MeXscape

For the previous two days, we experienced a singular wind that furiously assaulted the house like an angry banshee, wailing through our imperfectly sealed windows and mischievously tossing small belongings around the house. The wind speed was higher and the duration was much longer than any tropical storm or near miss with a hurricane we have experienced. Occasionally, the wind would manage to wriggle free the suggestion of a latch on one of our windows and fling it wide, causing complete, swirling chaos in the house.

Since the start of my career in IT, I have excelled at what I do. I'm very fortunate in that I really understand all the little technical details, and can also explain things well in everyday terms to people that don't have a lot of experience with computers. From the start I have always quickly become the person that both my customers and my bosses know they can hand a problem to and trust that it will be resolved without any further worry on their part. This gave me great opportunities to advance my career. I often was given responsibilities or projects that would ordinarily be outside the scope for my position. This meant that when questions of advancement arose, I already had experience and a working relationship with the people in whatever group I would be moving to. In short, I guess you could say I was really on the fast-track to success.

Today is the first official day of Spring. I know your calendar may have told you different. Ignore it. It's wrong. Today is the day – the one, glorious day. You know that day each year. You wake up and can just smell it in the air, and then, you see that ultimate harbinger, that signal that Spring has truly arrived.

The salt-air and humidity in Mazatlan don't mix well at all with anything metal. Anyone who lives here and most who have visited will have already figured that out and be wondering if I have a point. We've all seen the rust on the iron bars on our gates, on metal shelving, silverware, pots, cars, and numerous other things. Most of us know that things like iron gates need to be painted to protect them from rusting. I want to mention a few things that won't be news to anyone who has spent extensive time here, but may be a bit of a surprise for short time visitors or people starting to consider moving here.

Today marks the end of Mazatlan Bike Week 2008. It's the last festival in a closely packed season. We were just recovering from Carnival when Semana Santa started, which blended directly into Bike Week. It has been a veritable cornucopia of eye candy with all the custom bikes.

The lime is a very overlooked fruit in the US. It's use is pretty much restricted to margaritas and Key Lime Pie. I certainly never kept limes in the house. They were expensive and would often shrivel up in the fridge before I got around to using them. But here in Mazatlan, the lime is as pervasive as the tomato, and I always have 15 or 20 around.

There are many things strange and wondrous in Mazatlan, completely different from the cultural norms in the US. One of the big differences is the attitude toward noise. Noise is a very real fact to be dealt with here. I've gotten pretty zen about it, and usually find myself enjoying it. I've come to see it as the daily, exuberant celebration of life, and a wonderful part of living in this vibrant city. Not so this morning.

Today, April 30th, is Children's Day here in Mexico. It's celebrated throughout the country in a variety of ways. In Mexico City there is always a big parade. In most places the kids still have to go to school but there are no classes and they don't have to wear their uniforms. There are usually lots or games and toys and candy, and, of course, piñatas.

Tuesday dawned astonishingly warm and humid. A sudden change from the weather we have been having. We hit 80 degrees in the house. Finally, blissful warmth. We drank in the warm breezes – the first hint of the Summer yet to come. When Wednesday came and was even warmer than Tuesday, we realized this wasn't a tease – Summer really is coming. I performed the season's first Ritual of the Space Bag.

If you are going to drive into Mexico, there is one very important thing you need to know: how to get gas. Unless you are from Oregon or New Jersey, you are probably used to pumping your own gas. Here in Mexico, your gas is always pumped for you, which means you need to be able to tell the gas station attendant what kind of gas you want and how much.