Falling down, staying down, looking up

Geez I am a day late (and several dollars short, but that's a story for another day) all over the place right now. HAPPY BIRTHDAY (yesterday) TO MI CUÑADO JIM! Hope it was fun and that none of your gifts were wrapped with Christmas paper.

Let's see... I've been boring again. Saturday was Carmen's party and it was fun. The singing started pretty early this time though, so we made our escape around midnight. Kim and Margaret picked up me and Janet at around 9 and off we went. Arturo was dropped off on his way home from work, so he met us there. There were some of the Carmen-party-standards, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, but for the falling. Seriously, people were dropping like flies. The day before, Janet had gone over to pick up her dvd player that she had loaned Carmen during her trip to the States, and on her way out she missed a step and landed on both knees. Ripped her jeans, big raspberry on her knee. Then when we got to the party Saturday night, she missed a (smaller) step in the back yard, didn't fall but it jolted her enough to feel like a jackass.

Carmen's parties are generally held in her back yard - it's big and pretty and she puts tables up and people sort of mill around and chat, and then at some point, Chris (Carmen's girlfriend) picks up the guitar and starts to sing. They use the back patio, raised above the back yard by maybe 3 steps, as a sort of stage. Chris sings, and then says something and then various members of the crowd are invited to join. This was nice because Andreas, Martha's husband (you don't know these people, but Martha is our club vice president), who has a great voice, joined Chris and then later they called Cynthia Davis up to sing. She is also a member of our club. Fabulous voice, absolutely fabulous. She sang "Besame Muchio" and I swear to God I got chills. After that, others followed, it was nice, but you aren't allowed to speak during the singing so it pretty much quiets down after the singing starts, and you spend most of the rest of the evening trying to figure out your escape.

Okay back to the falling. I fall alot, as you know, so I have to predisclose - I find comedy when I myself fall, so whenever someone else does, it makes me laugh. Not out loud or to their face, and it's not to be mean. It's just one of those things that you think about later and start chuckling (like I am doing right now). So, I think the first stumbler was a guy who was sitting closest to the "stage". He came back from the bathroom (in the house) and was coming back down the steps to his table, and slid on like the top step, landing, all dramatically with the flailing arms and the yelling, in a heap by his chair. He may have taken out his younger-than-six-year-old daughter too but I was covering my face so no one could see the laughing. I mean, he was right up in front there so you couldn't help but see him. In his defense, it had downpoured earlier, and I don't have to tell you how rain slickens everything up around here. Okay. So a couple more songs later, a lady at our table, on the other end of it, apparently went to tip her chair back or something, who knows, but the next thing you know she has fallen backward and hit her head on the patio. I didn't laugh at that one because I thought she may have really done some damage, but she popped up pretty quickly and just looked embarrassed, so I am sure she was fine. And then maybe one more song later, and this one lady from our club who I see all the time, say hi to, but have never known her name, is coming back from the bathroom and sure enough, falls down the steps. She didn't flail or yell but again, there were people singing on the stage so everyone was watching as it happened. I told Janet I was going to crawl out of the place because with all this falling down I was sure to be next. I hate to say it was funny, but coming from a chronic faller, it really was. And the best part of all of this is that during the falling, the people singing on stage NEVER MISSED A BEAT.

Like I said, got out of there pretty early. Still didn't get to bed until around 2:30 though. As I said, Joe worked a party with Raul in Puerto Juarez and we phoned him to let him know that Janet was at my house. He tried to get out of there early, but early for those kinds of parties is really early morning.

Sunday we took a drive out to the zh with Sergio for no clearly defined reason, and then went to Caliente to watch some football. The place was packed, we had a crappy seat, but still got to watch some games.

Monday bleeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhh I just didn't feel like being social. There was a party at Hilda's but frankly I just wanted some me time. I think for the first time in ever I actually went to bed for like 3 hours in the middle of the day. Tuesday I ran my laundry over, and got some groceries before 11am, Walmart was not too busy yet, and then hung out the rest of the day.

Sometimes I just get cranky and sometimes I am in a funk for a few days. I have made my decision to move back to Portland, I have heard back from my boss's boss (I don't think I mentioned that. She said she was sure they would have room for me in February - that's good enough for me), and I am flat-ass broke (to my way of thinking. I have money to live on til when I am ready to go, but I am out the "cush" I was expecting due to my overly giving generosity. I think you have read this before. I feel like I have typed it. Sorry, it's my blog and you'll just have to put up with it). So I am preparing to move on to the next chapter in my life. I woke up this morning thinking I was sort of looking forward to being productive again, to have a steady income and the ability to make decisions and flash about my knowledge and opinion. And to have a reason for being in a shitty mood when I feel like it. And insurance to go to the dang doctor about this stupid ear that has been infected for over a month. And access to Starbucks and maybe even an oven.

So it's Wednesday and this is my day. Party on Friday night, no plans for Christmas as yet. It's cool, I am Sola in the Ciudad. And I can dig it for now.