At Least One

When I move to Saskatoon at the end of next month, I can do so with the peace of mind that I'll know at least one other person (besides my mentor).  Eric, my good friend from Vancouver, moved to Toon-town not even a week ago, having accepted a job there with the city urban planning department.

So this past weekend we met up and hung out together.  In fact, I stayed overnight at his place.  He found himself a nice apartment in the City Park area.  Should I rent instead of buy, I will in all likelihood end up living in the same neighbourhood also.

So what did we do as first-timers in Toon-town?

Coffee: we went to a nice coffee place called D'lish.  Nice atmosphere, good coffee.

Dinner: we went to - of all places - a bookstore (!) for dinner; there's a restaurant attached to a popular bookstore in the city, so we went there to check it out.  So-so.

Church: Emmanuel Baptist.  Don't think I'll be going back.  I can't do bands in church anymore...

Prairie Harvest Cafe: now this place was cool.  Great food (brunch), and great coffee.  The building's not ideal for a restaurant setting, but in a way it had some character.

It snowed lightly throughout the weekend.  About -4.

 

I confess I'm getting very excited about this move.

Exploring Sasaktoon

I spent this weekend in Saskatoon, looking for a place to live.

At first I was thinking that I'd rent a place, but after checking out rental prices, it makes sense to at least consider buying.  To that end, my mentor in Saskatoon referred me to a good a real estate agent, and indeed, she was very helpful in exploring some interesting properties with me.  In all, I saw close to 10 properties, mostly houses, but some apartments also.  I haven't found my niche yet.

Here's what I'm looking for:

* light (no dark dungeon, so property should face east, south, or west, or all 3!)

* space (no shoeboxes; this also avails the opportunity to rent out suite or get a roommate)

* green (if possible, a small yard for a vegetable garden)

* balcony (particularly if apartment, so that I can finally have a bbq at home)

* central (within walking distance to either work or downtown, preferably both)

* hardwood (no carpets)

* ready (no project; it's gotta be ready to move-in)

I will most likely return next weekend to check out some more places.

Offer Accepted

I accepted the job offer in Saskatoon today.  No sense in waiting, I know that if there's a way out, I cannot stay put any longer.

I will resign at the end of the month, giving one month's notice.

I will move north at the end of April, and begin my new job early May.

Thank the good Lord, what an answer to prayer...

Job Offer

The miraculous happened: I got a job offer for the position in Saskatoon.

Conditions of employment are virtually the same as my current ones.  Minus, of course, the almighty, the all-knowing, the omnipresent Emperor as a boss.  That factor alone is worth acccepting the offer for....

God has opened a door to get out of this mess.

I've asked to think and pray about it until Sunday.  I will talk to my Spiritual Director this weekend, as well as other trustworthy souls.

Thank you Lord.  Oh my God, thank you Lord.

Moving To Saskatoon?

My job interview today went very well.  I have a very good feeling about things.

I had the opportunity to drive around the city after the interview and see where I might possibly live.  There's a nice area downtown near Spadina Ave, I think it's called City Park.  Another area, even a better one, is the Broadway and Main area.

As I begin to consider this move more seriously, my heart is filled with hope and optimism.  Maybe there's a way out of this conundrum I find myself in now afterall....

For dinner I went to Saboroso.

Afterwards I thought about going to a movie, but as I was parking my car near the movie theatre I all of the sudden felt like it was better to just drive home and spend a nice and quiet evening at home.

Good decision.

I got home after 9pm.

Tomorrow is church.  I look forward to it.  I haven't been to church since early February.

Open Windows

Today, March 13th, marks the first day since around the October timeframe that I had my apartment windows open.  Outside, the temperature reached a high of +5, and inside, with the heating full-on, it just got too hot.  So I turned off all heating outlets (another first for 2014), and opened all windows, for about 6 hours, until 9:20pm, when it started to get a little chilly inside.

I'm hoping that this temperature is a sign of things to come: warm temperatures and breezes.

Other things I did today.

