesterday to continue her travels through Central America. Ester went to visit Lake Atatlan for the weekend and then flies back to Holland tomorrow. My other roommate, Kim is with Ester this weekend and she also departs on Saturday to return to school in San Diego. She is working towards and international business degree and has been studying Spanish for several years, so her Spanish is quite good. That leaves only Arnold and myself in the house until a new student arrives tomorrow (and the two young ladies who cook & clean for us. Their only day off is Sunday.) Arnold is French, but has been living in Tampa for the past 9 years. He was married to an American woman and they owned a business together. He recently divorced, sold and divided all his joint assets then packed up and came to Central America. He is moving back to France in the fall and he is moving out tomorrow to live in an apartment with some locals. He’s going for the true immersion experience, whereas I am going for comfort and convenience. I have appreciated having him around to practice my French, but I’ll still see him around at school. I am going with him to one of the big sports bars in town to watch the France-Brazil World Cup game this afternoon. I think we will be a couple of French supports amidst a sea of yellow and green jerseys.

But before the game, I am going to stop by the gym and then go to the international phone place to phone into my 1pm conference call with Caroline and Cheryl to discuss our September trip to the Austin City Limits music festival. Caroline already bought my ticket and Cheryl has a friend in Austin we can stay with, so it looks like the planning is going well. Since bands play simultaneously on different stages, we are going to have to plan strategically (OMG! I think that's the first time I have used the word ‘strategic’ or any derivation thereof, in months!) I have been listening to the new Flaming Lips record a lot this week and also their previous Yoshimi record from 2002. I know they are one of the headliner bands at ACL and their shows are so much fun. The gentleman from Canada who lived in my previous house, has offered me the use of his vacation house on a lake near Guadalajara, Mexico. I’m hoping that Cheryl, Caroline (and maybe Mark?) and I can fly down to Mexico from Austin to spend some time there and then at the beach in Puerta Vallarta. It’s shaping up to be a fun (and cheap!) vacation.

posted by Angie @ 10:10 AM