Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Ramblings to start the new year

As I sit at my computer on New Year's Day night, the power just came back on. It has been twitching and spiking all evening. Some kind of humongous storm has blown in. As soon as I could get back on the internet, I immediately went to the satellite channels and hurricane forecasts. The wind is that strong. It is blowing the rain sideways and trees are moaning. Some kind of line is down and lying on the ground in front of my house. We have all our services so not sure what it goes to. Maybe cable? Just down but not broken. It's kind of scary when the wind blows like this and we have to close up the whole house. As long as he is warm and in the house, Simon could care less though.



Simon the simon-ese rescue cat at 14 months



I've been thinking all day about the past year and the many surprises it held for me. I think the two biggest things that happened in 2007 that impacted me were all of the burglaries and our seven week car trip through Mexico. One nice, one not so nice.

And, of course, we said goodbye to many of our good friends this year. The tragic accidental death of Dillum hit me really hard. Many of our friends left the island this year in search of greener pastures also. The economy is just that bad now.

Another unexpected thing was how my world has changed because of this blogger stuff. I have now met in person three wonderful people who blog: Jonna from Blah Blah Ginger and her partner Mimi and, of course, K of CancunCanuck and her wonderful son, Max. But those are only the ones I have met in person. I have developed some great email friendships with a few other bloggers. One in particular has enriched my life more than she will ever know. She knows who she is.

I am almost gave up my blog a couple of times this past year. Not out of boredom though. Both times out of fear. Some of the things I have said, in complete innocence and wanting to just talk about life as it is, have touched some nerves. And not in a good way. But with the support of my partners and talking with a few other bloggers, I decided to keep at it. And I am glad I did.

Keep your eyes tuned to this blog this Friday. CancunCanuck and I will be announcing our big surprise on that day. Until then, I will definitely be blogging away again in 2008!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

so glad you decided to continue blogging. reading your blog is one of the first things i do every morning-i go into withdrawals on the days you don't write ;-) can't wait to read friday's. oh yes, thanks to your comment on cancun canuck i have started reading hers too.

take care,
teresa

we'll be in chacala on sunday-hard to believe the time is almost here.

Jonna said...

These friendships through blogging have been an unexpected bonus for me too. Also, I too find it hard to pick the right line between revealing too much and censoring myself too much.

Glad you are continuing, I would greatly miss your blog.

John W said...

Jonna defines the problem perfectly: What to say, what not to say. Expat bloggers in Mexico are less likely to be sued for libel than the New York Times, but in Mexico, people have been held in jail simply because suit was filed--even a frivolous one.

But it's not fear of arrest that causes me to consider what I'll say. I try to keep my tone upbeat, and that means offering criticism carefully. Sometimes a humorous question is as devastating to he who deserve it as an angry denouncement.

I hope you keep up the good work, Wayne. I read a lot of blogs; yours is one of the few I read all the way through, every single post.

Steve Cotton said...

Wayne --

Even though I am looking at retiring on the other side of the country from you, I have found your blog to be very informative. But more than that. It is reassuring to know that others share the same human foibles. I have compared this process to dating. I want to have an open and honest relationship without causing people to run screaming from the room. In my opinion, you have hit the balance quite nicely.

Here's to a great year where we can all feel free to learn from each other.

Anonymous said...

Am waiting with baited breath for your and K's announcement!

I was also hoping that she'd post a picture of you two in Isla. Or shall I saw three +, as Max is more than just one little boy!

Hollito said...

Wayne,

keep on blogging! :-)
Even I have never been on the IM, and am not shure I will get there on my next visit to MX (sorry, but so many places to visit in MX!), I really enjoy reading your blog. All the things I find strange in MX as a visitor are clearly displayed in your posts, so I see I am not alone with my opinions.
I just came back from the USA (my first visit to the USA), and I have to say: What a great country! For you as an US citizen this may be different, but for me, coming from the small and crowded Germany, this is true!
Keep on blogging about your MX experience, this is a nice addition to my experiences in MX.

Regards, Hollito