a tale of two sittings

Wednesday was a Charles Dickens day.  The best of times; the worst of times.

After a month-long hiatus on my root canal treatments (while my dentist was visiting her family in Durango), the fracking re-commenced at noon.  It has now been three months since the treatments began.

Unfortunately, my dentist once again struck oil.  The infection is still there.  That means at least two more visits.

Because it has taken so long, I insisted that my dentist take at least half of her payment for the treatments.  She reluctantly agreed.  The final payment is due when she is finished.

And the total price?  For three months of treatment and in excess of ten hours of her professional time?  $3,000 (Mx).  Or about $235 (US).  The reasonableness of medical costs in Mexico never cease to amaze me.

That was the best of times.

On each of my dental visits to Manzanillo, I treat myself to a movie.  Yesterday, that was the worst of times.

The offerings at the multi-screen theater are usually quite spare -- the type of anemic offerings that populate cineplexes north of the Rio Bravo.  Time constraints left with with one option -- the latest X-Men series: The Wolverine.

Now that I have seen it, you need not bother.  Consider it my gift of serving time on your behalf.

It is one of those movies based on a comic book series.  And it gives comic books a bad name.  Enough said.

I was surrounded by young Mexican women.  The movie held their interest for about the first twenty minutes.  After that, they texted, had loud small group conversations, and slept.  They would have made a perfect non-focus group.

During the coming attractions, the were a perfect cultural barometer.  The new Steve Jobs biography movie drew yawns.  (I wonder who the "genius" was who thought Ashton Kutcher would make a good Steve Jobs -- or that he could even act?)

The second preview was for a movie where a young woman can see the invisible monsters that plague our world.  The young girls in the audience were rapt.  A wave of empathy traveled across the auditorium.


After all, the movie has all the elements of a successful Mexican woman fantasy.  Strong young woman with mysterious powers defeating super-natural evil -- in the form of merciless men.  Think Our Lady of Guadalupe with a blaster by Uzi.

To round out the day, I stopped at Scooby for three of Octavio's tacos.  Where better to practice my Spanish while slathering my tacos with the best pineapple-habanero salsa I have tasted?

Even with terrible movies, it was a good day to be alive.