The Incredible Heather Mixup

I find myself thinking about coming home "for good" a lot lately. I am not making any decisions yet, but just trying to listen to myself and see when a decision presents itself. Trying to keep patience and perspective and all that. I figure when I make a decision, I'll know.

In the meantime, it's still cold and I've been working a ton trying to get the first issue of the season ready. When I think about it, the whole thing is pretty cool. I have learned so much about magazine production, marketing, Mac, design, everything. Every issue is better than the last. I guess it's kind of like having a big art project every month. It's fun in that respect. We're expanding, the 'team' is growing, all good stuff.

Yesterday, immediately after I talked to my jefe a bit about thinking about not staying the whole season (and not having ANY answers), I go to check my email. I have two emails from Mikey and Lydia, saying, basically WTF, Heather, how come you didn't tell us that you were coming back to Y! as a contractor. So, that was the first I heard about this contracting business. But I must say, it piqued my interest. I'm not ready to just say that I'm moving back and going to work as a contractor at Y!, but I must say the timing of this was amazing.

One of the emails was especially funny, I can't resist copying some of it here:
"i've been thinking about you lately... just missing your lovely smile and goofy unintentional sexual requests ("Just put it in my mouth" is a personal favorite). THEN i find out you're CONTRACTING for us, now????"

I can, unfortunately, imagine myself saying something to that nature, innocently of course. But I couldn't for the life of me remember in what context. When I asked, it had something to do with my good friend's obsession for girly fru fru drinks and me wanting to taste his, um, whipped cream. Come to think of it, I don't think the explanation sounds any better than my quotable out of context.

It has to get warmer than this...

Back in Puerto Natales as of yesterday afternoon. And I can't help but wonder what in tarnations I am doing here. Going from Ecuador's summer to Patagonia's winter in such a short period of time is a somewhat brutal change. My toes have been frozen now for 26 hours straight.

It's not that it's any colder than, say, Christmas in Nebraska during their coldest winter in 20 some-odd years. It's just that you never truly thaw out. People here brag that the houses in the region are deliciously warm and inviting. They are inviting, thanks to good people, but warm? I beg to differ. Indoor warmth is patchy... at best. It's warm by the stove, sure. But as soon as you stop stooping over the fire, stove, gas heater, whathaveyou, your cold and runny nose starts to ice up again. Well, at least that's what happens to me.

As part of my pay this season, I'll be staying in a little room off the Black Sheep office, which is inside a hostel. I'll share my bathroom and kitchen with the hostel, but I think it will work out OK. It's not quite ready yet, so for now I'm staying with the hostel owner and her family. This arrangement should only be another couple of days. Overall it's lovely to have a place to land, and the people I'm staying with now are wonderful and making me feel comfortable and at home. Mi casa es tu casa sort of thing, and they mean it. Looking forward to settling in and unpacking my bags in my humble abode, when I can.

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