aboard plane, waiting for takeoff
You know I like to record observations small & specific. I will be repeatedly noticing differences when it comes to spending money, between myself and others, between Mexicans and USians, and how I can change, how I want to change. Already I am a low spender compared to most in the US. That's been by necessity. I live on no income. That's something for me to talk about some other time, although it's all related to what I will talk about.
Cleared for departure right on time for this 90-minute flight from MSY to CUN, one country to its neighbor, very different cultures. 90 minutes to leave one world for another.
I passed tempting concessions on my way to the gate. I didn't look at prices. I remembered that I packed a snack bag from my sister's pantry. This train of thought occurred to me twice in the span of about two minutes, both times that I saw something that I felt tempted to consume. Once I was seated at my gate I produced the bag of assorted salty snacks, swallowed a few handfuls, resealed and returned the zip lock baggie to my messenger bag.
Relates to the taxi or bus (I was leaning towards taking a car service to the Airbnb but my host recommended the bus so I did that)
Gonna nap
Oops I got pretzels and coke. That's what comes with a ticket over $300
Now nap.
On this flight from hot to hot I'm layered to the hilt. I am carrying a long sleeve shirt and jacket and under my long pants I'm actually wearing an extra pair of shorts. I don't need any added clothing at all today. It's just that my small suitcase and shoulder bag are both full just shy of bursting. If I only knew how to wear 2 pairs of shoes concurrently I could have brought a few more of the items that I had to leave behind. But it's all ok. Everything is. That's this trip's motto.
11:39/12:39 we are going to arrive early!--wait Mexico doesn't do dst and that's why it will line up with cdt
23:24 I will be using 24-hour time notation. It's common in Mexico & I want to be more comfortable with it.
Another learning experience for me to embrace is that I will write when I can & that means many incomplete diary entries. A lot's happened since earlier. Here's whats on my mind now.
I have the little prince on Netflix in the background, in Spanish. Mme Calin used it in original French for teaching. I've never loved the story tbh—I try to, I kinda do or think I might (I'm more a Candide person)—but I think it's good for language learning. A children's story that's not boring. Simple language expressing philosophical concepts. This Netflix version seems to have introduced a little girl. Did they gender swap the main character? ¡Escándalo! Might hold my interest more by being novel. But argh it's one of the many many (most? all?) {umbrella term for video entertainments} in which the dialogue and captions do not match. Interferes with language learning! Oh the pilot is telling the girl about the little prince. Was that always in the story? I told you it's not my usual fare. I should not describe what's on tv. Memo for future diary writing.
Other memos for future me:
Things I wish I had backed if I could go back to this morning. But I can't even remember right now. Except aloe.
My mind is butterflying.
Happily. Flitting. Insubstantial. I'm worried and pleased. I brought weed edibles in luggage no problem. I have no need to take anything today, I'm high and distracted naturally.
Insert videos of night adventure excursion [1] viaje paseo to Parque de las Palapas
Insert landing video -- oh wait! Dang! I thought that songs playing on iPhone were now included in video recordings but it didn't catch what I was hearing in my bt headphones while I videoed outside the plane as we approached landing in Cancun. I was so excited that the song that came on randomly was The Beginning by Ru Paul, with the lines "this is the beginning of the rest of your life!"
I think I made a decision about my story. I have been unsure about names and gender and pronouns for my alien characters. I think that I will use neopronouns like Ze/zir until they are given names or choose names, like Starling. I can explain it as a note from the translator that I really have no idea about if gender exists in these species and their names are unable to be translated & would slow the story down. Maybe I could include the names one time & it would be symbols that are indecipherable to us. Then I choose to use ze & maybe I will use different neopronouns for the main characters so they stay clear. Ze Xe ... there are many to choose from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neopronoun?wprov=sfti1#Reception
I'm already into a new day so if I write more it will be there.
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[1] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/excursion https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adventure Adventure is very apt in its etymological meaning but it's an expression that I don't think can be reclaimed. The connotation of a privileged explorer with no stakes is too strong. To me. Adventure movies. Theme park rides. What I want is life. Not adventure as it's construed to mean. Etymologically it means what is to come, what happens. I do love that. Viaje works as it means path & I'm having a Spanish language infused experience. Ooh I wonder if Spanish has a word like French flâneur (sp?) altho that I think is literally the stroll of a privileged person with no stakes! un paseo?