It's my own dumb fault

I am in the midst of scheduling volunteers for an annual spay and neuter clinic that is held with 4 days here in Merida, and 3 days at beach locations, typically Progreso.  This year they hope to do 300 animals per day, usually there are 12-13  vets from all over who come to help out!

This is my 3rd time as the volunteer coordinator. I don't mind because I can mostly sit at home and handle it all from here. This year however,  I am also helping with some of the other logistics.  Which means going out, having meetings,  blech!

Also, for the clinic here in Merida, the past 2 years my cooking group and I have prepared a meal and delivered it to the clinic for the vets, and volunteers.  We've prepared for 40/45 people the past 2 years, no small undertaking.  We decide on menus, typically a main dish, a salad, and a dessert, we divvy up who is in charge of which part, we each buy all the stuff for our part and bring it all to my house the morning of the event, we then spend 4+ hours cleaning, cutting, chopping, and cooking, then deliver fresh hot food to the site by 1:30. I was just informed there will be 100 volunteers this year because 50+ vet students are going to come.  Now preparing food for 100 is a bit out of my groups comfort level.

And, as the volunteer coordinator I was just informed of the 50 additional volunteers,  WTF!  I don't know what they will be doing so how can I schedule the volunteers I already have, gads!  geesh, do we even need all the volunteers I've already scheduled???????
Will these vet students come to the Volunteer Orientation I've just arranged?

And I was at Immigration yesterday morning, after an hour and a half of sitting and waiting, waiting, waiting I now have an appointment for us to go in and get our immigration documents, at least that's the way I am hoping it will go.  An hour and a half just to make an appointment.

And I need to go get my drivers license, and I need to actually transfer ownership of the car I bought.

And our power was out the past 6 or so hours

And we've just arranged to have some plumbing work done starting Monday

I need to buy 11 backpacks for the girls at Hogar Nueva Vida

I promised a woman I don't know that I'd help her build a webpage

I want to start teaching English once a week with the girls at Hogar

And I haven't done any housework in about a week, well I started dusting yesterday, got one room done, started on the sala and had to take a call...spay n neuter business, now where did I leave that dusting rag??? oh, and didn't I just sweep and wash a floor?  which day was that, which floor was that????

And I now have two rescued dogs living in my parking area.  They've both been bathed, and still need to get deparasited, but that means getting them, and, a fresh stool sample to the vet.  And I'd like to get them both spayed during the clinic, but the day I'm not cooking I'm working so how do I be with them and work, and I need to find them either forever homes or foster homes,,,,anyone want a dog?   OMG, OMG, OMG, too much stuff.

I was just reading about a retreat in India where you can go for all types of cleansings; spiritual, body, etc.  I need to do the 30-day, body cleanse/weight loss program.  All achieved through a series of diurectics, laxatives, and vomiting procedures to purge yourself of the inner toxins,   yeah, that's what I need!

It's my own dumb fault,  I should never leave the house!

a rant

I'm totally pissed and about to go on a rant, so if you don't want to hear negative things about living here in Merida you should leave now!

I had a number of things planned to get done at the house today.

• I have a gardener that comes every other Thursday; he mows the grass, weeds whatever I've missed and does limb trimming and hole digging as needed.  I tend to do work in the garden while he is here. Today is his day to be here.
• I had planned to get a load of laundry washed and hung out. 
• A friend was to stop by at 9.  
• I have Spanish class from 12:30 to 2, 
• Mimi is coming to trim dog nails, 
• and we're going to friends tonight for dinner and cards.  A full day!

I woke this morning with a killer headache and all congested in the head - no big deal, I can work through that.

The gardener didn't show, and didn't call, and might not show up at all, or he could show up next week, ni modos!



Neighbors are burning stuff, persistently, and I am now sequestered in the office with the a/c on because the smoke is so bad that it has caused my asthma to flare, I can't breathe, my chest hurts, and my throat is closing up.  Probably they started early and that is why I woke with a headache
 

The friend that came suggested to write a note describing my problem with the smoke, making copies, and giving it to all the neighbors.  I have explained my problems with our next door neighbor, with whom we are on friendly terms, to no avail.  Still it might be a good idea.

I didn't get the laundry done, good thing, I'd have had to re-wash.

I am missing my Spanish class because of the headache and difficulty breathing, I just can't bear the thought of getting dressed and getting there, much less trying to concentrate, in a foreign language.

It's been illegal to burn trash here for years, but, well......  You can call the bomberos, and the health department about burning, but you have to know the address.  And for the most part the frontages are solid walls and it's very difficult to know from exactly where the smoke is coming.

So they are still burning, hours later, I am a prisoner!

I HATE it!   What can I say or do to get my neighbors to understand??????

Would this be happening if I lived farther North in an area of more prosperity, with the assumption/presumption of higher education, understanding, environmental conscientiousness?

who knows, it is what it is!