A lady advertised something on the classifieds yesterday that I absolutely had to have. More on that below. I was going to jump right on a bus to go pick it up when she said that I couldn’t come straightaway since she was on her way to Costco. So I asked if she could drop it off en route as she was coming up Calle 60. I could just meet her at a bus stop along the way so she wouldn’t have to make a detour. No could do — she wasn’t driving and her driver wouldn’t make extra stops. But she would definitely hold the item for me as it was clear I knew what I was getting into and that I really wanted it.

Today being the US Thanksgiving and my clients all being American, I knew it would be a super relaxed day. I have one client for whom it’s almost like a job-job now when I get interrupted with messages on an app called “Slack” throughout the day and I actually interact with their customers via yet another app. So not having that going on would be a nice break and so I decided that I would use the trip to Centro as an excuse to eat lunch at Pita!

I headed out around eleven after quite a downpour and decided to try the bus stop right by my house on Calle 21 since it’s no longer easy to catch a bus on Calle 60. Of course, I got to the bus stop as two buses were pulling away and so I had a bit of a wait, but it was still quite convenient. I can hear buses from my house, so next time, I will wait until I hear one and then go out as that should be perfect timing to catch the next!

I rode right to the downtown terminus and then went to an HSBC to make a withdrawal before heading for my meeting. It was raining again and the address was further than I realised so I almost changed my mind about going to Pita until I remembered that I’d still have to go back to my starting point to grab a bus home! Plus, I was meeting the lady on Calle 55, the same street as Pita, just a few blocks west.

The pickup let me see the inside of a typical house in a Mexican historical centre and as when I’ve visited others in the past, I was less than impressed by how dark and damp they are and how the doors are right at the street. I’m so glad that I got the privacy I wanted between my house and the street. Since it was raining, Centro’s streets were like rivers, not nicely draining like the streets in the parts further north. The more time I spend in Centro, the gladder I am that I chose to live where I did. The architecture of the house, though, was spectacular, with lots of pasta tile floors. I was happy with the condition of the item (brand new) and the price was more than fair (better than half off what I would have spent in the US!).

I then made a dash for Pita and enjoyed a wonderful meal of what else but a falafel sandwich?! 🙂 I really need to keep making this meal a once in several months treat because I appreciate just how special it is when I have it.

It was sunny when I came out, which was fantastic because I could pull out my sunglasses. My regular glasses broke as I went to put them at the restaurant (I’d taken them off to let the lenses dry and then the arm snapped) and I didn’t relish going home having to go home blind from either either not wearing glasses or wearing ones way too dark for the gloomy day! The sun was wonderful and finally took the chill out of the air that had been lingering all day. I was the only person I interacted with today who doesn’t appreciate this bit of a “cold snap” except in the dead of night, snuggled under a blanket!

I had a bit of room for ice cream left, so I decided to try a new-to-me gelato shop. Prices were outrageous for the portion size so I won’t be going there again. But their marzipan flavour was wonderful. I adore marzipan and haven’t had it in ages.

It started to rain again as I got to Plaza Grande (brr) so I decided it was time to head home. A suitable bus was parked at the bus stop, so I got on and it got me home in record time. Just as I got off, a veritable deluge started and I was soaked when I finally got in.

After I got into warm dry clothes, it was time to find the elusive box that holds all my spare glasses. I was starting to think that I must have left it in Chelem when the answer hit me with full giggles (the house really is absurdly huge) — the guest room! Sure enough, it was in the closet there! I made a poll on Facebook and got unanimous votes for the reddish-pink ones (third down), so that’s what I’m wearing now. 🙂

I can’t believe I forgot that I have other prescription sunglasses! I think I’ll be wearing the pink ones for a bit. Love my tortoiseshell ones, but a change-up is always nice!

So my mysterious purchase. Let me preface this by saying that one of the things that bugged me most about life at the beach was that I couldn’t have any fresh air all day as I had to run the air conditioner 24/7. I was thrilled when the room in this house that made the most sense to use as my office not only had a big window, but a whole door to outside so that I could have fresh air and natural light.

Slight hiccup with the door — no screen. I would left my front door open in Maz all the time and had the bugs to show for it. I didn’t want to do that here. So I thought that maybe I could get someone to fabricate a screen door for me in a frame that could just pop into the existing door frame, as I did not want anything damaging. If I had been in Canada or the US, the answer would have been much simpler, just buy a Magic Mesh screen door:

I’ve seen these in action a few times and knew that it would be the perfect solution for a low-traffic door. In fact, I priced supplies to make my own when I was at Parisina the other day and was less than impressed by the total cost of mesh, double-sided Velcro, and magnets.

So when I saw a Magic Mesh kit posted yesterday for only $125, there was no question of not jumping on it!

Soon as the rain let up, I cleaned the doorframe with rubbing alcohol so that the Velcro could stick to it and then followed the instructions for installing the Magic Mesh. It was super quick, easy, and not fussy at all.

It is a bit short for my door frame, but truly was the best and cheapest solution. I do have to be careful when I open the solid door in the morning as it is magnetic, but the magnets on the Magic Mesh aren’t super strong and let go nicely. They also snap back together most satisfactorily when I pass through the door. I don’t think such a solution would hold up very long in a high traffic door, but for this one, the Magic Mesh should be fine.

It sure has been a treat of a Thursday, but, yikes, how did it get to be 4:30?! I did mean to get some work done today!