The end of the world as predicted by the Mayan calendar

On our recent trip to Mexico we visited the Mayan ruins at Tulum. We had the opportunity to discuss, in detail, the Mayan calendar with a local expert on the subject.

As you may, or may not know, many people believe the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world when it ceases on December 23, 2012. The calendar is very complicated and is based on the solar year and the agricultural seasons. It consists of 18 twenty day months, then a 5 day resting period before the next year begins....365 days. The man we were talking to laughed at the idea that the Mayan predicted the end of time by the conclusion of their calendar...this calendar was designed a few thousand years before the time of Christ. He said that once the written Mayan calendar was concluded in 2012...it would simply start over.

I guess we'll see in a few years.

More thoughts on Mexico

As the title says, a few more thoughts on Mexico...

We chose to walk on the street rather than the beach. It was the deepest, softest, sand I have ever encountered. The only place you could easily walk was along the surf.

Driving...I'm not sure if it's my imagination but people in other places are way worse than Louisville, and Louisville isn't great. Is it that I'm used to our brand of crazy? In Mexico I'm pretty sure the roads had lines, but nobody seemed to pay them any attention. If your vehicle fits into a space, then you can drive there. This often seems to include the shoulder of the road. You have everything from Mopeds to tour buses trying to occupy a limited space and traffic laws, including ALTO (STOP) signs, seem to be more of a suggestion than a hard and fast rule. I tried not to find out if pedestrians had the right away.

I asked the server at the tequilaria for his suggestion of best tequila...they're all inclusive so why not ask for the best. I was surprised that I had never heard of his recommendation...El Jimador. I was also surprised by how good the limes were.

The one thing that surprised us all...the wind! It is windy along the beach. I kept my hair pulled up...or I looked like a wild woman. This made it very pleasant, with temps in the upper 80's it was not hot at all. Nothing in any of the travel literature I read mentioned this. There were a number of weddings taking place at our hotel while we were there...I bet they were surprised too. I ran into one bride in the bathroom trying to untangle and rearrange her hair. The nearly constant wind contributes to the nearly constant sighting of sunburned individuals. No heat, no getting hot, no realization. Sometimes, it was bad...I mean, ouch! The spa actually offered a treatment for sunburn. It should have been a best seller.

You can bargain with the shops. You should bargain with the shops. But they do have a bottom dollar...and you should know your top dollar before you start. I walked into a small shop and found a sterling sun pendant with inlaid opal that I liked. I asked the price, as with many shops it was not marked...also as with many shops I was shown a number on a calculator. A number with way too many digits, I quickly divided by 10, though pesos are currently running 12-14 against the dollar, and told the shop keeper no thanks. He stopped me and used the calculator to figure up the dollar amount...$165 US. Again I said no. We bargained back and forth until he was down to $35. It was still more than I wanted to spend. A few days later, I went back and a different man offered me the pendant for $65 and would not go below $45. I came home without the pendant...maybe I'll check Ebay.

I know this one is going to sound weird (have you met me?) but there is no moon in Mexico. I swear I looked for it every night. I mean how can you howl at the moon if you can't find it, right?

Mexico

We just spent six wonderful days at the Royal in Playa del Carmen. I can not recommend this place high enough. Adults only (16 is the minimum age), all inclusive...including room service and the room's mini-bar. Immaculate grounds. The staff is constantly cleaning. Gigantic, comfortable rooms. I slept better than at home. Six restaurants with excellent food. Bar service on the beach. Deep white sand running into crystal blue water...many of the nearby beaches were not nearly as nice. Upper 80 degree days with a near constant wind off the ocean...hardly ever felt hot. Plenty to see and do...we went to the Mayan ruins in Tulum and snorkeling off of Cozumel. Down time was spent hanging in a hammock on the room's balcony. Unlike a lot of resorts we saw in Mexico this one is not isolated, it is a short walk to Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue), a pedestrian street lined with shops, dining, bars, hotels and clubs. Even at night we felt safe and comfortable walking along the busy street.

