24 December - Sun & Snow

Don't know about you but this month has not been great, in my case due mainly to erstwhile profligate and irresponsible banks lending to all and sundry and now refusing to lend to 'low risk' people such as moi. No debts, no c/card mountains of debt, large equity in property and not even a flat screen TV yet just because they're chucking them at you cheap. Oh no, I'm business as usual ie. careful and a saver. But asking them for 100k seems to be taking weeks to sort out. Couple that with job insecurity and I've had the first sleep interrupted nights of the decade (splitting up from boyfriends no longer keeps me awake at night much when it happens).
It also means I've run out of time to do a number of other things and that's also kept me out of the mass hysterical thronging of shops shouting to the four winds that all is 70% off. I find this depressing. A quick w/end to northern Italy has revealed that nobody there has any sales or distressed selling of anyhing because there, unlike here, people are not borrowed to the hilt and before they buy a property very wisely they're asked to have saved a 40 to 50% deposit towards it. Hence the phenomenon of 30 somethings still living at home whilst they buy BMW's instead of saving for a house. But by the time they do so, their ageing parents near retirement or already in retirement, find a way to relase some of their cash and hey presto, the happy house hunter puts 75% down and really is laughing as carries on with his/her regular spending. Not a bad financial model. Couple to that the everyday tax evasion and they're really in a better place right now, notwitsanding the usual crap TV and a prime minister wiht a facelift, hair transplant and so on.

But where was I? Yes, finally today I can think about packing and my conundrum is that am heading to Mexico but stopping for a few days in NY on the way back and am not sure which part of my wardrobe should suffer by looking worse. The sunny, lenghtier period which may well include a visit to Havana/Cuba or the NYC few days. I think it will have to be NY as a) the clothes for freezing weather take up more space and b) I can always buy something there. After all, since they started this all recession, their sales should be 90% off! We shall see.
Mexico will be great, since 2 party loving friends are already in situ and gathering fun cohorts for me to associate with when we arrive.

And a question of etiquette. Should I get in touch with the brother (and his family) of a former girlfriend with whom am incommunicado since over 2 years ago? I have no beef with him or him with me and in fact we're very fond of each other though have not really talked in this feud time either. He lives in NY, I hardly ever go to NY and have never in fact been w/o seeing him. But, former g/friend is out ther for the holidays too so he'd have not to mention he's coming to meet me... Mmmhh what to do? Let it go? Seems a shame...