What Is Your Nahual?

I was visiting the Guatemalan Tourist Website and noticed a section that said "Discover your Nahual". I had no idea what that was, so of course I clicked on it!
Your Nahual is your spirit animal according to Mayan astrology, and it is calculated using your date of birth. Wikipedia also says that a nahual or nagual is a shapeshifter who can assume the form of their spirit animal. Wild!

On the Guatemalan Tourism site, they made me enter my email, which I hate, so I'm not going to directly link that webpage here, but instead direct you to Mayan Jade Jewelry's page. There is a simple form there to fill out and they will give your Nahual, and of course offer you some lovely jewelry with your spirit animal on it. :)

Iq', my Nahual

So my Nahual is... *drum roll* ... Iq'. Yes, I said ICK. Ha ha! Or it could be IQ, as in intelligence quotient.

Anyhoo, it's represented by a hummingbird, which is hilarious and ironic, since I weigh approximately 47,000 times as much as a hummingbird! But I do love them. They are bright, zippy, and beautiful. We feed them up at our log cabin and get quite a number of them fighting over the feeder.

WikiGuate says that Iq' people "can be strong, impulsive, proud, imaginative, obsessive, with good memory and mathematical ability." Sounds about right!

In Western Astrology I am an Aquarius, with strong influences of Gemini and Aries, making me weird, impulsive, idealistic, and talkative. In Chinese Astrology I was born in the year of the Rat, which shows intelligence, resourcefulness and curiosity.

I agree with most of what astrology of all methods tells me, including the bad stuff. I am imaginative but a daydreamer. I am impulsive but adventurous. I am idealistic but opinionated. I am intelligent but also a scatterbrain. My sister says I'm "the dumbest smart person" she knows. She also quips, "Genius Girl strikes again" when I do something really ditzy! :D

Of course, all of this stuff comes from Cloud Cuckoo Land, but it's fun to think about.

Oh, oh, oh! Bert's Nahual is Kawoq, the Turtle! Ha! We're the Hummingbird and the Turtle. That sounds like a fairy tale or something. :D

What's your Nahual? Do you think it's appropriate to you?

EDIT: Another great site with awesome interpretations is Mayan Astrology Sign.

First Round of Needlesticks

I'm not afraid of needles, so the thought of getting vaccinated for Guatemala was no big deal. I spent more time fretting over which ones I should get, and the cost of them. I would have got them all if I could afford it!

Typhoid Fever vaccine capsules

I went to my general doctor last week and tried to talk to her, but she was singularly unhelpful. I knew more than she did. So she finally just looked at me and said, "I will write you a prescription for whatever you want." I told her I was going to go with Hep A and Typhoid, and not Hep B. I have to say that it was purely a monetary decision. I'm awful short of pistos right now. Besides, I'm not planning on engaging in risky sexual behavior or intravenous drug use, the main transmission methods of Hep B. Never have, so why start now?

Well, when I went to the pharmacist to talk to them about it, she was super-helpful, much better than the doctor, and convinced me that I needed Twinrix, which is the brand name for Hep A + B vaccine. She said that you can get Hep B by interacting with infected children, or by being in an accident, or by being raped, and also that Hep B is a serious disease so I really should not take chances. I was thinking, "Yikes, I guess if any of those bad things happen to me, I don't want to have a Hep B infection added onto that!" So I called my doctor back and got the prescription changed.

I took my first Typhoid pill on Monday night. I laughed a bit maniacally, and said to Bert, "I'm now infected with Typhoid Fever!" I love vaccines, they're totally cool, but there is something unsettling about giving yourself just a disease on purpose, even if it is just a teensy-tiny bit. Like, what if I can't fight it off?
I took the pill before bed cuz it had to be on an empty stomach, and then I lay in bed waiting for my body to break out in a fever and rash. Instead, I just fell asleep. :)

Today I went to the doc to get my Twinrix injection. No biggie. My arm feels sore but that's it.
However, I have developed a nasty cough and sore throat since taking my Typhoid pills. Hmmm, wonder if this is a teensy-tiny bit of Typhoid making its appearance? Go get it, white blood cells!! Do your thing!  :)

For reference: I'm in Canada, have no private insurance, and the vaccines aren't covered by OHIP (the government health plan). I got my prescriptions filled at Costco because they have a very low dispensing fee of $3.98.

4 Capsules of Vivotif Berna Vaccine (Typhoid Fever) = $25.59
1 mL Twinrix (Hepatitis A + B) = $51.11
(I will need two more shots of Twinrix.)
Total will be = $178.92 (plus $15.56 for dispensing) = $194.48

Willow's Carriage Has Arrived

After much debate and comparison shopping, I purchased an airline-approved cat carrier online. It seems to be pretty similar to the more expensive ones with the fancy labels, but a lot less pricey. Shipped from China, of course. I always fret over strange diseases accompanying packages I get from overseas. *washes hands obsessively*

Here is what Willow did when presented with her new travel-home.

"Hmm, what is this?"

"Smells interesting..."

"Looks cozy..."

"Naw, I think I'll sit over here on the plastic bag it was shipped in."

TYPICAL!! Silly kitty.

Here is my unbiased review, but remember I haven't actually used it yet!
I'm impressed with it! It is airline-approved, meaning that is has mesh on two sides, plus all the appropriate measurements for in-cabin travel. It seems solid, good stitching, and of course a pretty color. (Green-yellow to match Willow's eyes!)
It's got a removable insert for the bottom. It's covered in vinyl, but I imagine it has a foam core or something in case of accidents. It's got a little velcro strip on the bottom to keep it from shifting around. I will probably put newspapers in with her when we go. She actually loves newspaper! She enjoys shredding it and sleeping on it, so I'm hoping it will make her feel more comfortable, plus soak up any problems. Although I sincerely doubt she will make a mess.
The carrier has a small zippered pocket on the outside for stuff, and a bigger pocket on the inside. Why on the inside? Not sure if I would ever use that. I actually wish it had more pockets, but then again, I would probably stuff the pockets full and that might put it over the 10-pound weight limit, cat & carrier together.

Anyhoo, it seems small but I think that's okay too, as Willow has no problem squeezing into my grocery bags when I leave them on the floor. It's actually the medium sized one. There was a smaller one. For Chihuahuas, I guess? Same price, go figure.

This is the eBay picture. Click it to go buy one!

Buying a cat carrier was the easy part. Actually taking my crazy kitty on a plane... that's going to be difficult. I'll try to remember to take pics!

We've Chosen! It's Panajachel, Guatemala

We've decided over the last few weeks that our destination for this mad adventure will be Panajachel, Guatemala. Yay!

Reasons:

• Cheap
• Beautiful
• Expat friendly
• Safe

I won't bore you with the details that I'm sure you can find on Wikipedia or any other website about great places to retire. Instead, I will post this.

Lago Atitlan, Guatemala