She Said...

July 28, 2007

As some of you may remember, Santander, the bank I deal with here, sent me a notice telling that, since I was such a good customer, I was entitled to a loan equivalent to six months’ salary. I applied, and way too late for my needs, I was told that all I could get was the equivalent of $1,000. US “because I did not have a credit rating in Mexico”. So I got a Santander credit card - bottom of the line, with a $5,000. Peso limit. That’s about $500. dollars. Whoppeedoo! I was also told that if I was a good girl, and used the card often, and paid off my balances on time, after one year I could apply for their Mexicana card which would enable me to accumulate points on my Frecuenta account - which is what I really want considering that my only traveling consists in flying back and forth to Montreal once a year.

A year and a half later, having fulfilled all the above-mentioned requirements, I applied for the coveted Santander-Mexicana card… only to be told, weeks later, that I did not qualify as I was not a Mexican citizen. They had never told me about that little detail.

Once I acquired my Mexican citizenship, I applied again. This time, I was refused because “six months had not elapsed since my last application”. Another little detail they don’t disclose… So now, I have to book my ticket without any extra “bonus” points - again. And that after Mexicana increased the number of points required to fly up to Canada by 50% a couple of years ago - without notifying their members, of course.

Talking about members, now that I’ve paid them three whole months ahead of time, Telcel (another of poor Carlos Slim’s companies) is sending me their bills on time. I wonder why it is they don’t do that when I owe them money.

Actually, my week -which begins on Thursday, once the Tribune is put to bed- started out very nicely. Bingo at the Lazy Lizard was great (see Joy’s report in the Bingo Corner) and then our entire gang went to Maria Candelaria for some scrumptious tamales. In case you haven’t tried them, check ‘em out at 851 Guadalupe Sanchez, but keep in mind that they’re closed from 1 to 6 p.m., and on Sundays.

On Saturday, my friend and I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (love that kind of stuff!) and then we went to Spiaggia for dinner. What a beautiful location! It’s where Cabana Club used to be, at the foot of Uruguay if my memory serves me right. They have live music, and the food is excellent (with exception of their inexplicably tasteless parfait and flan, that are quasi identical).

Still on the topic of food, our friend T.J. who took me out to “Eat Me” -the recently-opened pizza/wine bar- when I returned from Colima with my newly-acquired Mexican passport, informed me that owner YaYa was planning a little art opening / pizza sampling event for the public last Friday, so I’ll let you know how it went. You should try it too, it’s on Pino Suarez, corner of Francisco Madero, and as I wrote last time, aside from the good fare, just reading the very risqué menu is reason enough to do so.

I’ve also been reading a lot of good things about Agave Grill, even better than usual. To quote some of them: “The salsa made at the table is the best I have ever had… The mole poblano over chicken stuffed with squash blossoms was dreamy… It just keeps getting better. The service, presentation and quality were all outstanding… I loved the servers’ explanations of each ingredient, one by one. The décor seems to get better every year too.” And all that since their chef left. His replacement is obviously doing a great job. Way to go, guys! I’ve always loved the place - and its food.

As of now, we also have a Starbucks right smack dab in the heart of town, off the main square no less! Boy, those folks sure know how to find prime locations. Personally, I’m glad just because I won’t have to go all the way out to the Peninsula (with all due respect to the reader who was upset by my reluctance to drive out to the Marina…) I happen to like a particular brand of Starbucks’ whole grain coffee, to prepare the way I like it. I won’t apologize but nor will I tell you which it is. The last time I wrote about a favorite food of mine, I couldn’t find it again for weeks ‘cause everyone went out to buy it and the store owners didn’t realize they should order more… All you have to do is do what I did: try every one in your favorite category (mellow, robust, etc.), then choose the one you like best.

Have you taken the Libramiento lately? What is the thinking behind their method of work? Perhaps one of you could explain to me why they’ve closed two of the four lanes even if no one is working along most of the distance. And anyways, even when it opens up again, it’s still covered with gravel - scary stuff if you get too close to the car in front of you.