The resort is approximately 50 minutes south of Cancun's airport. It felt like forever getting through the red tape that now accompanies entry into any foreign country. Then we were sidetracked by a man that said he was there to assist us find our transportation...you have to watch out for these guys, they'll have you in a hard sell time share meeting in two heart beats if you are not careful. They offer half price tours and I'm sure lots of other goodies. You might get a lot for your money if you don't mind giving them half a day. Learn to say, "No gracias." and keep walking. The transport company also invited us to a meeting to get our return vouchers, I skipped this also and picked them up later at their desk in the hotel. This was MY vacation and I wanted to chose how I spent my time.

Our trip home was about 14 hours as we were delayed in Atlanta...and we still don't have our luggage.

Sleep disorders and other advantages

I have a sleep disorder. It probably has a name, but I don't remember what it is. All I know is sometimes, I just don't sleep. This can actually go two ways. I can not get to sleep and feel tired and miserable. Or I sleep very soundly for a short period then wake up...wide awake, and can't go back to sleep leaving me feeling...you guessed it, tired and miserable later in the day. I could probably take a 10-20 minute nap every two to four hours and feel great. However, work really frowns on napping.

There are advantages to "power sleeping". I'm supposed to be up this morning to catch a flight. Instead of rushing around trying to get there on time, I am sitting here casually talking to you...and drinking homemade, rather than airport, coffee. I am calm, cool and collected...and if I am really lucky I'll be able to nap on the plane.

Breaking Dawn

SPOILER ALERT...SPOILER ALERT...SPOILER ALERT...SPOILER ALERT

If you have not read the Twilight series and think you might want to, go away NOW!

I read this massive 700+ page book over the weekend. I have not devoured books like this in a long time...and they're romance novels (with just a twist of supernatural) for crying out loud. Teen romance even! Yet I found myself glued to the pages. The four book series encompasses over 2000 pages and I think I've read all four in the span of about 10 days.

It was nice to see Bella a little more self assured in this book, but I still found myself annoyed with her...must have been all the mushy, I love you more than life, crap. As I've said before, I am not a huge fan of romance novels. So the teenager falls in love with the vampire...and the werewolf. There's some tears and anger and a few close calls...but it all works out in the end...sort of.

Somewhere about the middle of the book (SPOILER ALERT...just making sure you're paying attention) when Jacob imprints on Nessie, I had to put it down and walk away. I thought, you've got to be kidding me! Yes, they had explained how it worked and it wasn't creepy sexual...unlike the 100 year old vampire in love with a 17 year old girl. But for some reason it just made me go...ahhhh! I resisted the urge to toss the book across the room. I walked away...but it wasn't long before I was flipping pages again to find out, what's next?

Suddenly all the issues of the three way love affair were resolved in a nice neat tidy little box. Game over. Almost.

Actually the story seemed to end there...but the author thought not. So there are a few more hundred pages. Just consider it bonus material.

I'm curious to read something else she has written. Is she a good author being able to pull in the reader, or did she just get lucky with a couple of supernatural "bad boy" heroes and a insecure, irrational, annoying, needy heroine?

Did I enjoy the books? Yes. Did I like the books? Not so much. Does that makes sense? My blog, not necessary.

In the end, I spent 10 days engrossed in a story with characters I cheered for and mostly liked. I won't complain about that. But it left me feeling let down in some way I can't quite describe.

Maybe I'm just not sure what to do now with my free time.

Eclipse

The third book in the Twilight series took a little longer to read. I don't know if it was the length, 629 pages, or just the fact that I was working every day. I started it Sunday and finished on Thursday. I stayed up late Thursday, for a work night, as I rushed through the last chapter anxious to know what was going to happen.

