Merry Mexico

Los gringos hit Playa del Carmen!

"Casa Salsa:" our home for the next 7 days.

Night #1: To the beach!



Alex & Lindsey prep a Mexican-ish meal for the 4 couples.

Day #2: More beach!

Jon secures a secluded spot for lounging.

Some of the critters we spotted during our visit included...

In addition to the occasional Frigatebird and Turkey Vulture, the most common feathered critter we saw (and heard) was the Great-Tailed Grackle. Each morning, I'd wake up to the sound of a car alarm and thought I was back in Stinky Town. But it was just this beautiful blue-ish black bird.

Pelicans dive-bombed headfirst into the shallow ocean water for grub.

Two local Black Iguana - one adult male, one sub adult - perched themselves on the sunny walls of the ruins near Casa Salsa every day.

A kitty-cat takes a siesta near Tulum.

Too many Ruby-Spotted Swallowtail butterflies stranded on the beach.

Some sort of big red ants, marching along the ruins, carrying supplies from here to there to somewhere.

What seemed to be an immature coconut, washed back out of the ocean, bore little passengers.

A tiny, 6-inch long, Moray Eel on the beach.

ODA's little tray of found objects.

A large, green crab hides under a rock.

A wee, mimetic crabling scurries for cover on the big beach.

Hands down, the strangest critter we encountered was this... mobile turd-like thing! At first, we thought it was just that: a turd on the beach. About the right size, shape. No smell though. Then, it inched forward like a worm, slowly. Gross. We assisted the poor, green, globular form back to the ocean (where we hoped it was headed). It sort of floated away. I Googled it. Probably a Sea Cucumber, but we'll never really know...

Then, a bottle.

And, finally, a miniature globe (hey, we live in there)!

Next day (lost track of real work-week time now, bluring into vacation time), a trip to the ruins of Tulum... but first, a pause for the greatest beer ad in the wor-d!

Leaving Playa del Carmen...


Having a bottle or two at the gate of the ruins in Tulum.

Pods hanging above!

Along the short walk to the ruins, Voladores perform their ceremonial flight for a small voyeur's fee.



Tourists with an uncanny resemblance to Jeff, Kim and Katherine pose by the ruins.

Little Katherine is in awe of Tulum!


The beach cliffs below the principle Mayan structure at Tulum...

The perfect place for a sacrifice.

On the way back to the bus, Shirley makes a coconut cocktail pit-stop.

We follow the Bimbo Bread truck back to Playa.


Tina takes Katherine for her very first dip in the pool!


Footsie with Auntie T.


A late night stroll through the Fase 1 'hood in Playa.

Another daytrip - this time to the island of Cozumel, where Alex feasts on a spicy shrimp pizza!

Jon sips a cold beer in the shade (Shirley - not pictured here - nurses a small ocean-inflicted fleshwound of unknown origin back at Casa Salsa. Thus, the empty beach chair).

Tina swims...

and snorkels!

Back to the mainland - Katherine enjoys her second ferry ride!



'Twas the night before Christmas...

And Playa celebrates the holiday by decorating its own trees.



Christmas carolers from Michigan State serenade the tired beach bums at Casa Salsa!

Feliz Navidad! Christmas morning brings bean-oriented holiday arts & crafts...

Intellectual finger puppet magnets...

and Spy glasses...

A last stroll through the walkway in Playa del Carmen.

Taking refuge from a sporadically rainy Christmas day.

The north end of the tourist district, known as Playa Starbucks.



Day #7: The trail of tears back to the bus, back to the airport, back to Stinky Town and all parts north.

"I Pledge Aliegence" [sic]

ODA took this picture somewhere in DUMBO. Elbow Toe scribed it in deep blue chalk on a forgotten door. It's immediately sad and hopeful. Why must we spend the bulk of our days riding the F train with ghosts and sharing desk space with strangers when our true friends are scattered thousands of miles between here and there? These are old friends and new, but all who divide one's sorrow and multiply one's joy. Do they know that I miss them dearly? Toe, I'm trying to shoot your sweet little message a bit further so that the friends I never call hear it, too.

Ani-Mystic* addendum

This week, the New Yorker reminds us that we don't choose our spirit animals or animal guides - they choose us.


*As a true Ani-Mystic, Dan must constantly distinguish himself and his unique gift from other snake oil peddlers out there. Beware of these grifters! However, if you want to test yourself without Bummer's expert assistance, try this test.

Il buono, il brutto & il cattivo (Movie Review #2)

The good: two films, similar in style. One French, the other from Argentina. First, They Came Back: a sort-of zombie pic, but minus the grunting, bloodthirsty undead with rotting flesh. A collective knot in the community's stomach begins when 13,000 of their recently dead citizens walk out of the cemetery and proceed to find their loved ones and resume their previous jobs. Throughout, an understated creepiness resides in this film. Similar in pacing, The Aura - by Fabian Bielinsky, who died at the age of only 47 after the film was edited - is a mesmerizing portrait of an epileptic taxidermist who dreams of pulling off the perfect heist. Beautifully shot, acted and edited, Aura has it's own sense of timing and resolve. The bad: Hard Candy. How could a film start out so brilliant and fall apart so rapidly? The first half is amazing (like Lost Highway or Art School Confidential), but once the "procedure" is done... it all goes down the drain, literally. The ugly: As a huge fan of Christopher Guest films, I was overjoyed when I first saw the trailer for For Your Consideration. I watched it over and over, laughing hysterically. I made friends watch it. I made friends go see it with me and, to my horror, it was awful. All the good laughs are capsulized in the trailer... it's all you need... just consider it a short film and never mind the feature.

Ani-Mystic Case Study #1

I've been told that I possess a special power, not like those of a real super-hero, but more akin to those "medical professionals" (so-called psychics, dream theorists and life coaches) who prey on wealthy Upper East Side New Yorkers. It's a gift. Anyway, I see animals in people. Physical, spiritual or behavioral traits. Most people harbor a few characteristics from more than one animal, like a mammal and bird or insect and a fish or reptile. First rule though: recipients must erase all human-imposed stereotypes of animals from their heads. Being told that you're part Dung Beetle doesn't mean you like rolling around feces. Well, not exactly. I mean, there's not necessarily anything wrong with playing with poop.

Anyway, first case study (nickname used for semi-anonymity): TINY
Her primary animal is the Sea Otter. DR. Edna Fisher says, "the most common resting position is with the head up and the chin resting on the chest; the small paws or hands folded across the chest." I've spotted Tiny in this favored position many times while watching Entertainment Tonight. Sea Otters are built for life at sea and don't fare well in states like Missouri or Kansas. Her secondary animals include the Slow Loris (she moves a bit sloooow) and Zebra Swallowtail butterfly from Tennessee (she's per-ty).

Dan's Metal Memory of the Month: 12/06

In honor of the good news that yet another bunch of 'ol metal geezers (Black Sabbath, Dio era) are reforming (under the name Heaven & Hell) and hitting the road next year, this month's metal nugget is from their first studio album back in 1980: "Heaven and Hell." It's live, long and sorta boring, but features little hair-flipping Ronnie James sporting platform shoes and the devil horns. Fortunately, this YouTuber cut out the dreadful sing-a-long interlude and skipped to the speedy ending: "The world is full of Kings and Queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams - it's Heaven and Hell!" Say no more. So, who's going with Dan to the NYC show? Anyone?