blerf.

Want a test of your language skills? Take your basic-fluency two-tacos-and-a-beer deep-political-discussion ability with a language, and try to go get something fixed. You soon discover you don't know words like "threading", "rod", or "baseplate". It turns out the book Spanish For Cruisers was written for just this purpose, but even without it, I managed to get the point across and we got all the stuff set up for the metal shop. They'll build us one new stanchion base, rebuild the other three, replace the gate support rod, fix the davit arm, and make us an outboard hoist.

Confused? This might help.

We're at Paradise Village, in Nuevo Vallarta, a short way up the coast from Puerto Vallarta. It's a tourist settlement, there's nothing here except maybe eight or ten resorts, but they make it easy to get elsewhere. Paradise Village is actually pretty nice, very low-key and mellow, and we've earned some time with showers nearby. We're also getting a half-price rate, because we're in the slips that were built last week, with no water or power (or cleats to tie the boat to, actually--we're tied to the exposed beams of the dock). So for about US$14 a night, we can use all the facilities.

Oh. Oh. We came here from Las Islitas, just south of San Blas, and Mona and I set the anchor ourselves! And then I took the boat into the marina and docked it at the side-tie and two different slips. No troubles, although I cut the second slip a little close and crunched the corner of the dock. The boat is fine, of course.

We went sailing on Profligate yesterday--holy shit, what a massive boat. Sixty feet is a big boat anyway, but then to have it be a catamara with a thirty-foot beam, it's almost unthinkably big. Especially if you've been on a somewhat cramped 41-footer for two months.

Things are good. It's a slow, tired day here. I'm somewhat worn out by a long day in town followed by a lot of socializing and an unfortunately overpriced dinner. I'm having a day where I'm tired of worrying about money, so I'm trying to think of what I can do about that. Maybe write some good software and sell out at the first opportunity, then spend the rest of my life writing free software as atonement.

Called the parents last night (heh, collect), and it was good to talk to them. Mom's business is doing well, Massachusetts is a lot colder than Mexico.

Man. Slow day. I think I will sit in the shade and admire the palm trees.