More Liana

Otis, are you on Facebook? There's a Gay Ajijic Alliance FB group you might want to look at and join. See you over there!

I was a moderator on several of Mexconnect's forums for 11 years, and continue to be the moderator on the Cooking forum--right now, a moderator with nothing to moderate. It is sad--a website that was once pretty much the only source of solid Mexico "So you want to retire to Mexico" information has come to be very little used. Just as you said, Pete, there is little to no activity on any of the forums. I think we can lay that at the feet of the tremendous amount of information about Mexico, retirement here, and all that is currently available on the Internet, information that was all but impossible to find when some of us were investigating a move to the Chapala vicinity. Facebook itself has changed our world; there are Chapala-oriented FB groups dedicated to everything from Lakeside activities to Lakeside government. Other internet sites are burgeoning as well.

Rolly was a tremendous contributor to Mexconnect, with a vast amount of knowledge and a profound willingness to share it with everyone. However, Canadian David McLaughlin founded Mexconnect when he and his wife lived in Ajijic, and David is still that website's owner. Rolly was a champ. I was proud to call him my friend.

Even when I lived in Mexico City, I had to call that 800 number to reach Telmex. Maybe the OP is thinking of CFE, which does have a 3-digit number to report problems.

Mine too--I just slightly tap the bottom right corner of the screen and the next page pops up.

Do the tostada-making people still sell at the Wednesday Ajijic tianguis? They used to be almost at the corner of Constitución, making fresh tostadas all day. The method absolutely fascinated me: deep fry a big batch of tortillas till they're crisp, take them out of the hot oil all at once with tongs, drain for a couple of seconds. Then dip an escobetilla (see photo) in salt water, flick the salt water all over the just-out-of-the-boiling-hot-oil tortillas. Big sizzle, the water evaporates immediately, and the salt permeates the tortilla for just the right touch of salt. Just amazed me to see it. Maybe I am easily amused.

I also use Calibre to convert formats from epub, zip, rar, and any other non-Kindle format to mobi. It takes about a second. Like Michael Gordon, I bought my used (barely) Kindle Paperwhite on eBay about 7-8 years ago and have a gazillion (well, maybe 500) books stored on it. Everything is also backed up in the Cloud. I keep mine on airplane mode and the battery charge lasts a couple of weeks. I have read voraciously all my life and never wanted a Kindle, but my first one was a gift and I loved it after about five minutes getting used to it. Best thing since the Internets. Now you will have to wrest it from my cold dead hand. Speaking of books, last week I read the novel "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong. IMHO, it is the best book I have ever read. Get it.

There's a saying here: "Más vale pedir perdón que pedir permiso." Your workman might apologize to you after the fact, but he isn't going to communicate to ask permission. Even "back home" workmen often don't show up when scheduled.

You might give Farmacias Paris in Mexico City a try; here's an English language link: http://www.farmaciaparis.com/movil/ingles/ They're well known for having things that nobody else has. Best of luck to you!

What I miss of the food when I lived at Lakeside: --the wonderful fonda that used to be on the carretera (instead of the two locales next door to what is now Arrañaga's tejuino y nieve place) --doña Mago on the weekends, fantastic tacos from her cart on Constitución near Donato Guerra. --José's Illusion Greek Restaurant. I still dream about so many of the dishes on his menu.

Psst, rafterbr--corn chips are totopos.

Marilyn, thanks for posting here. How long will you be at Lakeside? Would you like to have a few days' house/cat sit in Morelia, Michoacán? I need someone for early morning Sept 17 through the afternoon of Sept 22. Let me know if you'd like more details--or email me at patalarga@gmail.com. Thanks!

I'll meet you here: https://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2014/06/restaurante-jing-teng-a-taste-of-hong-kong-in-mexico-city.html Or at the other place I go, in the Zona Rosa (also CDMX). We'll start with these biang biang spicy noodles.

Takes me back to the panic on New Years Eve 1999.

I do the same thing--with exactly the same results--in either a Tramontina heavy gauge non-stick pan OR in a Chantal cast-iron enameled pan. I don't melt butter in it, though: I use freshly rendered pork lard that I get from a butcher or at WalMart. I do love that sizzle, chapalence, and the beautiful crisp corn crust that's the result of pouring the thick corn batter into an almost smoking-hot pan. This is the lard (manteca) I buy at Walmart. It's excellent, soft and porky. I "decant" it into a plastic container and it lasts about 5-6 months in my refrigerator--unless I use it up sooner than that.