El Norte dos

Si, I am in El Norte. First, I want to get the directories printed and printing in the States is far superior to Mexico, better quality and much cheaper prices. Now there’s a business to set up in Oaxaca. Kinko’s, anyone? I have run out of the La Union directories and will double or triple the last printing run. And the San Martin Tilcajete booklet is just about ready and I am excited to finish and get it down to the city.

First impressions – well, I was with a friend in western Mass and watched him pay for gas with a $100 bill and get no change. I am used to seeing oxen and carts and getting a friendly wave on the road. Here I am blown away that everyone is driving big, new sleek cars. Remember that having a car, any kind of car, even a 1970 VW bug limping along at 20 mph, means you are rich in Oaxaca. That is the dividing line between rich and poor in Oaxaca, a car.

When I arrived it was cold and raining. Two days later it was 98(F) and as humid as an armpit in August. Of course, today it is glorious, clear and comfortable - typical ever-changing New England weather.

I was averse to putting in AC, but broke down and put one in the bedroom only to discover that I had the drainage angle wrong and it leaked through the ceiling directly into the piano. I played every day for 30 or 40 years and was so psyched to come back and just sit and noodle. After waiting two years to play, of course, one of my first stupid actions here is to screw it up. It is drying out, but it needs a technician. Maybe I don’t need those notes anyway.

I am sure there is a lesson there…

I am like a fish out of water. Not bad, because it emphasizes that I need to get back to my peeps in Oaxaca.