Home Improvement

So, we have a leaky sink. Sounds simple enough right?

First of all, I just want to say how much I appreciate the free repairs included in our housing.
Second of all, I just wish it didn't take 13+ emails and 3-4 visits to the house to get anything done.

Ok, so I reported the leaky sink, which has already been "fixed" before. Last Tuesday, the repairmen came, and they left a note saying, "Sink leak is OK." I responded that it was not "OK" since it was causing water damage in the cabinet below. They said they'd come back on Friday to look at it again, but when they got here, they didn't have the "right tools"...hmmm. Therefore, they had to come back again later. We were fine with that since we were in Cancun anyway...more on that later!

Today, I came home to meet the stove repairman and to my surprise the handles were taken off the faucet and half the grout was peeled off and left on the counter. No note. No guys...

They did however put a clean paper towel in the cabinet, so at least there was that.

Anyway, I continued with my visit with the stove repairman who confirmed that, yes, it's not working. Did he bring parts or tools with him? That's a big NO. Luckily I had my own tools to lend him, and after a bit of poking and prodding and commenting that it was an Italian stove...as though that explained the whole problem...he said that he needed to consult with someone else, get some parts, etc. and come back later. At this point, I should mention that when I asked to have the stove fixed 6 months ago, I had basically the same conversation, and the guy never came back.

Back to the faucet. I asked the stove repairman's supervisor (there are always at least 2-3 people to fix any problem) if he knew where the sink people were. He looked at the situation and said, "Well since they took off the handles and you can't turn on the water, I guess they thought the leak was taken care of!"....I hope he was joking....

He tried to call them, but...drum roll please....they didn't answer their phone!

So currently, we have 3 of 5 burners working on the stove and no water in the kitchen, but plenty of loose grout and clean paper towels in the cabinet!

Our new and improved non-leaking sink!

Ok, to be fair, they sink guys showed up again while I was writing this blog post...but still!

Cancun 3

Last day in Cancun, but we made the most of it. After another delicious breakfast on our oceanfront patio, we headed over to El Rey, the local Mayan ruins, conveniently located next door to our hotel. There were a ridiculous number of iguanas there that were actually a bit more impressive than the ruins. Afterward we hopped on the quick flight home to get ready for the week.

El Rey - Mayan Ruins

View of the main plaza - WARNING: Iguana Crossing!!

Temple-riffic!

More piles of rocks!

The Hilt-a-mid!!

Cheese!

Senor Iguana

Senorita Iguana

Now it's time to play Where's Waldo!

How many iguanas can YOU find?

Scroll to the end for the answer...

More ruins!

Answer: 10!

Cancun 2

Day 2 of our beach vacation was pretty much the same as day one with the exception of a little rain. Which actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise since it scared away most of the other beach/pool crowd including the incredible number of pot-bellied men in Speedos! FYI for any of you future or current parents out there: While I'm all for dressing up the whole family in matching outfits to thoroughly embarrass your teenage children...matching Speedos for grandpa, dad and son is just taking it way to far!!

Good morning Cancun!

Bundled up for the rain...

Happy about the Caribbean lobster tacos for lunch!

We were tempted by the free "bloom" onion at Outback, but restrained ourselves.

Red flag for the super "dangerous" waves!

Luckily no riptides got me!

Autumn stayed safe and dry on the beach.

Cancun 1

Happy Martin Luther King Day! Let's go to the beach.

So this weekend, we booked a last minute trip to Cancun. The beaches were beautiful, and it was great to just get away and relax. One thing I hadn't expected is that Cancun is a lot like going to Florida. Everyone is from the US, everyone speaks English and all the waiters and cab drivers are from Mexico! The weather was warm except for a bit of a rainstorm on Sunday, and we had a good time. I don't know that we'll go back to Cancun, but we will be heading back to the Yucatan Peninsula soon to do more exploring.

We headed out to the airport right after work and were immediately greeted with another "ironic" t-shirt.

This looked like a thrift shop left-over from the 80's and the guy wearing didn't seem to think there was anything weird about it at all. Nor did he appear as though he'd spent a great deal of time in Cleveland, but nonetheless I agree with the sentiment wholeheartedly.


Ok, back to the vacation!
View from the hotel!

This was pretty much my entire experience in Cancun...
Ahh...beach-brellas!
Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Ingrish!

While there is an abundant amount of hilarious "Ingrish" going on here in Mexico, this post is dedicated to Krissy and Johnathan! And, while I was not able to capture these two priceless gems on film, thanks to Photoshop, I can share them with you all now!

Seen on an employee walking into the Sheraton Hotel...
...who did not, in fact, have a mustache!!!
As worn by some douche-y guy walking around Polanco in a flannel and high-tops...
...last minute note to Santa??

Ron & Julie Visit: Day 7: Chapultepec Castle

For their last day, we headed out to Chapultepec Castle. We arrived early to be the post-church crowds, and it was really fun. Part of the castle had been converted into a museum, and there were tons of murals, art and artifacts from Mexican history. The grounds were beautiful, with immaculate gardens and views of the city.

South entrance to the castle.

Interior rooms of the castle.

View of Torre Mayor (tallest building in Mexico) from the balcony.

Having fun!

Julie loved the all the topiaries and sculpted plants...look for these in Colville next summer!

The castle tower.

Amazing stained glass hallway!

Thanks for a great visit!!

Ron & Julie Visit: Day 6: New Year's Day

Unfortunately, Julie had to take the day off from her vacation and rest today, so Autumn and I walked around the neighborhood and through Chapultepec Park with Ron. After a failed attempt to visit the Chapultepec Castle,due to a ridiculously long line at the ticket window, we decided to go through the history museum instead. It was kind of weird, and was filled with dioramas of scenes from Mexico's history. Particularly awkward was the section on the Mexican-American war and the numerous invasions of Mexico by the US. However, we didn't get too many angry stares from the other visitors, so I guess all was well.

Our attempts to translate the numerous plaques and descriptions for Ron helped lighten the mood with their complete lack of detail and sweeping statements like, "This one is showing some guy getting shot" and "Here's one that is showing a famous battle." I think the dioramas probably told us all a lot more then the signs!

Our day took a much more fun turn when we took a cab over to Arena Mexico to take in an extra-special-super-scandalous LUCHA LIBRE!! (aka Mexican Wrestling).

Lucha babes!
Marcela, Rain and Goya Kong
VS.
Princess Sugehit, Tiffany and Zeuxis!

Highlights from the program:


Round 1: Beginners - Super cheesy beginners - not worth translating!

Round 2: Lady combat - see above

Round 3: Cybernetic Tournament - Kings of the Air 2011!! Featuring:

Delta, Gold Angel, Diamond, Silver Angel, Fire, Comet King, Pegasus and Molotov Cocktail
VS.
Gunpowder, Virus, Raziel, Goalkeeper, Archangel, Puma King, Scorpion and the Tiger Kid!

Round 4: Scandalous Semifinal - Featuring:

Rotoporky, Maximo and Son of the Ghost
VS.
Underworld, Mephistopheles and Hephaestus

Round 5: Grand Combat - Featuring:

Mystic, The Shadow, and Golden Mask
VS.
The Black Pest, Pirate King, Black Houses, and Catman