Skirt 70

Trying something different...

Yes, I am now up to 70 skirts, but whose counting?

I needed a little retail therapy yesterday, so I went to Mega - my neighborhood grocery store. If I think really hard about it, as I did everything yesterday, I can equate it to Target - which I miss and LOVE back in the states, among many things... sniff, sniff.

Anyway, I only went in for bread. Honestly! But, I walked out with a couple of non-perishable essential items in PV: a beach towel, a boogie board and a skirt... of course! One of the reasons that I left Texas was to get away from my material habits and my attachment to things. While these are not things that I needed, I thought long and hard about my purchases and even had to go and exchange the skirt later, a task you take for granted until you have to try it in another language. Even the sizing is different... 32, 34, 36, etc. So... it was worth it.

Today's skirt is a simple, black, short, A-line mini. While I have other black skirts here in Mexico, I bought this one because of the fabric: a light weight linen and rayon blend. Unlike my other black skirts, it's not too heavy, it's not too short and the cut is different.

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Taking the bus in Mexico is hardly mundane, but it is incorporated in my daily routine. I tried to capture something like the car shots but the bus is too bumpy and jerky. The seats are too small and as I make my way to work, the bus becomes too crowded. This was my first attempt at a bus shot. I went for the overhead angle, though I could have aimed higher... I'm pleased with my intro shot at the beginning of this post.


I played with the kids today. I received so many hugs, beautiful pictures and even little love notes, like this one below. I'm exhausted... but still looking for love. I found it at school.


I ♥ first grad [sic]

Ah, the parachute... Oh, to be 3 and wearing a skirt. Life was so simple then...



I've got the late, great Johnny Cash going through my head today.
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire...
Maybe Tropical Storm Kiko can put out the fire. We'll see...

Skirt 22, Part Deux

Great photo David! Buen trabajo!

Skirt 22 is from Laura. I chose to wear it today because I needed to feel good. I am tired and emotionally beat. (So much change in such a short amount of time, and I think I've gotten 6 hours of sleep total in the past 48 hours.) Today's skirt is very versatile and flexible, which is what I need to be more of these days. (Click on Skirt 22 to see what I mean.) I received so many compliments on my skirt today. I stopped counting at 7. I love today's skirt. It makes me feel beautiful.

I think the color is lovely and peaceful: aqua with flecks of gold and multicolored metallic thread. I love the way it flows when I walk. But what I love most of all is that it was a gift from Laura. This is actually the first skirt I received as a gift after I started Skirt Project. She is so supportive and I love that about her. She bought this skirt for me when I last saw her in Austin, and when I put it on today I felt so good. I felt her love and support around me. Who knew a skirt could do that? I'd forgotten.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it or if it's obvious, but adjusting to life in Mexico has been difficult. Not always a negative experience, but it could easily become so if I don't change my perspective. But that's changing... Something is changing, just listen to what happened to me today...

1. I finally got an idea for all of the bus tickets (boletes) that I have been saving. I've accumulated quite a collection from all the rides I have to take to get around town.

2. At work, I got an assistant! Hoo-ray! (I didn't have to ask for help, but I desperately need it.)

3. I began to get reimbursed for some supplies that I bought in the States. Money! Mexican pesos! Another gift...

4. I tasted fresh agua de coco from the trees outside the my classroom door, which I blogged about on Nancy's Skirt. What a treat! Don Gil planted the trees about 20 years ago. I can tell he is especially proud of them, or maybe just exceptionally proud... Muchas gracias Gilberto.

I learned that the "Coco Loco" is a local drink made with agua de coco, ice and rum. But another person I talked to today mentioned more ingredients. It was in Spanish, but I think he mentioned tequila, sugar, and something else. I'm not sure if I'll try that one. I liked mine sin alcohol. My first sip of agua de coco was sweet, warm and natural. I sipped on it all day in my classroom. Another gift, I could feel it felt nourishing my soul. I hope the agua stains come out of my skirt...

5. Another first, all of my classes went really well today! The kids were great and some of them actually thanked me. (?) I don't know why... We're learning about color... They are funny.

6. Maybe it's my foreign surroundings, but ever since I've landed in Mexico I have been more aware of the sounds around me. The sounds of Mexico amaze me: the rocks rolling under the current as the tide ebbs and flows, the language of Spanish spoken all around me and the music. While I can't understand it all, I like it. A Bassa Nova band played tonight just outside my apartment. I sat on my porch in the cool evening and listened to a private concert, and the bus ride home was especially entertaining.

7. Yes, I said cool! It actually is starting to cool down. It's still hot, and I'm still sweating my @## off, but you can definitely feel the breeze in the air. Something is changing.
AND...

8. As I watched the sunset tonight, I saw dolphins swimming in the Bay. It was awesome.

I believe these are signs from God or the universe telling me that while it's difficult to be here, this is right. There is "something" here that I need to do, or perhaps it's "something" that I need to learn. There is a reason for everything.

