2008!

Happy happy New Year!
I feel like this year is a year when the hopeful changes will be realized and goodness will be achieved, because we are certainly past due on for some of that. Signs that point to goodness: election year.

On an entirely different note: our landlord, and owner of our apartment, is an ass. He wanted Leah and I to come down to his office and talk to him about hosting a visitor. The owner wanted us to pay extra rent for the extra person who stayed a total of two days. Poncho, the coolest caretaker and all around rad dude, stepped up for us and calmed the situation. Later, over carne asada on New Year's Eve, Poncho said the owner does not tell renters until after they move in about the extra fee for visitors. What a dick. The owner is not in need of cash, he leaves the apartments empty most of the time and his son uses them to have parties, which Poncho has to clean up. And when we have told people about the cost of our apartment, they gasp at the price. The owner's sister lives within the same complex, so she reports anything and everything we do. It sucks to think we cannot have an open door to our friends and family. Lame.

We are looking for a new place to live.
I am going to miss Poncho.

And New Year's! Roberta and Ken have a famous party every New Year's (travel article that makes mention of their party: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E1D8153BF93BA35751C0A9629C8B63). They hire a Mariochi band that plays well into the morning, while Ken makes strong margaritas that keep the dancing feet moving. Fantastic party fallowed by a burguies breakfast of fresh papya, empanadas and passion fruit juice. Good, good and great. Leah and I were the intraduced as the bikers who rode from Idaho. The usual questions fallowed, how long did it take you, where did you sleep, how many hours a day... yeah, I am still wearing the same shirt.