SOUNDSLIDES PLUS DOES NOT TEST ANYMORE MOVIE

We see a lot of movies - in movie theaters, on TV (lots of English offerings), renting from Blockbuster. Starbucks has replaced Borders for our weekly treat. And I don’t think the “country” roads are any better unless you have a mountain bike and can get off the highways. The really bad part about the traffic is that it is not conducive to bike riding. Plus you have to watch out for cars backing into the street no matter how busy the street. The infrastructure can’t accommodate all the vehicles anymore so it’s always rush hour and parking can get very inventive with blocked cars, blocked sidewalks, double parking, parking up on the curb. I plan my routes in advance to try to avoid them. I think Mexico is most like Connecticut with the addition of large traffic circles with up to 5 lanes and 8 entry/exit points. The traffic laws and accepted behavior take some getting used to but then so did moving from Ohio to Maryland, and Connecticut was just plain crazy. This is the TV room with a fold-down couch frame and futon. There is a lot of green, though - trees bordering sidewalks, tree lined median strips, lots of parks with lots of trees - for which I am very thankful. Sometimes you can get a glimpse of a small planted plot through a barred door in a wall but it is usually overshadowed by the 2 or 3 space parking pad right next to it. I suspect all the good stuff is hidden behind the walls that are built right up to the edge of the sidewalk. This is definitely not the high desert I was expecting but there is little visible landscaping. I miss the suburbs and yards and flower gardens. Anything under 4 stories is stucco and usually flat roofed most skyscrapers are steel and glass. There are ceiling fans in the apartment which we rarely use and we have yet to break out the 2 room fans we brought with us. Now we are in the rainy season which keeps things cooler - sunny days in the high 70s and 80s, rainy nights. Jim was here for a week in May and though the temperature was high 80s and 90s it wasn’t uncomfortable because there is very low humidity. We just missed the hottest months, which occur in late spring. Like most of the buildings in Guadalajara our apartment has no air conditioning or heating. The weather is outstanding and probably the reason for so many North American retirees in the area. I plan to get serious about studying the language one of these days. “Solo mirando” (“just looking”) is my favorite. I know the basics for getting around a store. The number one difference, of course, is Spanish. The differences are not bad, just different. There’s too much traffic SUVs are very popular there are skyscrapers and slums mega malls with recognizable stores and brand names are everywhere prices are similar (higher for some things, lower for others but still in the ballpark) new movies, in English, premiere every weekend 70 cable channels and nothing’s on friendly people. Guadalajara is mostly like any big city in the U.S. What can’t I find? Cookie sheets, ordinary blankets (I’ve seen one electric blanket and a million comforters), a folding shopping cart (I’ve seen a few fancy ones in the department stores for over $100 but I’m not that desperate - I’ll just build some muscles instead), Weight Watchers.

But here it has become my Bed, Bath, and Beyond, my Home Depot, my Target, for linens, small appliances, kitchen ware, cleaning supplies.

I thank God for WalMart, a store I avoided in the U.S. This is a major accomplishment for a woman who took 2 years to select a desk for the living room on Dixie. I've purchased everything from a sofa to sofa pillows, from a refrigerator to casserole dishes and everything in between. So now I’ve spent 5 weeks outfitting an unfinished 3 bedroom (MBR, TV room, and study for us), 2 bathroom apartment. We expected to get a furnished apartment but the pickings were slim. The cathedral in Zapopan, on the border with Guadalajara, is a tourist attraction. I’m already thinking about what to get rid of before the next move, which will probably be 2 years from now. That won’t quite complete my shopping binge but it will come close. But these last two shelving units aren’t for books they’re for vases and decorated boxes, fancy plates and mosaic animal figurines, etc - all mementos from other trips, other countries, other homes. Our last furniture delivery arrives today - 2 more book shelves to go with the 2 we brought and another 2 we bought. At a show of traditional ceramics in the nearby town of Tlaquepaque.

Soundslides plus does not test anymore