When did Mexico become magical? Maybe it's been happening all along and I was too caught up in my head to realize. My reality isn't reality... it is what it is.


My world outside my classroom door...


My world outside my back door.

From the lyrics of the poet Nas ~ Whose world is this? The world is yours.

Same skirt, different story.

Here we are again...

Is this the end, or the beginning?

I haven't been sure where to take Skirt Project since I've been down here. Should I repeat the same skirts? Should I document others' skirts? How do I do that in a foreign country? (There are so many questions that go with that last question...)
I've brought quite a few skirts down here to Mexico with me. But it's so hot and humid and I've been dressing as cool and comfortable as I can. I have some cute dress shorts that I've been sporting, even though teachers are technically not supposed to wear them... Oh well.

I'm back to skirts, at least for now. I need to get back to Skirt Project for myself. Many of my skirts are repeats, so be prepared. But Skirt Project is different... It's Mexico! I'm going to be open and see where it takes me. It hasn't steered me wrong yet. I have a couple of new skirts to show, but at this point I'm doing what I need to do - passing the time while being creative.

Previously, Skirt Project had opened up so many opportunities. So many stories and revelations about myself. It's been amazing, and I realize that it doesn't have to stop here. I've been trying to keep Skirt Project really positive, but the truth is that a lot of bad, or negative things have happened too. But, that's ok. That's life. And as we all know, out of something bad comes something positive, and the good or truth always reveals itself eventually.

You only get one shot, and life's too short, unlike my skirt...

Coming Soon! Tri-Association Conference Skirts!

Conference Skirt part deux

Conference Skirt

Square Dancing Skirt(s)

We tried a new place to eat tonight: Pez Gordo en el centro. It was great!

I had the fish and chips, English Pub style. This photo is for my mom, the queen of catching English repetitive redundancies. ;-) I'm not sure if it counts, but I thought of my mama when I saw it.

What are you to do on a Lazy Sunday, but go and watch the sunset on the Malecon. By the square is a gazebo where people gather after sunset to dance. Sometimes there is a live band, tonight there was a dj.

Check out this little cutie's skirt!

This woman and her partner were one class act. They had some fancy footwork and sometimes she danced with a fan in her hand. She must have been in her 6os! What a great time!

Tacon de Marlin Skirt

TGIF! and I fianlly got a copy of Bay Vallarta, a great bilingual magazine that comes out bi-weekly. It lists all kinds of stuff to do and places to go in English and Spanish. I ♥ it! Bay Vallarta mentioned a few places to check out, so we headed to Tacon de Marlin "a local institution." I thought it was pretty tasty. I had the Marlin and Shrimp burrito. Yum!


No, this is not the Rio del Cuale, I'm trying to cross the street in the rain.
BTW, I'm wearing Skirt 24, the skirt I met my love in, and also a guayabera para mujeres. I always liked my dad's collection.

On the way home, we walked along the beach. It's pretty cobbel -y in this part, mainly because of Hurricane Kenna that hit in 2003.

Check out this catch of the day.


Cute little booger, isn't he?

Rizo's Skirt

Hey kids!
This photo is a good example of one-point perspective.
Can you see the vanishing point?
Can you see a horizon line?

Today's skirt is Skirt 65. I'm so glad I shortened it. I can't imagine walking in this heat and humidity in an ankle length skirt.

We went to Rizo's today. I had been wanting to check it out. I had heard that they carried a lot of imported foods and spices. They do. And lots of other stuff... I did see Libby's canned pumpkin, and we finally found whole bean coffee ~ that made it worth the trip. Nothing too exciting, just had to go see for myself.

I'm baaack...

Hey there! Or, should I say Hola!
It's been a while since I've been in full swing with Skirt Project.

Today's skirt was last worn in Boston (Skirt 38). When I put it on this morning I felt a crumbled piece of paper that I was praying was money. Alas, it was an old ATM receipt from Sovereign Bank on Hanover Street. **Sniff, sniff.** The leaves must be turning in the Northeast, girls must be sporting skirts with boots... Ahhh, I miss the states.

What can I say about my absence? I've been busy adjusting - getting used to a new country, new job, new language, new culture, new relationship status and living arrangement, etc. It's been a very busy two months since I've last blogged in full swing. Have I been skirting the issue?
Perhaps...


This is a view from my front door. It always rains in Vallarta this time of year. The clouds roll in early evening, making for some incredible sunsets which I am on my way to watch. What you can't see is the machine gun that the guard in front of me is holding. Mexico is different. Little surprises around every corner, ya' know?


This is the view on the walk to the beach by mi habitacion. It's an abandoned resort. Anyway, there are some friendly people, roosters and dogs along the short walk to beach. It's not exactly paradise, but it's mine. And better than the view I had in Big D.


Here is a chica, skirted in a sarong, she is also wearing party beads and a leopard print bikini top. HOT!!!!

Hey y'all!

Thank God for the skirt-y swimsuit bottoms!