UruguayLiving.com

A few of my more astute readers may have noticed that I have not published much in the blog over the last nine days.  For some this is been a tremendous service, as it has helped them develop their own creative talents; the result of which has been rumors of my death, dismemberment, deportation, hospitalization, or kidnapping, and, oh yes, we can’t forget my favorite, “involuntary incarceration” at the funny farm.

I am grateful that I’ve been able to spur this rebirth of creative energy which has been able to keep my readers and our community so well entertained during my absence.

I am afraid that the actual events that occurred are far less interesting.  I actually started writing several blog pieces that never got all the way finished.  Since my mama told it was a sin to waste, I have incorporated them into this piece today.

21 December 2006: My family is supposed to arrive from Florida in the next few hours.  I only got possession of the new house two days ago, but since we were able to start bringing things in before the final contract signing (which almost blew up in my face) we are in pretty good shape.  Granted there are doors missing, as we had to have some doorways widened for my wheelchair, and my modesty while sleeping is only protected light curtain.  Nevertheless, save for one tiny item, we’ve done well.

The missing link unfortunately is a very large refrigerator that Géant was supposed to deliver two days ago.  Without it, we will find it a bit hard to keep very much food in the house.

[Later that same day] I finally became so frustrated with Géant that I told Hernán to call Géant and tell them that I was on the way there and expected to meet the General Manager upon my arrival.  The mere threat of that seem to have a bracing effect.  My actual arrival seem to cause a least a minor shock wave.  I did a bit of shopping while waiting for the manager. When he arrived both of us were entirely courteous.  He promised me that the refrigerator would be delivered, and I told him I’d receive that very same promise for two days running.  I asked him where, “exactly” the refrigerator was; he excused himself, in order to check.  In five minutes he returned and told me it would be at my house before I left his store.  I thanked him for his courtesy–and prayed that his promise did not mean I would spend the next 48 hours in his store.

Less than 30 minutes later the refrigerator was delivered, and that crisis was solved.

28 December 2006: The Copperhead is homeless.  Last night he left our shared abode of 10 months and moved into the Palladium Hotel, six blocks from our new head office.  Finding an apartment has been tough for him, as detailed in another place.

30 December 2006:  Copperhead lands an aerie…  I had just finished printing out all 47 verses of “Tenting Tonight on the Old Campground” so that he could amuse himself during his tenure under canvas in my backyard.  But once again fate intervened to cruelly thwart my plans.  The Copperhead jubilantly returned to the house and informed me that he had signed the rental contract without incident, and had also made his rental deposit at Banco Hippopotamus (or something like that) with a wad of pesos thick enough to choke a horse.

Apparently his apartment is really great.  It is on the 15th floor in Pocitos and in a newer building.  The worst thing about it is that his landlord is wonderful, helpful, caring and keeps his promises–this means the Copperhead has used up the “nice landlord quotient” for all of Montevideo for 2007.  Damn!

30 December 2006: After a short visit of just more than a week, my nephew Nick, and sister-in-law Sue, returned north to Yankee-occupied America.  Nick had been here before and likes Uruguay a lot.  This was Sue’s first trip, and while she liked what she saw, what she heard, that is the Spanish language, seemed to her to be an overwhelming obstacle.  Their return trip to Florida was without incident and they arrived home Sunday morning 31 December.

(It should be noted that during all the time described herein, we are also unpacking, finding, sorting, buying, and generally working on the move-in.)