TACOS!!!!!!

Well this post is dedicated to the wonderful invention of tacos. Tacos is the one food in Mexico you can basically get 24 hours. Mexicans believe it even prevents hangovers hence the eating of tacos at 4 in the morning. Drunk people eating tacos should be recorded and put on youtube but I'm not waiting up till 4 in the morning. So basically on any given night when the question of 'What will we cook for dinner' lingers with no answer forthcoming, just say Tacos. Now in Mexico don't even think about hard shells and if you're going to be true to the taco god you have to have it on corn tortillas. They make them fresh which just can't be beat. For some reason a main ingredient to making great corn tortillas is a Mexican Senora with rosy cheeks, a white hairnet type of cloth do-rag tied over the forehead, and the ability to slap some sense into anyone who needs it. Then there's the meat. I stick to what I know: carne asada, arranchera, and chorizo (mexican pork sausage). I haven't ever had the nerve to venture into other parts of the cow that frankly I believe shouldn't be eaten. Tongue is the next most popular, from there I pretend the rest doesn't exist and that all meat comes from the supermarket. Eyes, brains, intestine, and penis just shouldn't be considered meat for tacos. Just to be fair my convictions are international as Rocky Mountain Oysters (cow testicles), which are eaten in the states, is something I would only eat on Fear Factor or the Amazing Race. Anywho... if you come to Mexico be assured you will partake at the charcoal altar of blessed tacos.

Bienvenidos a Mexico

So I forgot to welcome you all to Mexico as you will be sharing it with us. Annie and I live in Guadalajara Mexico. It’s considered the cultural heart of the country. Mariachi, mole (pronounced mole-le), some big skirt dance, molcajete, and a lot of other food and cultural stuff started here. Good old Guadalajara. Annie will be starting her school year as a third grade teacher and I will be in a hospital working 80 some hours a week. We have a Harry Potter Weasley family constructed Mexican house. When building it they decided to put rooms where rooms shouldn’t technically be placed. I really would like to meet some of the architects from thirty years ago because I don’t understand how they decided to first build a house. I think it’s somewhat like when I just go on a whim and cook something different. Sometimes it comes out good but sometimes you wonder if it should actually be called food. Still it’s our first home. It’s safe and, there’s wonderful neighbors. Also there will be much more about Annie’s school and my hospital, so hold onto your seats. And of course there is the endless supply of blogging material about mexico: driving, food, people, coordinating your apparel, markets, clouds, driving, ninja nuns, rain, yapping dogs, and interesting smells…

Colomos Park

Colomos Park is this big beautiful park in the middle of the city. You actually feel like you’re outside of the whole concrete jungle mess. When I say concrete I mean it too. They don’t separate their houses here, they build right up to the houses on each side. So… basically every block is one gigantic house. Heck if you bought three houses right next to each other you could just break down the walls and have one big house. Anywho… The park is well diversified, duck bond, little castle place, Japanese garden, and squirrels everywhere. They speak Spanish and they like chili powder on their peanuts. It’s a way of life; we all have to accept chili powder at sometime in Mexico. It’s basically like blogging or facebook, or that I can’t say pneumonia right. SO, Colomos Park is also the Mexican Wife’s’ Club were they go to run in the morning. Annie got inducted her first week here. The schedule is: go running on the 5k up and down and loops trail at 6 in the morning. Then go to the gym. Then lunch with the other wives around 11:00. Then go home and do something (make tortillas I think, oh and coordinate you nightly outfit. The earrings, eye shadow, bracelets, bobby-pins, necklaces and sometimes eye color must match ). Luckily Annie started school a few weeks later but her application was accepted to the Wive’s Club so if you need an in just talk to her.

A horse is a horse of course...