I keep trying to figure out how Bella will resolve the conflict she faces...and I haven't been able to see the end yet. The books are still crappy romance novels and I hate that I've been drawn in...but it's undeniable. I opened book four, Breaking Dawn, as soon as I got home Friday. I have a week...754 pages.

I rush forward, page by page, feeling Bella's pain and confusion...annoyed by her neediness and insecurity. I cheer for the vampire and the werewolf...each wanting the same things and going about it differently. How do they all win in the end? Isn't that the way it's supposed to be...

happily ever after?

Horoscopes, card tricks and other irrelevances

I don't generally believe in horoscopes, fortune tellers and other hocus pocus. But I read my horoscope on a fairly regular basis, I own a Tarot deck and I'd love to visit a psychic. Contradictory...you bet. My friends are not surprised.

Today's horoscope per Yahoo: Friendships are all about acceptance and support, so don't succumb to pressure from a pal who is being too demanding about how much time you spend with them. If they can't understand that you just can't hang out when they want to hang out, then you need to reevaluate their role in your life. You cannot rearrange your life at the whim of other people, no matter how important you think they are to your life. They'll get along fine without you -- assure them of that.

This is so true for a part of my life...more the past than the future. Amazing how much clearer things are when they've already happened. This has come to pass and didn't end well. The horoscope was nice enough to remind me of it. Ouch.

I use my Tarot deck to look at thing from a different perspective. I have established each cards meaning...even written it down, so there is less interpretation. It is scarey sometimes how relevant it is to my frame of mind. But isn't that it...frame of mind?

Do I want to know my future? What's the fun in that? I'm not sure what I would want from a psychic. There is a certain curiosity, I'll admit. Maybe I'd be more interested in seeing if she could convince me that she was legitimate. But then, she might know my secrets...now that's scarey.

New Moon

I bought New Moon Friday evening and finished it Saturday night...563 pages. It is still romance. There is still too much desperation in the lead female character, Bella...but for some strange reason you want to know what's going to happen next. The author pulls you in wonderfully. This book spends more time building the relationship between Bella and Jacob...the first book was Bella and Edward. I don't want to spoil anything for those that might still be planning to read the series. Yes...I have books three and four, both more massive than the first two. I think one of them runs 700+ pages. At the rate I'm going they should be finished in a little over a week...and only because I have to go to work.

Let's pay them to drop out

If you talk to be people that have never been to Kentucky, or are visiting for the first time, you will often find they are surprised by our culture, education and our...teeth. No joke. Many have the impression that we are barefoot backwoods, toothless, hillbillies living in shacks with dirt floors. Where would they get such an idea? Movies? TV? Today's Courier Journal?

"A bill that would raise the high school dropout age from 16 to 18 by 2011 cleared a House committee yesterday, but Gov. Steve Beshear said the state can't afford to educate the students who would be forced to stay in school."

What?

So it's more expensive to educate a child for two years than...
a) support them on welfare.
b) house them in prison.
c) all of the above.

I'm sorry, I really shouldn't be so negative.

There are bonuses to all those 16 year old dropouts...
a) no strain on the college system.
b) somebody needs to do the minimum wage work.
c) increasing state population.

I am embarrassed that our governor would put a price on a child's education. Maybe he could offer a financial incentive to encourage 16 year old teens to drop out. We should all be so proud.

Twilight

I just finished Twilight...498 pages in three days. It is an easy read. It is probably the first time I have ever read a book AFTER watching the movie. I know nobody is surprised, but the book is better. I was almost embarrassed about buying the book. I can't quite explain the emotion. I guess I just didn't want to be one of "those" people. I did enjoy the book...mostly. I will buy the second one and we'll see if I move on to the third and fourth. As you can tell, I have some issues with the book. It leans heavily toward romance, not something I normally read. Having seen the movie, I was not surprised. It was a challenge I was willing to take. The one thing I found truly annoying is Bella's neediness. I prefer my women stronger...and my vampires darker.