Okay, folks, I'm back, and with no shortage of good excuses: My resolution to get blogging again was thwarted by a second bout of parasites followed by the dramatic death of my (still-in-the-shop) laptop, punctuated, finally, by a knockout virus that took me to fevered heights and landed me in the lowly pastures of pneumonia.

After a well-timed trip to New Mexico, my loving parents, and, godblessit, US healthcare, I'm well on the mend and now back in Merida. Summer vacation has one week to go, and my attempts to visit my office at the university have proved fruitless; it seems that Merida is determined to make sure I take my vacation time. (I find this only slightly annoying.)

Sadly, I lost all of my photos in the Might Laptop Crash, such that this blog is the only surviving photographic record of my first seven months in Merida. (The well-learned lesson here is, of course, Back Up Your Computer, folks.) I have you to thank for inspiring and encouraging me to share share share.

So, today I'm sharing this shot of my mannequin friend who is a permanent fixture on my walk home from work. Let's call him Toby. I like to imagine that he lost his left arm in an unfortunate incident involving a stolen guitar and a tad too much Crazy-Glue. Whatever the story, I figure Toby deserves a photo.

I guess we´re not so different, Toby and me... I've been taken down a bit by recent events, but I'm by no means out. And I'm happy to be back online, courtesy of university-imposed holidays and air-conditioned cyber cafes. Hasta pronto.