She Said...

Oct. 20, 2007

“My concept of ‘hell’ is having to spend one minute longer than necessary in an airport.” - Joe Harrington

The Tribune’s very own movie guru said it better than I could ever have done.

On my return trip to our little paradise – which I missed more than I can say – I learned something new: whenever there are electrical thunderstorms in Dallas, Texas, everything stops at DFW airport. Naturally, by the time the storm abates, all the flights have been postponed, wreaking havoc with passengers’ connections and, of course, whatever plans they may have made.

I got home at 1:00 a.m… instead of in the early evening, as planned. Mind you, the AA folks were kind enough to let me make a phone call to advise my son so he wouldn’t have to stay up in order to come pick me up at our airport.

Needless to say, I didn't get to see the photo exhibit upstairs… I was so tired, so fed up, and so very eager to get home. And yes, as I told you all last week, the beautiful, warm summer weather that Montreal had enjoyed for so long …ended the day I got there, with the thermometer plummeting down to a measly 3 to 8 degrees Celsius.

If you’re wondering what I learned in the two days I’ve been back, let me share it with you.

The parking meters whose installation was discussed by the previous municipal administration were installed already in some parts of town. Fine, you say? It’s about time, you say? Well, there are lots of folks who disagree with you. First of all, according to noticiaspv.com, the cops don’t know where the meters are, nor do they know which criteria to use to fine drivers whose time has “expired” …or how much the fines should be. The sub-director of the municipal Transit Department says they’re “waiting for instructions.”

In his opinion column, Luis Alberto Alcaraz of the Spanish daily, Vallarta Opina, wrote that “thousands of Vallartans will soon have to pay to park on the street… as if it wasn’t bad enough that we have to pay to use the public parking facilities built where the parks used to be… And the worst of it all is that Mayor Javier Bravo’s office has already stated that as there’s nothing that can be done, we might as well resign ourselves to it.”

Dozens of residents gathered at the corner of Venustiano Carranza and Lázaro Cárdenas to stop the men who were going to install parking meters in their neighborhood in the Romantic Zone on the South side of town. “They never consulted us, we will not allow it. The sidewalks are narrow but they’ve already started digging holes, including right in front of my neighbor’s door,” said Señora Marilú Valdez Moran, adding “It’s enough already. We’ve lived here all our lives. What do they think they’re they doing?” (SC - El Faro)

I also found out that the $15 Million Pesos set aside since November 2006 for a “school insurance” program to cover accidents on school grounds …has never been touched. Why? Because no claims were submitted. Why? Because no one knew about the insurance program…

Getting back to the traffic question, I read that due to the estimated $4.5 Million Peso loss suffered by shop owners because of the City’s road work conducted during peak hours, our Mayor promised to speak with the proper departments to alleviate the bottlenecks at the northern end of town, which caused many tourist buses to alter their routes and avoid the south side altogether…

So now it appears that despite the City’s reduced budget for the year, some twelve civil servants have flown off to Canada for four days – at the taxpayers’ expense – to attend some function related to the 2009 Fireworks Olympic Games. Lorena Moguel of noticiaspv.com added that the contingent included the Mayor, four councilwomen, as well as the Mayor’s mother, his chauffeur, his brother and sister-in-law, as well as other relatives and friends thereof.

Our friend Mikki Prost (pvencore@yahoo.com) is having another one of her famous “Blow Out” sales at her boutique, Encore. Back by popular demand, “ALL YOU CAN PUT ON YOUR BODY FOR $200 pesos!!!!!” (with a 30 piece maximum) The sale will be on October 25, 26 & 27. “Be sure to get there early to get the best selection; it promises to be a hoot of a sale,” she says. The boutique is located at 584 Lazaro Cardenas.

posted by Anna Reisman @ 1:07 PM