It's That Time of Year Again...

...the time of rolling blackouts in Asuncion, that is.

Summertime here is a bitch, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, and once again our home has had the power knocked out, almost assuredly due to everyone in the neighborhood running too many air conditioners. It's so strange...all around you see Santa decorations, Christmas trees (all fake), and snowflake art, but it's all a sham. The "white Christmas" tradition is something that belongs to the northern hemisphere of our planet; there isn't even a word in Guaranii for "snow."

I wonder how many swimsuits will be under fake Christmas trees this year. It's bikini season in the malls.

ANYway...thanks to the independent backup power our internet has (we didn't really get why the cable folks installed it back when we were first getting on-line...now it's readily apparent), I can still blog and use my laptop. At least till the power runs out.

Merry F'ing Christmas, Paraguay.

But, man, it is hot. My iPhone was outside for ten minutes and over-heated to the point of shutdown (just like a Battlemech! It had a little thermometer icon with a frowny face that I'm sure every BT pilot has seen at some point during a heated battle...). And I find myself wondering: do I really want to try to catch a showing of that Star Wars movie in a theater here? What if the power goes out halfway through the showing? What a frustration that would be!

I'm sitting in a cool, dark room at the moment and sweat is still pouring off my face.

Anyway, I'll be heading out to Mexico in a few days and I won't have to worry about it for a bit. Ha! How many Americans consider a trip to Mexico to be an upgrade in comfort, technology, and overall quality of life? But there it is...other than the cartels recently moving into Veracruz and the increase of random gang violence, Mexico is going to be a real treat for my family. My wife asked if it was okay if we could stay a couple extra days. A couple extra days away from Paraguay? Eating great food? Of course it's okay!

Ope! Power's back on. And currently 97 degrees and climbing...an oppressive, humid heat. I'm going to be humming the Heat Miser song for the next few days. "I'm Mr. Green Christmas, I'm Mr. Sun..."