I watched Indian Wells tennis: Milos lost against Dolgopolov.  Cibulkova lost too.  Not a good day for the players I cheer for.  Federer is on later tonight, hopefully he'll win.

I replaced the front windshield in my car.  $412.  Rocks stay away!

I picked up clothes from the alteration store.  I had 2 pants and 3 dress shirts hemmed.  $90

I went to Regina in the morning for a massage.  $73.

I went to the Regina German Club for lunch.  One word says it all: schnitzel.  $16.

I talked to Eric on the phone.  He's moving to Saskatoon in two weeks' time.

I also talked to Jun in the afternoon.  He seems to be doing well.

Tomorrow I have a job interview in Saskatoon.  I will leave around 11am.  My interview's at 2:30.

Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, for I'm a sinner.

Mexico: Panoramic Pictures

Sunrise

Acapulco

Abierto de Mexico

The Grand

Palms

Tepoztlan

Poolside

Palacio de Bellas Artes

Back Home!

Departure from Mexico City, around 6:20am.

While at the airport, the most amazing thing happened.  I ran into my brother Ted!  He was on his way back from Paraguay, waiting for a flight to Vancouver.  My flight home went via Vancouver also, so incredibly, we found ourselves not only at the same airport, but in the same flight!

The odds of that happening are so incredibly low.  In a city of 25 million!  At the same airport!  On the same flight home!  Totally unplanned!  We were both absolutely stunned to see each other there.

Suffice it to say, once we got over the shock of running into each other, we promptly went to a coffee shop, bought ourselves a coffee and some pastry, and got caught up.  It was surreal.

Below, Moose Jaw from the air.

Landing in Regina.

I was happy to arrive at home safely.  The temperature was a very balmy +2C.  Could this be the beginning of spring?

I still feel in vacation-mode, as I still have another week of vacation left before returning to work.  So, tomorrow I will sleep in, do some laundry, cook some food, and just generally lay low.

On Thursday night I'll do some prep-work for my interview on Friday.

Thank you Lord for a wonderful vacation.  Have mercy on me!

Mexico City: Last Day

 What a gorgeous sunrise this morning.  5:55am.

Today marks my last day in the wonderful country of Mexico.  I love it here.  It tugs at all the Latin strings in my heart, and it makes me want to immerse myself more and more into the beauty of this culture.

Today was Ruth's mother's birthday, and we celebrated it with a big feast.  Marty was the chef, and I had the privilege of being his right-hand man (translation: I was the waiter).

The highlight of the day was when we all went around the table and one by one shared the thoughts on our hearts.  After each person finished their turn, we all raised our glasses of wine and said Salud!  When it came to my turn, I expressed my gratitude to Marty and Ruth for hosting me the past few weeks, but more importantly, I thanked them for their friendship.  I also mentioned that I appreciated the welcome I received by everyone present - it reminded me of being with my own family.  In fact, today, they were my family.

 

 

Tomorrow early in the morning, shortly after 10am, my return flight to Canada takes off.  This means that I have to get up even earlier: around 3am.

Mexico City: Symphony, Limosneros

Just when I thought that I'd come to the end of my Mexico experience, Ruth and Marty pulled out all the stops for one last big horray.

The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra was on tour in Mexico City, so late this afternoon we got on the metro downtown, and 30 minutes later stood in front of the Torre Latinoamericana...

...and the Palacio de Bellas Artes, site of the performance.

On tap for the evening were works by Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, but perhaps the highlight of the evening was Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, performed by pianist Denis Kozhukhin.  It was spectacular.

Speaking of spectacular, here's the inside of the palace:

As far as I understand, it took a long time to construct the palace - 30 years (1904 - 1934).  Construction was halted several times, such as when the building began to sink due to Mexico City's soft subsoil, as well as during the Mexican Revolution.

The evening was clinched by a visit to the Limosneros restaurant. Great atmosphere, warm decor, and the food - classical Mexican with a modern twist - was good too.  Their tortilla soup was mmmmm good.  I also tried a bit of the creme brulee - exquisite.

After dinner we thought about going for a walk and see the big cathedral which is just a few blocks away, but I voted to go back home.  I was tired.