Well for one of our first date nights we went to Colomos Park. Think of Central Park Mexico Guadalajara style. In one section they have a ton of horses you can rent. Its 6 dollars for an hour or 3 dollars for a half hour. Now you ask yourself… is there a lengthy paper process for insurance? Do you have to go into an office and get a basic seminar? Do they tell you how to ride a horse? The answer, ¡Caray NO! You pay and get on the horse, done. Now our horses did well for awhile but they were rather lazy, neither of them would gallop. Oh we tried every Spanish word for go but it just didn’t work, so we had a nice stroll. Now as the statement says ‘Like a horse headed for home’ our horses held it for a standard of liberty. If we were headed back to the corral they had a lively step but if we were headed away, by golly they had a stubborn disposition. Now Annie just couldn’t seem to get her horse to work. Anytime we stopped it put its ears back and walk backwards. The harder she spurred it the faster it would walk backwards. It even made the beeping sound (at least in my head). One time it just walked backwards into trees and bushes and kept on going. Only by me getting off my horse and leading it did it put its stick into D and start walking forward. Now there was my horse. How do I say this… When it decided to relieve itself, a number 2, it sighed. Now it wasn’t any sigh, it was a full on sigh with moan effects added. It was like when you’re at the supermarket and suddenly the familiar sensation hits you but you try and resist. You’re okay for a little while but soon you’re at the check out stand almost yelling at the checker, “I don’t need a price check on the frozen peas. Forget the peas I got to go!” Then you drive home knowing that all laws are suspended for bathroom emergencies, even passing a school bus of first graders doesn’t count. By the time you make it to your house you’re sweating running into the house leaving your milk, frozen goods, and children in the car. You make it just in time. THAT’s how my horse sighed. So we might have gotten lazy horses but their personalities made up for it. And that was our horses date night experience.

VIP, cause that's what we are...

Well I am going to be at the hospital tomorrow night so I guess I should post another to keep up with all you bloggers...

Now we’ve all been to movie. We all have our favorite tendencies. I like no butter on my popcorn and salt that I have to first pour into my palm and then sprinkle over the 20 gallon container. Why does it have to go into my palm first? I have no idea but I’ve seen people pull out butter spray they smuggled in as contraband so we all have our reasons. When going to certain movies you know you’ll have to be there early enough to find good seats and hopefully not have to sit next to someone who doesn’t share you’re movie tendencies. Admit it; we’re all territorial about our personal space. When the theater is full and you have to sit next to someone you either pretend they don’t exist or you give an evil half closed eye to assert your dominance over the cup holder. I think the Cold War was actually over a movie cup holder. Its real, it happens. Anyway there is a solution. Its called Cineoplis VIP. Imagine buying your movie tickets (which are 9 dollars) and choosing your assigned seats on a touch screen. You show up 1 minute before and go to your seats like your getting on an airplane. No lines. And do you need to go get your snacks before the movie? Heck no. A waiter comes to you and takes your order using his handy wireless place-an-order-and-pay-how-ever-you-want device (that’s the technical name on the box it comes in). Hold on, it’s not over yet… The menu isn’t just popcorn, candy, hot dogs, and drinks. There’s also sushi, French baguettes, crepes, salads, and a full bar if you feel it’s important to get sloshed while you watch Ice Age 3. Now you think if a cup holder can provoke the war of 1812 then what is a plate going to do? No worry, your seat is a fully reclining leather dual love seat. On each side there is a small table sufficiently separating you from other movie goers so you can pretend they don’t exist with a small rotating glass countertop for your food. Now you’re saying to yourself, but you’re in Mexico, the movies in Spanish. Nope. Almost all new releases are in English and subtitled in Spanish. So this is our movie perk. It helps to alleviate the road rage. Here’s some pictures. Oh and people who like nice things and go to VIP are called fresas (strawberries)in spanish. I always thought I was more of a guava or a potato.

Starting somewhere...

Well I have all these blog entries written and I haven’t posted one, sigh. You know that feeling you need to start somewhere but you just don’t know where to start, that’s me. Now as I child I always cleaned my room well (I just heard my mother laugh), everything in its place, but it was the week or weeks (and then months when I got older) in between that I didn’t clean that put me right back where I started with ‘Where do I start?’ I once just got a rake and started there (picture included). Apparently a rake isn’t going to work for the blog so I just need to start. I wanted to start with Annie’s and I engagement, wedding, then Mexico, so on and so on… but I work 80+ some hours a week right now so you’ll just have to get it piece meal and out of order. Anywho… I am starting it here with a non descript disclaimer, its not a rake but it works. So here’s to our future blogs… things to look forward to are: VIP movie theaters, horse back riding, house decorating, my very opinionated outtake on Mexico and our on going love hate battle, and of course life. So welcome us to the world of blogging… Apparently it’s the thing to be doing!