cozumel mexico
we had an iguana named cozumel (cozmo for short) when i was a kid. we got him when i was in 3rd grade, and he grew to enormous proportion, had his tail surgically removed, and was peacefully put to rest (in the mississippi?) when i was a junior in high school.

this place is the whole reason we got the scaly substitute for a dog in the first place. cozmo was kind of an attention hog (this is coming from the only-child-to-single-mom in me), but i liked him just the same. i didn't have any other friends that needed an electric rock to digest their salads.

so here we are, i can't scuba dive much these days, because i have a bum ear (that's the verdict)... i'm going to try again today, but prospects are bleak, honestly. i think i just have really finicky eustacian tubes or something, which causes me extreme pain between 15 and 35 feet underwater, where you have to hang out quite a bit when diving. once i get down to like 45, things are ok, but that middle part is just a killer, and after one dive, 2 days ago, my ears are still acting pretty weird.

it is beautiful here (as usual) and touristy, but as far as i'm concerned, a reasonable buffer zone between ecuador and the midwest. and at least i can get a sunburn while i wait for my glorious return to the chicago ohare airport, where, goddamn it, my bestest friends better be waiting for me (last time i flew in the jerks picking me up were late--just kidding, guys, you're not jerks, but you were late).

so now, i have the summer of music festivals, painting decks, slinging espresso, and getting ready to move to the bay area ahead of me. i suppose i'll make a feeble attempt to keep up the blog, but if things aren't interesting, then i probably won't do much with it. but don't give up on me!