Tomorrow: last day in Mexico.  Sniff sniff...

Cuernavaca - DF By Bus

I left Cuernavaca by bus this morning, but not before replying to the email regarding the job opening in Saskatoon.  I have scheduled an interview for Friday, March 14th at 2:30pm.

Before getting on the bus, I also had a very quick heart-to-heart with Tati.  Thank you God for friends.  Please bless them according to your goodness!

I arrived in DF around 11am, and proceeded to take a taxi to Ruth and Marty's.

Shortly after noon the 3 of us went into Coyoacán.  Ruth and Marty had some errands to complete, and in true R&M fashion, they took their suitcase (!) along to accomplish their errands.  Today the suitcase served as a way of transporting clothes (pickup/drop off from tailor), and groceries.  Now that's eco-friendly living!

We had a comida corrida lunch at a great little spot, and afterwards we went to a coffee shop called, well, Café.

Tomorrow: the St. Petersburg Philarmonic Orchestra (in Mexico City!), and dinner with some of Ruth's family.

Cuernavaca: Outdoor Church

This morning Ruben and I went for a short walk around his neighbourhood.  It was one of the most special moments I've had with him.  When I visit them here, my interactions are often more with Tati than with Ruben.  But today during our walk, I felt a special fraternal connection with Ruben.  We talked about a number of topics, including economics, culture, lifestyles - he keeps suggesting that I buy a place in Tepoztlan and that he'll manage it for me - hikes, interests, and so on, but what surprised me today was his openness to talk a little about faith.

Maybe the pictures below prompted the direction of our conversation, who knows.  They're of an outdoor church, only the 2nd outdoor church I've ever visited, the first one being the cave-church in Egypt.  Today's church was the Parroquia San Felipe de Jesús.

When I saw the last picture (above) it dawned on me that we're now into the season of Lent.  Forty days of preparation for the biggest celebration of our faith.

After viewing the church and sitting on its pews for a few moments of reflection and prayer, Ruben and I continued our way through his neighbourhood.  Eventually we made it to one of the main streets lined by artiasan shops.  They sell all kinds of ceramics and pottery with typical colourful Mexican designs.  I bought a few items that I'll bring home (I'm a sucker for kitsch, I guess...).

 

Tomorrow: My time in this wonderful country is coming to an end.  Tomorrow around 9am I take a bus back to DF.  There I will spend 2 more days, before returning to the great white north on Monday morning.

Cuernavaca: Pool, Futbol, And Tortuga Cucufata

Following my mentor's suggestion on Feb. 6th that I apply for a job opening in Saskatoon, I applied for the position on the 12th.  This morning I checked my email, and lo and behold, there was an email requesting that I come for an interview.  I'm going to sit on this for a few days before responding, but suffice it to say that a shot of both enthusiasm and terror - mostly the former - raced through my body.

Below is an example of what Cuernavaca - the city of the eternal spring - has to offer.  Gorgeous.  This is from Tati and Ruben's back yard.

I spent this morning doing house chores: washing dishes, sweeping the floor, and cleaning the pool.  Afterwards, I sat down and pondered life and wrote down some of my thoughts.

I also read Marquez, and dipped in the pool when I got too hot from sitting in the sun.  This was about every 15 minutes.

In the evening we went for dinner at my local favourite food joint, La Tortuga Cucufata.  The pictures below speak for themselves.  Pure satisfaction...

We watched some soccer in the evening.  It was amazing, some channels showed soccer - previews, games, reviews - pretty much all day long!  I wish we had television coverage like that in Canada!

Today was Jennifer's birthday.  Feelings of emptiness.

Tomorrow's another day.

Cuernavaca: Tepoztlan, Hiking Tepozteco

I've been to Mexico 3 times now, and on all 3 occasions I hiked to the top of Tepozteco.  I love it!

We left Cuerna at about 10am, arriving at the town an hour later.  It took us about 30 minutes hiking each way, but we stopped at the top for a good half hour so that I could take some pictures.

