New Day

Last night I reconciled myself to the fact of staying in and finally got around to making the potato leek soup I'd been meaning to make all week. I also called my friend J@red in Maine and we chatted awhile and he made me laugh and I forgot about things for awhile. Earlier Juan Carlo$ had called to wish me a happy New Year. It actually made me quite happy to hear from him and I felt good that he took the time to do it. He's the buddy of Jon@than and @lejandro who drinks and gets aggressive and often ends up in jail. We've had a rocky "friendship" and he often doesn't have credit on his phone. So it was sort of a big deal to hear from him. I wish him well.

When it came time for bed (around 3:30am, usual time), I put Che$ter on the bed on a towel next to me and the other two jumped up and took their spots, Ch0mmie on the pillow and Chuyito toward the foot of the bed. Che$ter had actually eaten a bit earlier for the first time in a few days and he was purring. Life didn't feel so bad.

I got up today and he was still there. He looked a bit haggard but I put him on the back balcony and he seemed content. Later when I got back from brunch, I tried feeding him and he actually ate! I also cleaned up his butt and noticed the sphincter is back closed again. So although he's still seeming pretty bad, he's much better today. I put him on the shelf in the sun this afternoon and brushed him and he purred some more and was comfy there till the sun went down. Now he's back in one of his cat beds resting.

As I mentioned, I went out to brunch today at the diner. It was their first day with the back patio opened up (I had stopped by yesterday and $teve's daughter had told me it was their goal to have it cleaned up and ready to go) so besides wanting to satisfy my craving for chilaquiles, I wanted to support his business. I went with Pi1ar who's visiting until the 18th. She filled me in on the crazy night last night she had. One of the owners of the restaurant got very drunk and abusive, which seems to be a pattern for her. It sounded like a drama-filled evening so I don't really feel like I missed out staying at home.

After brunch I stopped into an open house being put on by a woman who runs a tour company here. She's building a big new house nearby. I had met her over a month ago when we went out to dinner with a mutual acquaintance (to Cafe C@ndela, my favorite restaurant where I didn't spend NYE last night). She's from Canada but has lived here for 30 years and had a tiny little place, jammed packed with artwork and knickknacks she's accumulated over the years from her travels. Just one floor of her new house is about 3 times bigger than her old place and it's great to see her collected artwork on the walls with enough space to be properly displayed.

The tour company owner was very friendly to me which surprised me a bit because she's a bit cantankerous and I couldn't tell if she had liked me when we had dinner. But she mentioned she's building a personal gym in the new place for her "girls" (she has about 15 women who work for her) and said I could work out there if I wanted to for free. I guess I remain ever optimistic because I envisioned finally having a place to work out and getting back into shape and maybe making friends with one of the employees or maybe even the tour company owner.

I ended up talking to a local doctor and a strange old expat woman who's one of those people who hates foreigners and thinks everything Mexxican is great. I could tell her initial feeling about me was negative, but I just kept on chatting and by the end she was warmed up to me and kept me talking for awhile after I said I was leaving.

So today was a better day. I'm starting to think about New Year's goals and reflecting on last year. I hate that I seem to have some of the same goals year after year that I never seem to accomplish (cooking more, getting back into shape, hosting dinner parties, etc.) and when I was feeling really down, I was thinking what's the point of even trying. But luckily I haven't lost hope so I will keep trying.

Feliz Año! as they say here. I'm going for a walk with my friends Jo$e and L0rna and their dog. It fits into my goals to get out more, get more exercise, and socialize with healthier people.