On Sunday, we went to the Botanical Gardens for one last wonderful day before they closed for the summer season. Their calzones are right up there with the very best I’ve ever tasted, their “flan campestres” are nothing short of obscenely decadent, and I won’t even try to tell you how much more beautiful the Gardens are than they were a few weeks ago ‘cause I don’t want to make you jealous. Just make sure you get there as soon as they reopen to the public in October, once the life-giving rains stop.

Rain, yes, lots of it in England, too much, and it’s not giving life …while Romanians are literally dying of heat. And people still think that we haven’t messed up our little planet?

Before I forget, I hope you’ve all been notified about the latest computer virus to invade the internet. It was even featured on CNN, that’s how bad it is. Microsoft classified it as the most destructive ever. Discovered by McAfee, this virus “simply destroys Sector Zero from the hard disk, where vital information for its functioning are stored. It sends itself automatically to all contacts on your list with the title "A Card for You". As soon as the supposed virtual card is opened, the computer freezes so that the user has to reboot. When the ctrl+alt+ del keys or the reset button are pressed, the virus destroys Sector Zero, thus permanently destroying the hard disk. So don't open any emails with subject: ‘A Virtual Card for You.’ As soon as you get the mail, delete it - even if you know the sender.”

Today, Wednesday, ended my week on a very sad note. I’ve always known that the Specter of Death sometimes hangs around for a long time before snatching its next victim. It’s really hard on the family and the victim when that happens, and when he finally does make up his mind, his decision is welcomed. But at other times, he just comes unannounced, as he did last night when he came for Dr. Vazquez. That’s really hard for those left behind.

I had the honor of interviewing the man I called the “Plastic Surgeon cum laude” last year.

This man evoked trust at first sight. He was warm and friendly, and spoke perfect English without any noticeable accent whatsoever. He was a great promoter of “medical tourism”, especially for Puerto Vallarta, of course. His excellent English was a result of his years as an exchange student in Salt Lake City. He also traveled extensively throughout the U.S., and attended as many conventions and seminars as he could there, to keep abreast of all the latest in his field of work. He was so admired that he was to speak at some of these events, in both Canada and the U.S.

In addition to all this, Dr. Alfredo Vázquez had over 25 years of experience, which may help explain why his were called "magic hands". He will be sorely missed, by his family and friends, but also by the hundreds of men and women he made beautiful. May you rest in peace, Doctor.

The same day, we had to deal with another kind of doctor when my grandson was diagnosed with an inflamed appendix - which had to be removed right away. Thank heavens, the whole procedure took about a half and hour and the little fellow is fine, but hospitals are not a favorite place of mine. I’ve been blessed, not having to be admitted to one for anything other than to give birth to my children.

I used to read a lot back then, when I was having my children. Since I moved down here, I haven’t been inclined to read much, preferring to sit in front of the idiot box at the end of a hard day’s work. Well, that changed when the power source of my satellite system decoder suffered its own version of a heart attack. Not that it mattered much, considering that even with hundreds of channels, there’s nothing worth watching on the tube these months. So I read, I read lots, I think it actually started with Jenny McGill’s delightful Drama and Diplomacy book (available at Rizo’s). What a wonderful feeling it’s been. I think I’ll do more in the months to come. Mind you, there are so many good flicks around, and coming around, that they can easily fill the evening hours, Fracture with Anthony Hopkins, The Bourne Ultimatum with Matt Damon (Mmmm, can’t wait!), etc. etc.

Until next time, have a great week, don’t forget your sun block, and be careful in the waters of the bay as there have been a number of incidents with jelly fish - something we’re not used to around the Bay area. Obviously, we don’t have enough Leatherback turtles in the bay. Those gentle giants love to feast on jellyfish. Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com

posted by Anna Reisman @ 5:06 PM