I just hung up the phone with my fisherman buddy from Alaska.
Who the fuck uses the phone?
Him.
And my brother.
And Szavio the wise man. There are just a few people that do. I love texting, but that phone call was nice.
The call was about job prospects. And he also wanted to know how the border is doing.
How the fuck do I have a fisherman buddy in Alaska?
We met in college. He was one of the only Mexicans in my college. Except, he didn’t even go to my school. He was friends with one of the Mexicans that went to my school (it was 2 seniors and 4 freshmen, that’s it). He lived in the vicinity and because there are no Mexicans in Minnesota, he came to hang out.
He is from León, Guanajuato, so… a bit similar to my hometown of Querétaro. And his sister lives in IB. That’s like… 2 miles from me.
The point is that he is a fisherman.
One of those that looks like deadliest catch scenario type fisherman. And he makes bank by just working a short season. Then he goes back home to León to relax and party for the rest of the year. He is about to fly back to León soon. That’s why he was worried about the border.
So… I’m moving to Alaska.
That’s the idea in my head right now.
Not moving moving… just for a season. June, July, and August. Salmon season.
And not to be a fisherman, I have no experience. Nah. To do what he did when he started. Packaging. No experience required. Just need to package fish. Make nice bank. Fly back home and spend the rest of the year in Ensenada.
That sounds like a lovely plan.
Because my book is not selling much. I need to sell 250 copies a month for the fantasy to live in Ensenada to work out. I have sold around 125 in total.
Of course, this is all just fantasy. I make a lot of plans in my head and never follow through. I never moved to Playas like I wanted.
I do want out, I’m just not sure how to accomplish it.
The fantasy right now is to get a roommate, have that roommate live/feed my cats/pay rent while I’m gone in Alaska and come back?
That doesn’t sound right.
Come back and move to Ensenada?
Then rinse repeat.
Get a roommate in Ensenada who can feed my cats/pay rent while I’m gone in Alaska and come back?
And then rinse repeat.
Which gives me 9 months to work on writing books. And to drink a lot of beers.
That sounds like a nice plan.
The border hasn’t shut down.
It feels like the whole world has… but Tijuana hasn’t really…
I wrote an article about that and it’s going somewhat viral. Panic Shopping Spreads to TJ. I’m not sure what constitutes as viral. 160+ shares of the article as of this typing, mainly due to the Corona Virus piñatas.
I GOT ONE!
They were only 150 pesos. They only had three… and when they told me it was only 150 pesos, I didn’t hesitate to get one. That’s like $7.
The layout editor of the magazine already requested to buy it.
The border hasn’t shut down.
Next time I cross, I’ll be crossing a Corona Virus piñata… I wonder how CBP will feel about that.
And I have to cross the border soon, I haven’t paid rent (landlord hasn’t bugged me about it) and I only have half. With the dollar to peso exchange going crazy right now, the best thing to do is take out dollars on the US side of the border. I also need cat litter and food. I’m not sure if pet stores are getting raided…
I had a dry cough almost all through the week. I’m feeling much better today. I haven’t coughed since this morning. It could’ve been the virus. I barely had any human contact and I barely went outside.
Outside.
Outside is still somewhat regular. Buzo is out there selling his coctel de camarones and tostadas. Not that many people. But because it’s a medical building for feet, there are still some tourists coming down to visit their foot doctor. In my last few walks throughout the city, there are visibly fewer people. As if it was Christmas season or something. A bit more people than that. Life in TJ still goes on. Stores are open. Bars are open. Brothels are open. Everything is open.
Major events seemed to have been canceled. Some restaurants are close due to safety, some are offering only to go/pick up/delivery services only, but the majority seemed to just keep operating. Many with added safety measures. Social distancing. More soap. A few with face masks, but not many. My local taquero and his partner didn’t have facemasks, just the person handling the money. Same the fish and shrimp taco place I like. They still don’t let me pay, though the little thing I wrote about them in the magazine was a few years ago. I mention them in the book as well.
Oh yeah!
BOOK!
I put Don Caballero radio on Spotify and it’s giving me such math-rock classics I haven’t heard in a long time. Drive Like Jehu is on right now. Shellac was before that. And before that, some Cap’n Jazz. Fucking classics man.
I’ve been playing a bit more guitar. Trying to learn the third moving of La Catedral by Agustín Barrios Mangore. I knew almost all of it before, right now I have half of it memorized. And I can’t stop playing it. I tried playing the first movement, but I learned that forever ago and couldn’t remember a thing. I could never memorize the second movement, I have to sight read it to get through with it. This is me playing the 1st movement before I bought my Hauser guitar that I still love (Alejandra Cervantes, that’s her name).
It could be so much better… The third movement is so much fun. I’m going to go back to it.
Then I’m going to go out and check out the TJ scene and try to sell a book or two…
Staying away from bars and people… hopefully.
Matingas 
One response to “Moving to Alaska to be a Fisherman – I Bought a Corona Virus Piñata – La Catedral”
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Todo me encanta.