It is pleasant in the desert this time of year. I have been taking it easy and attending to mundane tasks like doing the laundry. I'm also watching a lot of MSNBC, which I can only get online at home. The commercials are so bad.
An agreeable surprise is a Mexican supermarket right across the street, where I got ready-made tamales and also peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc, and a real treat: a millet and peanut cracker. The checkout guy said, "It looks like birdseed." Indeed. But why should birds have all the good stuff?? It was absolutely delicious with a cup of coffee.
One thing that got me was that the entire back wall of the store was all chips: looked like hundreds of brands, but I could only find one brand of regular corn tortillas, and since it looked like about 500 or so of them in the package, I didn't buy them.
The place where I'm staying is full of elders escaping the northern winter, and all the work is being done by Mexicans: waiting table, doing the yard work, cleaning the rooms. I went over and had the breakfast that is included with our room and had a full American breakfast of two eggs, bacon (an indulgence), hash browns, toast, coffee and two glasses of orange juice, which was served by the nicest wait person. Our suite is a special deal to the company Terry is consulting for, and it is $45.00. a night. Try providing service like that at reasonable prices without the hard working Mexicans who nonetheless get kicked around here. The Arizonans are crazy for not thanking these people for making life so easy and comfortable for them and their guests.
I will start exploring in earnest tomorrow.
I agree. Arizonans don't seem to know a good thing when they have it.
Posted by: gigi-hawaii | February 01, 2012 at 03:47 PM
Sounds liek you are enjoying your mainland holiday, such as SF. I've not been to Arizona but have heard a lot about the situation with the Mexicans. Glad to hear your support for them! The few I know here are very nice people.
Posted by: marja-leena | February 01, 2012 at 03:55 PM
It's so politically polarized here, compared to Hawaii.
Posted by: Hattie | February 01, 2012 at 09:14 PM
Having worked with the Hispanic community here in Ohio, I am well aware of how nice they are. Even their little ones have lovely manners. They were incredibly kind to me when my rusty Spanish failed me!
Posted by: Kay Dennison | February 02, 2012 at 05:02 PM
That's so true, isn't it? Even in Illinois, a lot of Hispanics are doing the yard work and the scary tree trimming. I think it would be hard to find others to do the work they are doing.
Posted by: musings | February 02, 2012 at 10:37 PM
In Arizona, at least the part of it I've seen, service work of all sorts is overwhelmingly done by Mexicans. No one thinks it's remarkable; it's just part of the way of life here.
Posted by: Hattie | February 03, 2012 at 07:41 AM
I've done my homework on the Chris Hayes Show, everything short of actually getting up at 2:00am in the morning to watch it, and I am 99% certain that they are showing it in Hawaii in "real time."
I never watch anything on-line as you watch MSNBC because I would be sitting on a hard chair in the kitchen. (Although I understand you have a comfortable set-up for watching partly because of Terry's technical know-how.) Anyway, last night I broke down and watched Masterpiece Theatre on the computer. Because of going to see "Aida," I had missed "Downton Abbey." Glad I got to see it.
The way you're traveling since the Nation Cruise is a caution. The flight to Fort Lauderdale almost did me in. I'm sitting pretty right here and not budging for at least six months!
Posted by: Hank Chapin | February 03, 2012 at 12:19 PM
Hank: Yes, we are flitting about right now.
If it weren't for Terry, I would not be able to do all this fancy stuff.
Posted by: Hattie | February 04, 2012 at 08:51 AM