Jamie says I’m obsessively cleaning

So, we’ve (let’s be serious, *I*) have been in an organizational mood lately. I created a huge “honeydo” list (which accidentally ended up as a post) and have been working on both knocking out individual items and adding more. Because as soon as you begin to knock one out, you find about eleven more that you need to add. After some 2-3 years of living with a half-painted bathroom, I finally decided to spend the $10USD for 4L of paint and finish it off. It only took two 1/2 days and now the bathroom looks absolutely brilliant. We had no idea how much it would brighten up the room after living with grey cement for so long.

I finally managed to get the TIP (temporary vehicle permit) updated to remove our trailer (since it will be permanently installed here in PaaMul) and for once, all the preparation I’d done (with documents and signatures) was for naught as the Banjercito guy just took my word for everything. I was actually a bit disappointed as it took diabetic gifts and a few days to gather the documents, but he didn’t want any of it. So we’re finally totally legal to drive the car. Once the original TIP had expired (some 2 years ago), it was not really defined whether or not it was illegal to drive it. A TIP obtained with an FM3 is legal for as long as the FM3 is valid (and the Banjercito guy gave me copies of the Aduana manual to prove that). A TIP obtained with an FMT is valid for 6 months. A TIP obtained with an FMT which is then converted to an FM3 is not really addressed. So now we’re DEFINITELY nice and legal. But since our car looks exactly like a colectivo, we’ve really never been hassled for this paperwork (other than the border).

After unpacking our volumes of CRAP, the recamera was quickly turning into clutter central and there were days that I actually had a hard time walking through it,  so one day I decided to obsessively clean it.  I then obsessively uncluttered the bathroom also.  And for that, Jamie says I’m getting anal in my old age.  But he definitely likes the after better than the before.

While in Minnesota I picked up a year’s worth of Frontline (flea meds) for Kilo but found, once we got home (as I still had old Mexican Frontline while we were in the US) that it seems to be ineffective on Mexican fleas.  Or maybe any fleas.  We’ve been putting up with fleas for a month and I finally broke down and got Frontline from our vet here and magically no more fleas.  Of course, this had to be accompanied by washing everything we own and cleaning any place he’s gone and dusting everything standing with diatomaceous earth and/or flea powder.  It has been about a week and we seem to be flea-free.  It is SUCH a relief I can’t tell you.

We had a marvelous Christmas – so low-key it isn’t funny (I played Soduko all day long lounging on the sofa) – and the kids got loads of presents.  Santa even managed to leave the boys an IOU for an Xbox 360 and Ellen got a bag of dirt!  We have the BEST Santa!  Dirt AND and IOU!!!  Seriously, the little boy across the street came over very concerned the day after Xmas and asked if Ellen had REALLY gotten dirt from Santa.  I explained that YES, she did get dirt, but she also got six flowering plants, 4 planters and 3 envelopes of seeds and she was VERY happy.  What she doesn’t know is that she has two pair of shiny new beautiful earrings that Santa left for when her slacker parents finally get her ear re-pierced.

Heads full of dreamy dreams of the Xbox IOU, the boys poured over (actually it took them about 30 seconds) the Internets and decided on an Xbox 360 super-killing edition.  We hemmed and hawed and tried to decide on muling it in vs. importing with Merkalink or finding it here in Mexico.  We finally found it locally and it ended up being about $20USD cheaper than importing with Merkalink.  Now Jesse just needs to figure out how to connect to LIVE and they’ll be very happy campers.  One thing Santa didn’t count on is how much power that baby draws.  While our electricity is paid with our monthly rent (and we’re pre-paid to 2012) we only get 15amps.  That bad boy Xbox draws FOUR AMPS!   Almost as much as a window 5000BTU air conditioner.  Once the Merida house is finished, the boys will be paying electricity out of their own pockets (electricity is VERY expensive in Mexico).

I’ve decided to train for a half marathon and have been merging Hal and Running something that I can’t find the link for anymore half-marathon training programs.  I’m going to add the daily mile widget you see in the post below to my sidebar so you can see my mileage increase.  The only Spring run that looks doable from here, however, is the Merida Half Marathon, but it starts at ELEVEN in the morning.  By March 7th, that should be really hot.  So I’m thinking if I just finish that will be good.  I’ll also have to gauge my training by how well I can stay injury-free.  I’m on week 3 right now (or is it week 4?) of 12, so I’ve got a ways to go.  While in the US I got 3 pairs of new shoes but one already has 200 miles on it and I’m already salivating for a different type to try.  I’m currently looking at the Brooks Trace and the New Balance (FUGLY) 1224/1225.

And that’s all the news I can remember for now.  I’ll try to update more frequently (hey!  a RESOLUTION)