2004-04-21 - 11:55 a.m.
Well, I’m back in the States. I don’t really feel like giving a day-by-day rundown of what we did. As I said, when I get around to downloading my pictures, I’ll put some up with some stories. All in all, it was a nice little getaway, though. Five days was a perfect little break, and more than enough time to see the sights that Cuernavaca and the surrounding area had to offer. We didn’t do too much in Mexico City. When we got in on Saturday afternoon, we rested and cleaned up, then we hired a driver to take us out to the Saturday market. I saw more tourists there than I had seen all week – combined. Everything was really overpriced, but there was an interesting selection of crafts. I realized over the course of the trip that I’m not especially drawn to Mexican artwork. It’s just not a style that appeals to me. There were a few things that I liked, though, like the jewelry. My mother and I wandered around for about two hours, and the only thing I picked up was a really pretty handmade ceramic tequila set. It was a blue glaze, and it came with a small square tray, a miniature salt shaker, and two oversized shot glasses – one of which, I was informed, was for tomato juice, which is apparently the chaser of choice. I learned that this combination is called Un Vampíro. I think you can figure that one out…I found this rather amusing – there’s a Dunkin Donuts in the Mexico City airport. How weird is that? I didn’t try the coffee, although I wanted to, to test and see if it tasted the same. They also had McDonald’s, of course, and even KFC, as well as Costco, Office Depot, and Wal-mart (gag). I find it interesting to see which of the American franchises have made their way down there.
My favorite part about traveling is Duty Free. I bought myself three different kinds of perfume (I’m obsessed with perfume in the same way some women are obsessed with shoes or handbags). I was lucky enough to find my favorite, which they don’t sell in the U.S., so I stocked up on that. I also bought Obsession, but in the light version. I forget what it’s called. J loves when I wear it, but it can be so overpowering. I figure the light one smells the same, but won’t knock people out when I walk by. That’s a huge pet peeve of mine. Etiquette dictates that perfume should only be detectable if you’re standing within a foot of a person. Anything else is an affront to people’s senses – like walking around with a blaring boombox on your shoulder. The third one I got was BCBGirls Max Azria, the blue one. I smelled it a long time ago at Sephora, but the only time I ever buy perfume is at Duty Free, so I held off. I spotted it again on Sunday, and I still enjoyed it, so I picked it up. I also bought myself a big bottle of really good tequila, which, surprisingly, tasted much like whiskey (they give out samples!), only lighter (whew – that was a lot of commas!). I’ve never really enjoyed tequila except in mixed drinks, but I definitely could see myself sipping this stuff of the rocks.
The best gift I bought for anyone (okay – I only bought gifts for J, but it was definitely the best thing I got him!) was a bumper sticker that said “Yo ♥ Frijoles.” Seriously, I laughed so hard I cried. It’s so perfect!
It really was the perfect little break. Five days – plenty of time to get a rest and see some new sights. And the best part is that in three weeks, I’m leaving again. Vegas, baby! Another four day trip (we leave Thursday night and come back on the Monday night red-eye). Perfect for keeping me from getting bored and frustrated at work. Plus, my boss leaves a week from Monday for a month, which will be a nice breather as well.
It was especially nice to have the day off on Monday, too, when I came back. Since I hadn’t really gone out in over a week (yikes!), I totally took advantage. I tagged along with Will and Beth and her roommates – and Flat Stan – and we headed to the Kenmore Square area. First, we took in the end of the Red Sox game, which they had just tied up when we arrived at Pizzeria Uno. There were some interesting people there. Like this one kid, who I thought was with his mother until they started making out. Then this little boy got his friend to tell us he thought we were cute. Okay – maybe he was 22. But we made sure to tell the friend what a good wingman he was for doing that. They offered to buy me and Darcie a shot, so we accepted, and the little prick got us a Prairie Fire. A vodka prairie fire, no less. Needless to say, we vacated the area shortly after that. And at least now I can say that I’ve had one.
We spent the next hour or so near the 25 mile marker of the marathon cheering on the runners. We even managed to get a couple of walkers to pick back up with our “One more mile!” cheers. It was pretty cool. I’ve always been up near Cleveland Circle or B.C. to watch it, so it was pretty neat to be down closer to the finish line.
After a while, Beth and I needed to use the ladies’ room, so we wander up Beacon Street in the direction of An Tua Nua. The line was too long there, though, so we crossed the street over to Audobon. We ended up spending the next three or four hours there having cocktails and eating dinner. It was great – we were right in the front at the windows, which were open, since it was a gorgeous day. The food was fantastic, and everyone was just out to have a good time, so we had fun. Then I got to spend the evening with J! I hadn’t seen him in over a week, which hasn’t happened in a long time, so it was great to spend time together.
And now it’s back to life as normal. I filled out a promissory note for school loans today, and I have to start thinking about the whole school thing. All this is aside from the spring fever that has definitely crept in. The planters out in front of my building have gorgeous tulips in every color of the rainbow in them, and the weather’s going to be in the mid-70’s tomorrow. Sigh. The crocuses and daffodils are poking through the ground in front on my house, and the breeze is warm. I’m listening to Vivaldi’s Spring from the Four Seasons right now (no joke – it’s on the radio). I love this time of year. The hopeless romantic in me definitely comes out big time right about now. Sigh again. Yay for warm weather with no rain!
