Signs

Sign stories. Thats the theme for this blog. Read on.

Sign Story Numero Uno: If you ever wondered how I got the name to my blog, here's a hint:

Sign Story Numero Dos: Here's a story about a street sign. I originally wrote it when I first moved here. I sent the email to family and friends back home. I just wish I took a picture of it:

So the street sign on my corner got knocked over somehow and apparently the City of Cancun could not put it back in the hole to fix it. So after a week or so of it lying on the sidewalk, they finally decided that it would be best to remove the street sign entirely. I guess they were going to replace the street sign entirely.

Well, they replaced it alright. With a new one.

The street sign says "Bacalar" in red and it has a white background.

Here's the clincher though....

.....it was written with a red felt pen, on a white piece of paper and TAPED to the pole.

This email went over really well with friends and family and started a short series called "Why it's so Cool to Live in Mexico!".

Sign Story Numero Three: Here is another addition of "Why it's so Cool to Live in Mexico!". Of course, it's about a "sign" (sort of,..... and a pothole):

Here in Cancun, when there is either a pothole or a sewer hole that is missing a lid, miraculous things happen.

A tree stump is often put IN the hole or IN FRONT of the hole, so that cars do not DRIVE into the hole and have an accident (the tree is supposedly "safer").

Often however, other things are put in the hole, around the hole or in front of the hole. These things consist of bags of garbage, garbage cans, bed mattresses, shopping carts and other types of trees or sticks.

God forbid several orange reflective pilons be used! Tree stumps work way better! Those pilons are not high tech enough!

It really is interesting driving by the same hole every day and seeing all the different types of things they put in or around the hole. In fact, sometimes the tree is there....and voila! The tree is gone! They MUST have fixed the hole!!! Nope! Look! Some garbage bags!!! It's still there!

I'm waiting for the day that they put a big screen t.v. OVER TOP the hole with a picture of a tree stump on it. Now THAT would be some serious high tech stuff!

So. There is this hole. It's been there for over 3 weeks. Each day my friend Laura and I pass it, we pass it with great anticipation. What is it that the magic hole will present to us today?

Yesterday was an EXCELLENT day. Something new was in front of the hole! It was not a bird, it was not a plane! It was an ACTUAL sign!!! YES! They've finally gotten this correct!!!

As we drive closer to the hole, I start to get excited. I am eager to see what this sign says! I expect to see something that says "CUIDADO (Watch Out), or "Merge to Left".

But it's a no go.

The sign over top of the pothole says: "IF YOU DRINK, DON'T DRIVE".

Ladies and gentlemen. Lets regroup and determine what the lesson of the day is. Before you answer though, make sure you don't say, "Tree stumps, garbage, and signs that come out of nowhere are not safe to have on the road."

The real lesson is:

"IF THERE IS A HOLE IN THE ROAD, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!"

Sign Story Numero Four: And the final "sign" story for the day is a picture that my friend T.J. posted on a cancun forum. I have seen this exit out of the parking lot at the new Applebee's and grunted about how stupid they are to put an arrow where there is an impossible exit. But as you can see, you kinda of get use to this shit and it starts to become normal. I only noticed it was really abnormal until T.J. took the picture and posted it:

Signs.

WTF?