Midnight In A Perfect World

I’ve realized that in telling the tale of my misadventures here I’ve only given passing references to the various characters I’ve met, and even then new ones have since emerged that proved to be far more interesting than my pseudonyms for them would suggest (well, except for Flirty Girl and Older Person).

For instance, Serious Art Girl is a fellow Los Gaton and actually played drums in a band called Krugenpantsen’s Tea Party, who played several shows with my first band, Reckless. I didn’t recognize her, but Mikayla (I think that’s how you spell her name) asked me about it one day and, like most seriously arty girls, turned out to be much warmer and fun to be around than her chilly demeanor would suggest.



Then there's Angelo (pictured above, next to me) who I mentioned before as Shaggy Hippy Dude. Angelo is actually a really laid back, unpretentious guy (in college parlance I’d call him “chill”) who gets a lot more ridiculous (in a good way) when he gets drunk, which we’ve been doing often lately. Angelo also has a girlfriend in the States who he is very good at being faithful with, which means he’s always free to give me knowing grins when we’re in the midst of some debauchery and I’m not living up to such ideals (more on that later).

Also a notable character is Eric (pictured above, far right), who I could have easily dubbed Intense Military Dude if I’d met him during my mean-spirited nick-naming phase. Like most intense ex-military guys (he went to West Point for two years and bolted for UC Santa Cruz(!)), Eric is really funny in a manic kind of way and, as such, a blast to get blasted with. If I’m coming off as a drunkard to anyone, FYI, I’ll just say this: I’m in *Mexico*, where beer is often cheaper than water at any given restaurant.



Another notable figure is Zander, pictured above, left. Zander is also laid back, whip-smart and always seems to have a slight smirk like he has his own private joke. Zander is also going to Barcelona, and has tons of connections that will provide us with a scooter, beach bungalow and other perks. Needless to say, he’ll be a recurring character.

The other girl in the picture is Alejandra, who is in the English club at our school and was a lot happier to be hanging out with us than that picture would suggest. Actually, I felt bad for her because after convincing her to help us polish off some gruesome tequila (anything in a plastic bottle is guaranteed to taste like death), and getting her into a sleazy, snooty dance club called XO (like the kissing symbol, get it?), we both ditched her for other girls, (luckily, her younger sister Amparo was there, trying to court blissfully unaware Angelo):



Speaking which, this is Teresa. I had met her a week before through Rosi, the girlfriend of John (who I somehow left out earlier). I had contemplated calling her since then and the trip to Guadalajara had made the situation clearer for me. As fond as I am of Paulina (pray she doesn’t find this blog), she’s understandably hesitant to commit to me right now in lieu of my impending departure across the Atlantic. What’s more, it’s rapidly dawning on me that being here Mexico, meeting new people each day, is really the wrong situation in which to have all the constraints of a girlfriend and none of the (forgive the term) benefits.

So I had a great time talking with Teresa, smoking her cigarettes, and exchanging tender kisses for what felt like an hour on the edge of a raised platform where we were visible to pretty much everyone in the giant club. Mexican hot spots like XO look like Studio 54, have more security than the airport, and play a schizophrenic mix of Regaton, trancy techno and traditional Banda music, which is why I’m glad I never felt obligated to dance. Eventually we all had to feel our ways to the exit and share cabs back to our homes, riding the high of the night while trying to forget the looming agony of class in the morning.