It's to see what'll happen . . . .

Hello friends,

Thanks for stopping by. It has been a while since my last bloggery, but alas, I sometimes come in here and start to write things and it just comes out as random bitching and boring "what-Lee-had-for-lunch" stories, so I abort.

I'm pro-choice when it comes to blogs. If you don't want to post that entry, go ahead and vacuum it out of the internet's bloody vagina.

Too much?

Yeah, well, This blog is not for minors. Or majors. Unless you're like, a criminal psychology major. Then nothing fazes you. Just like Actor on Popular Murder Investigation Show. He's so hunky. Those bastard writers on PMIS don't give him enough dark steamy locker-room scenes, though.

I digress. Life in Mexico is just as dreamy as ever. Breathe in the smog, choke on the chile, run from the rain. It's a wild ride. Indeed it is the rainy season here, it pours down for at least an hour or two pretty much every day, never really gets above 80 when it's sunny. It's nice compared to the stories I've been hearing from the Denver contingent, about it being 90+ all day and night. That probably sucks. [Muntz] Ha-Ha! [/Muntz]

Trying to tell people here what my name is, like for restaurant reservations, radio taxis, local sales calls . . . is some kind of ridiculous joke. I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that I'm Luis Sander. I've considered just starting to use my old Spanish-class nickname, "Emilio," but I never have the gall to outright tell someone that's what my name is.

So I say "Lee Saunders"

And they say "Luis Sander?"

And i say "*sigh* . . . . Sí . . . Luis Sander."

So if someone calls you telling you you need to send money to bail Luis Sander out of jail or something, help a brother out.

Luis would really appreciate that.

In lighter news, I have just recently put a deposit down on an apartment for myself here, which is exciting. I have been living up until now in a furnished suite-type place, they clean everyday, make my bed, it has dishes and toilet paper provided, etc. On the company's tab. So that honeymoon is now over, I'm moving to my own place, still in Colonia Condesa (I'm far too white and scared to move to a different Colonia) but kind of on the east-ish side. I'm only a block from the gorgeous and fabulously intricate Parque México, which is nice, it's a very tree-filled part of the neighborhood. I'm on the 6th floor with a fantastic patio view overlooking the park and part of the city out that direction, so it's very cool.

Cost of living in that sense is about the same here as it would be in the US, despite popular (ignorant) opinion that anyone with a normal professional job like mine would be "living like a king" down here. I'm shelling out $9,000 pesos a month for the next year for this puppy, so I hope you will come and visit me and stay there a night. Soon as I buy some furniture this option will be much more viable.

I made sure to move to a street that I could be sure that neither my parents nor my friends nor God himself, in his noodly-appendaged glory, could pronounce, just for good measure.

Say there Lee, I've heard you're all settled in your new place, and I think that it's just tops. Give me your address so I can send you a letter and some photos of me tending the gardens, won't you?

Certainly, Madame Bontroix, it's Ixtaccihuatl number 123, dept 105, Colonia Condesa, Mexico DF

Gracious me, whatever was that address?


^^That is generally what my conversations sound like, fyi.^^

See the title of this blog post for pronunciation. Its-tuh-see-wat-ull. Or maybe just its-tah-see-wat. I'm actually not too sure myself. You should have heard me making the calls to the owners to find out more information:

Um yes, hi, I'm looking for an apartment and I saw this number on a building on calle Itstacheetl? Istaucatlah? Ixtuhwachichi? Itchywatchband? Kajagoogoo?

Yeah, it's fun. But yeah, so i'm going to be getting some sexy leather couches, a nice big bed, some tables . . . maybe some funky paintings . . . you know . . . your average furninshings. Maybe some dishes. This paragraph pretty much sums up the excitement and raw energy that comprises the world of the Blog.

Other than that, I've just been coming to work in my little coat-and-tie, trying to sell billboards to people. Had a couple little successes recently, can't complain. Got my Ipod all loaded up finally, many thanks to Austin L. of Providence, RI for hooking up 141 fantastic albums for me to chew on. I finally got around to probando those, some great stuff. I recommend any of you pick up the album "The Sunset Tree" by the Mountain Goats if you're feeling like cooling off, or the album "Bring it Back" by Mates of State if you're feeling like heating up. For those with more tepid-temperate tastes, there's always the radio, you lamewad vanilla fartsack.

Also, I officially heart the NPR podcast of "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!" If you're not into this, you should be. It's so awesome.

My sweet darling wonderful Elizabeth is coming to see me this weekend. I feel a bit like a soldier who hasn't seen his woman after being bivouacked for 3 years. Granted we've only been apart 3 months and have talked on the vast majority of days, but hey. Give a guy a chance to use the word "bivouacked," will ya?

So anyhow, things are looking up. Still no pictures, I need to buy a new digicam, officially. I think the batteries on mine were made by a high-school physics class using copper wire and lime juice concentrate. Also i don't think i even have the cord to connect it to the computer. I'll work on that.

Bye to all, hope you are all having fun out there. Drop me an email to leemsaundersATgmail or a comment here and let me know about it!

--Lee