After finishing our hike we walked around town a bit and found a nice place to eat lunch.  On both previous occasions I've been here we went to Los Colorines, a fine choice, but this time we tried a new place, La Casa de las Golondrinas.  Excellent choice.  I had a sopa azteca (also called sopa de tacos), followed by enchiladas with a green tomato salsa that was just perfect.

We arrived back in Cuerna near 5pm, exhausted.  I went for a dip in the pool - the cold water certainly woke me up.

In the evening we drank good coffee.  El Fogón.

We also sat poolside and talked.  Evenings are quite tranquil here.

Tomorrow: FIFA day of amistosos.  Some interesting games coming up, including Argentina - Romania, España - Italia, Deutschland - Chile, and Holland - France.  Here, the match of interest is México - Nigeria.

Cuernavaca: Poolside

I spent most of today poolside.  The weather's hot (in the high 20s), but surprisingly, the water's quite cold.

The pool floor was quite dirty, so I helped Ruben clean it.

Lots of reading.  I'm really getting into Marquez.  His characters describe the Latin mindset and temperament very well.  Passionate.  Impulsive.  Intense.  All or nothing.  Emotional.  I know I know, stereotypical...

Hammock-time.

 

Good coffee.

Late in the afternoon I went to a mall with Tati.  I mentioned to her the relational black hole I find myself in.  Her advice was the same as what all other friends and family have told me.  Move on.  However, she added the following: moving on may provide the seeds for a possible getting together again in the future.  Emphasis on the word may.  Do not bank on it.

Only when we let go do we open ourselves to full healing.

She also mentioned that I should write a letter outlining exactly how I feel.  This would bring closure for me.  I asked if I should send it, she said no.

Acapulco - Cuernavaca By Car

The view from our hotel room.

We left Acapulco around 1pm, arriving in Cuernavaca around 5.  Upon arrival, we ordered a pizza for dinner.

Afterwards, we watched the sun go down on Ruben and Tati's terrace.  Also present was their cat Tino (short for Valentino).

All was good, but a bitter pill came my way at the end of the day when I went to sleep in a room that reminded me of the most important person of my life; a person that is now virtually absent from my life.

As I lay down to sleep, it occurred to me that this trip is not so much about remembering the past, but about looking forward.  In Spiritual Care lingo, we call this memory making.  Trips like these can be devastating if they only serve to remind me of a bygone era.  I need to find ways to not erase these memories, but treasure them, and augment them with memories of a different kind.  

The temptation to compare memories abounds, but it's a temptation that I must resist as much as possible.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have Mercy on me, a Sinner!

Acapulco: Beach

Another day in paradise.  All day long, nothing but clear skies and sun, sun, sun.

I met Tati, Ruben, and the rest of the gang for breakfast shortly after 9 in the morning.  Afterwards, I went to the nearest Sanborns store to buy some more books (I did this against Ruth's advice; Sanborns is a big business bully, like Walmart, who provides cheap prices but runs smaller mom-and-pop stores out of business.  Sorry Ruth .. I didn't know where to find a small bookstore in Acapulco!).  I bought two books: Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Marquez, and another book about the life of John the baptist, written by a Mexican theologian, (I think he's a bishop) Javier Sevilla.

Once back at the hotel, I did what any sensible man would do: hit the beach.  In fact, I spent the rest of the day at the beach reading, drinking piña coladas, and dipping in the ocean for a swim.  Towards the end of the afternoon a woman came by and offered massages.  I accepted, and spent $10 on a 30-minute massage.  The massage felt good, but she was of the persuasion that a good massage includes the cracking of bones - my back, my knuckles - and I tend to think the opposite.  I'd rather not hear my bones crack, much less by another person's hands, skilled though they may be.

Below are Tati and Ruben, and little Marcelo.  It was taken at sundown, around 6pm.

Today brought to an end my time in Acapulco.  An amazing time.  Tennis.  Beach.  Sun.  Reading.  Friends.  Food.  The stuff of paradise.

Tomorrow: leave Acapulco and head to the hot valley of Cuernavaca.  There I will spend the next 3-4 days with Ruben and Tati, before returning to DF