Dispatches from The Mayan Empire

The reason I have been neglecting 'Dispatches' is I have been hard at work finishing my first full length fiction novel. Well, its done, and will be an Amazon Kindle exclusive! Digitally, anyway, there will be paperback copies as well in short order. Here, I'll just repost from my Facebook account to fill my tens of readers here on the details. As an aside, this means more 'Dispatches' coming your way soon. Be warned. + + + The novel is getting published! It will be an Amazon Kindle exclusive initially. The price for the digital copy is $3.99 USD, and that includes the amazing cover art that Sarah Botta contributed to the effort. While I'm thanking contributors I want to thank Ken Pittaway for his tireless efforts as my editor. I honestly don't think this would have happened without his persistent encouragement and editorial efforts. The other big news is THERE WILL BE MOTHER FUCKING PAPERBACKS! It takes longer to get that set up but I a

There will be more content soon. I've been busy between moving to different places here in Mexico and finishing the novel that never seemed to get done. Well, its done! Which leaves only the administrative angles to work on and so I will be back to writing non-fiction about my time here in Mexico. Just wait, there are some fairly interesting stories coming your way o' faithful readers. -R

"I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots." - Hunter S. Thompson + + +                                                                            A 3:30am drive in a futile attempt to find tacos instead found a gorgeous girl that I made a passing acquaintance with shortly after I moved here. She was walking down the street with the same half sexy-half in the bag swagger that makes her strangely easy to identify from any angle. Indeed, any angle is appealing with her on a physical level. She has, like so many in parts of Mexico, lost much to the cartel wars. Her father specifically. She gave up her education in the United States in order to return to Mexico to care for her mother, only to discover upon arrival that her mother was not so bad off

"All right, Popeye's here! Get your hands on your heads, get off the bar, and get on the wall"  - Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, The French Connection + + +  Of late things around here have been less than ideal. I prefer to not go into the daily minutiae of my difficulties. Suffice to say that thus far none of them have been caused directly by living in Mexico. So far, Mexico, its people, its culture, its food, and its shockingly polite drivers  have been very good to me. In happier news when I must cross the border into the forsaken lands known as South Texas there is a recently discovered beacon of hope I can always look forward to. About 18 kilometers or so (I have my GPS set to metric as that is how they roll south of the border, and I like to avoid speeding tickets in any country) from the border amidst a never ending sea of strip malls, tire salons, car washes... the dust.. the dust gets on and into everything, auto dealerships, pawn shops, and chain

 "The global phenomenon of poverty tourism - or 'poorism' - has become increasingly popular during the past few years. Tourists pay to be guided through the favelas of Brazil and the shantytowns of South Africa. The recently opened Los Angeles Gang Tour carries visitors through battle-scarred territories of urban violence and deprivation." - Leslie Jamison + + + March 21st is kind of a big deal here in Nuevo Progreso. It marks the end of the winter tourism season. "Winter Texans" are the lifeblood of the local economy, mostly retirees fleeing the cold winters of their home state, or country, there are more than a few winter Texans that hail from Canada.Most of them seem to hail from the Midwestern United States. At least as far as the ones I've spoken to, and the shirts proclaiming their home state along with some slogan about being a Texan when its convenient (winter). [[And so the Day of Tourists begins...]] Dia del Turista its called

Respect is one of life's greatest treasures I mean, what does it all add up to if you don't have that? - Marilyn Monroe + + + I cannot offer you self respect, but I can offer weird shit from Mexico. A few subscribers and a few friends who are also subscribers, or have assisted in this endevour in other ways, I feel are far too underappreciated. Seeing as Tess and I are living meager paycheck to meager paycheck down here while exploring, photographing, and writing about this marvelous country it dawned on me that those who have held out their hands, and wallets, to our Patreon and PayPal.Me accounts are not as appreciated as I would like them to be. So, with what little extra cash Tess and I have managed to scrape together over the last few weeks we have assembled the 'Mexican Box of Mystery'! [[Behold its mysterious mystery!]] What could be inside? Well, that is part of the mystery. There are many things for may different people. Some friends I

"You bravos had better be ready to fight, or we'll never get out of East Texas tonight, but the trail is long and the river is wide, and my ride's here" - Warren Zevon, My Ride's Here + + + My day tends to start around 10:30am or so most of the time. No more early mornings on the corners barking or occasionally DJ'ing for Vampiz has allowed me to set my own schedule for work (writing, which tends to be in fits and starts throughout the day unless I'm on a roll). Which is nice, since I am not a morning person. I tend to shamble out of bed like something from the 'Legend of Boggy Creek' films, swallow my morning fistful of pills (allergy meds, the price I pay for my lovely cat, vitamins, and acetaminophen with codeine to allow me to move without wincing in pain constantly). After that its typically a lovely hot shower thanks to my miracle shower head with a built in heating unit. I admit its not the safest of showers, but it is hot, with

"There is nothing wrong with spending a night in jail if it means getting the shot you need." - Werner Herzog + + +  It has occurred to me that in my posts here on 'Dispatches' I only occasionally share with my loyal readers my photography in small doses. Which is a bit of a crime, as there are so many interesting this to see here. Not that I am some fantastic shutterbug, I'm mediocre at best, but I never the less have always greatly enjoyed it as a hobby. One could always tell how desperate I am in life if I start selling my cameras, with my primary rig being the last to go. Letting go of my favorite camera has always been just a little bit like chewing off a limb to escape a trap. Sure, it works, but it leaves one slightly on the crippled side. Not that my loss of cameras in times of extreme financial desperation compares in any meaningful way to someone actually becoming disabled due to an accident, its just to illustrate how hard it is for me to