Carnavale Madness and All the Technical Difficulties in Between

Oy, Carnavale. It's almost over, thank goodness. I remembered it from my time in Cusco last year, when the main square and all the little squares in between are laden with juveniles throwing water, foam and silly string at each other and the unsuspecting tourist. It was not my intention to venture out today because of this and the fact that despite my newly acquired tan from my recent travels I'm still a few shades lighter than your average Cusquenian and sadly still fall into the latter category of "tourist." At least I'm not unsuspecting. I know what you sneaky, water-gun toting little bastards are up to.

My DVD player broke. Sigh. The timing couldn't have been worse, as Humberto went to visit his family for a couple of days and I was finally going to catch up on the shows/movies that I know he has no interest in watching (namely the entire miniseries "Pillars of the Earth"). Damn, damn, damn. So I took my little machine to El Paraiso, another one-stop shopping locale with a couple of electronics technicians in the back. It's an easy walk, but I'd have to pass through the Plaza de Armas (main square) to get there. And the thought of further damaging my electronics due to water inundation is not in my budget at the moment.

So I hopped into a taxi and placed my DVD player into the (hopefully) capable hands of a couple of high-school-aged boys at Paraiso. It should be ready tomorrow. Cross your fingers.

And since my Internet in the house sucks, I brought my laptop along with me to find a wifi spot on the way home. It's just another one of those frustrating things I have to deal with, which means I have to leave the house every time I want to do more than check my email (I can usually get enough bars to check email, but that's about it). On the brighter side, it gets me out of the house, but unfortunately means I have to cough up money for a cup of coffee. Another "not in the budget" item for me right now.

So, yes, I'm trying to watch my budget a little more because of the restaurant. We're not blowing hundreds and hundred of dollars, but that's where all of our efforts are being placed at the moment and managing money is not my strong suit. I never had to worry about the financials of life before now (thanks, Mike) and so it worries me a little. I've had a few sleepless nights because of it, but I'm confident everything will work out. I just need to spend less time on the Internet and fixing broken DVD players.

So my wifi perch today is a swanky tourist-filled spot close to the main square. It has outside sofa seating and it's generally protected from the Carnavale madness but it also gives you a birdseye view of the frivolities. Not bad, for a 7-sole cappuccino. I'm gonna stay until the battery dies on my computer to make the most of it.

The conversations around me are interesting. I don't usually hang out at places like these and so I've perked my ears to enjoy the spoken (English) word -- mainly beacuse I forgot my headphones. I'm sitting behind a pair of tourists (the only people who would pay 7 soles for a cappuccino) and am listening to them share their world views with each other (it sounds like they met here and are kind of on a "first date") while interspersing commentary about the passersby. I don't have those kinds of conversations anymore because I'm usually so immersed in trying to live a normal life here in Cusco. The people hanging out at cafes like this are just visiting, and their conversations reveal that. But I do live here, and listening to them is a nice reminder of that.

Work has picked up a lot. I've been taking clients regularly which is wonderful, as it serves as therapy for me, too, and I started my new job as a travel writer for a luxury travel agency. I'll eventually link you to their site (after I've rewritten it) so you can see what I've been up to. I went in yesterday for a few hours and will be there every weekday from 9-1 and then on Saturdays from 9-12. The office has a great energy -- the employees seem generally happy and dedicated to their work. Good stuff. Plus, this job is giving me some structure to my life -- finally!

It's also letting me use a different part of my brain. When I write here on the blog, it's free flowing. I don't have to think about it too much. It's just my life in words. Writing for someone else requires a lot of thought and I haven't done that in a loooong time. I also forgot how tiring it can be to think out of the box, but I also get a different kind of satisfaction from this type of work.

The restaurant is coming along. The guy we hired to paint the place also does electrical and plumbing stuff so the wiring for all the lighting and the piping for the sink is now in place. I'm a little worried about our carpenter though. He's a little overstretched in terms of work right now and I don't know if he'll be able to complete our job in the timeframe we want. And the problem is, he's not going to tell us that. Hum went to meet with him yesterday and found him drunk as a skunk, taking advantage of his day off, I guess. After a couple of beers, Hum realized that a productive conversation about the restaurant wasn't going to happen (yes, it took the consumption of 3 beers to conclude that) and left it for another day. We shall see. Cross your fingers for that, too.