road warriors all

Sweeps month must be over. Or maybe not.

You know about the importance of the sweeps for situation comedies like Mexpatriate. That is the period when the entertainment ratings companies determine the size of a viewing audience.

As a result, programs try to pump up their numbers with gimmicks. A surprise wedding. A long-anticipated smooch between co-stars who have spent years being aloof. The promise of the death of at least one beloved character.

In the case of Mexpatriate, it has meant a long list of special guest stars.

In December, it was my mother -- playing the role of The Mother (with a one-month guest appearance). Along with my brother, Darrel, and his wife, Christy, who were to take on ensemble cast status -- that is, if they decide to stay here on a regular basis.

Then my long-lost daughter showed up in December. At least, that is the role I assigned to Laura, who came for a brief visit with her husband, Josh, their son, Jeremiah, and their two dogs, Eddy and Culprit. The brass decided to extend their visit by contriving a drive failure for their motorcycle.

Every plot twist teaches us something. Josh has a friend in Oregon who repairs motorcycles. So he took out the drive, and shipped it UPS to Oregon. In turn, Josh ordered a new drive from his friend. None of us knew how quickly the parts would arrive.

Then The Air Force Friend arrived (if this was December Bride, he would have been The Army Buddy, but times do change) played by my real life Air Force friend, Robin Olson. We met each other at Castle Air Force Base in the early 1970s, and have remained close friends since then. But his role lasted only one week before returning to his winter home in Arizona.

While Josh waited for his part, I decided to take my car into the shop to see what I damaged when I ran over that mini-boulder earlier in January (moving to mexico -- driving the demons). It was a lot. As a result our household was without transportation.

But UPS pulled through for Josh. The package even arrived before its estimated delivery date. With the drive repaired, on Friday, the three intrepid travelers dressed in their best Road Warrior costumes and headed off to Texas -- with a short stop in Tequila.

And on Saturday, I recovered my repaired Escape from the body shop. With two new tires, a set of new lug nuts on all four wheels, and a refurbished suspension, we are now ready to start our own road trip tomorrow. Destination -- Patzcuaro. With a side trip to Morelia, if time allows.

This is the trip we had scheduled in early January, but the writers just did not seem to be able to work out a script worthy of Mexpatriate quality. I think they have now. This time tomorrow, we will be enjoying the hospitality of my blogger chum, Felipe.

If all goes as planned, the trip itself will be worth about a 12 share increase in this week's ratings. Watch out, NCIS, Mexpatriate is breathing down your neck.