On So Many Things

Well, after a day like yesterday, it's certain I wasn't going to be in the shape of writing, nor after a day like Friday either. In days like this I'm actually quite happy if I can make it alive to the end of the day.

The original plan fro yesterday was as follows:

06:30: Skype with my boyfriend

07:30: Get ready to go out and run my errands, get around with my apointments.

08:15 and on: get money out of the ATM, buy dollars, pay the dollar portion of the L and the P credit cards, and then pay my P.O.Box.

12:00: Meet Li in P to meet Maurizio's new reataurant.

14:30: Go to Skylar's Bachelorette Party.

Since it's needless to say that this was a very heavy day for anyone, I started crossing out as much stuff as I could before, which is how in Friday I took my lunch break to do the paying of the credit cards. I went to a place where all the banks I needed to go to were in the same block (sort of). It took me longer than I thought, since the banks were full of people. Add to it, Friday was "devisa-crazy" day. I checked the devisa-rates before I left the office and located the bank that had the cheaper rate. Well, by the time I've got there, there weren't any dollars left to sell. Zero, zip, zilch, nada. I had never experimented anything like that before.

Since I was running out of time, and I had two credit cards to pay, I went to the first bank, L, to buy the devisa directly. BIG mistake. You see, they had anounced a price higher, MUCH higher than in the original bank. The teller girl was impossibly slow, something I had nbever experimented in that bank, which was my favorite (after BP, which is my fave because I used to work there). Then it was my turn (I was the customer right after the one she was attending). I calculated how much should I pay for the devisa to pay the "Cash Payment". This payment is lower that the full amount you owe, but if you cancel it, you cancel your entire debt. It has been created so that people prefer to pay the whole shebang, and the part that you save are the interest. Well, the teller girl calculated my paying amount and it was higher than what I calculated. When I told her, she said that the rate had gone up. Well, the bank should update their bulleting board, so that the clients are not mislead, but I was in a hurry, so I told her to go ahead, and gave her the extra money. She then started playing with her computer for solid 10 minutes and then dared to say that the rate changed again and that I was short in an amount higher than I have in plus the first time. It pissed me off.

"Okay, here you go, but do it now before it changes again!"

She did and interestingly was able to make the whole thing in a few minutes. Upset as I was, I went to the ATM again, got more money out, in case the other bank decided to play games with me too, and rushed to P. There I started asking the teller, a nice kid, what was the devisa rate at that moment, which was sensibly lower than that of L, and I told him to buy me this much dollars NOW because I needed to pay the credit card. Here everything went quick and swiftly, wich gave me 20 minutes to run into a Shell, buy myself a Red Bull, some Fritos and a Twix for lunch.

I was flabbergasted! L was my favorite bank (after BP) and I considered my L card my "good, though expensive card", while P's was my "I get VIP treatment with this, but it's the Dangerous Card in my wallet". Anyway, tomorrow I will call up and send e-mails to just about anyone I can think off to denounce this happening, so they will hear about me. In any case, I'm beyond glad I took care of this on Friday, and so this wasn't ruining my mood for yesterday.

Yesterday my day was a bit lighter, talking with my boyfriend at 7 am, and taking care of business with the P.O.Box. Li phoned me before I even left home to call off our lunch together, since she was very affected by weather change, and so her allergy was taking the best of her. This allowed me time to visit Entrepans and take an hour for writing in my journal, while taking a Ginger Ale (there was no Coke and they have no Dr. Pepper) and enjoying a truly supreme Continental sub.

I completed other of my errands fetching Skylar's gift, a set of candles and inciense sticks, for mood. Also added a small detail, a little compressed wood square that made a friendly candle holder which reads "Whenever you wish to end the day lighting a little candle". The drawing is pretty as well (or so I think), which made me decide for it. Naturally, as you'd imagine, I've got myself one too.

Fetched then a couple of apples from the marketplace at a price similar to that of the fair, but with much less heat. Of course, I drove the seller crazy because I took my sweet time picking the seven apples I could get for aproximately $2. Then went to fetch myself 2,5l of coke at the closest supermarket. Well, there I hit gold. I found 7 cans of Cherry Coke and 3 cans of Dr. Pepper. That made it for me. ^____^ I was set and my supplies were filled up once again. Thanks to my friend Sonja, I discovered Dr. Pepper and totally love it ever since!

I went home, unloaded my bags and got ready for the Bachelorette party. Now, unlike in years before, when I dressed up and sought to look "pretty", I kept my Tatuum jeans and simply changed my shirt, braided my hair and put on some eyeshadow. Now I'm old enough to be far beyond showcasing myself and making myself superficially pretty. What for? I'm not high heels or short dresses, stiff hair and loads of make up. I did put on some so that I wouldn't be too far from the crowd, but I wasn't dressing up. Truth is that I am,simple, I am comfortable and I am natural. That's who I am.

Skylar, as usual, was beautiful, encasing her looks in a wonderful dress. She was nice and adorable, as she always is, wearing the tiny Empress Sissi Star pendant I've got her from Schönenbrunn. Her fiancé, Alejandro, was simply as delightful as always. Chirp and adorable... and what was he doing at Skylar's bachelorette party? Because there were actually several gentlemen at the party. That was strange. The theme of the party was "autumn" with tones of brown and burned reds and yellows gracing everywhere. We chatted some, basically about office-gossip, then updating them about the life and miracles of my mother-in-law.

The bachelorette party was organized in a hall of one of the best hotels of Costa Rica, where the guests were arranged in five tables, all of them filled to capacity, save the table 1, where Skylar sat with her fiancé, her mother, her brother and his girlfriend, and I. Small snacks came with a program... games and loud music with coercing of people to play. A lunch of sheppard pie with anchovy salad, and then strawberry mousse. From the first moment on Skylar, Alejandro and I widened our eyes at the "animation" of the party. Evidently it wasn't checked over and controled by Skylar's uncanny sense of style and cool. Our eyebrows went up to our hairlines, but then were made participate. This is where I say, thanks Hyne I'm going to Hungary! Why can't a party be conducted simply with conversation and good food and wine? It's cheaper and stylish.

Through the games, many of them too awkward for me, people won all kinds of prices, of which I won two: a timer pear, green, which will come handy for Kari and I in our home, and a set of candles and scent-cones with a small white china saucer. I've got my invite for the wedding, which will be held by the end of February. The gift were opened by both of them, and to my surprise most of them were glasses. What the hell? Did people thought the Wedding List was optional? That's the point of them! So people don't buy the same thing!! I counted around eight boxes of wine glasses, the exact same boxes, and at least four-five boxes of whisky glasses.

Skylar was visibly happy, and Alejandro even happier. Alejandro was truly, visibly illusioned with the upcoming wedding. I'll be keeping you updated on that.

Today I rested. Today I called for pizza and simply rested. I needed it badly. And I blogged.