February 2, 2011 – Better late than never

I love riding my bicycle! I cannot believe that all my life I have deprived myself of this pleasure. It is nice to feel self-sufficient and be able to run all kinds of errands in a thousand little places of the island all by myself, without having to borrow a car or ask Javier to drive me around everywhere. Today, my one-hour errand route consisted of the following stops:

• Paid for the internet on Benito Juarez and 50^th Avenue.
  
• Bought a Mexican phone (finally!).
  
• Stopped by La Mega to get a charger for Liang's phone to replace the one I mysteriously misplaced.
  
• Made copies of some papers I need for my Dive Master certification.
  
• Stopped by many stores in search for delicious Mexican chocolate for Tanya (the minute I mentioned to her, that I found a source of amazing chocolate on Cozumel, the said source – Maharaja store on the 15^th avenue – has discontinued it… typical).
  

I feel totally local now, casually jumping off my bike next to the Cablemas office, tying the lock around some nearby pole in one quick masterful motion, throwing a quick "Buenos dias" to whom it may concern, and going in to pay for the internet… It feels nice.

I am definitely not very good (yet), but I am not afraid, and that is already something (thank God, I still haven't met any crazy drives of Cozumel everybody is raving about, but I'm aware of the possibility and try to be careful and alert). I am also pretty slow, but I honestly don't see any point of going fast – I really enjoy looking around, especially when riding along el malecon (the main avenue alongside the ocean). I have to speed up though if I want to get to the other side of the island with Javier one day. He has never done it himself, and in a desperate attempt to indefinitely postpone this fun yet undoubtedly long and challenging trip, he made it very clear that until my turtle speed improves I can only expect being driven there in his car. Silly him, as if he doesn't know how determined I can be. I say we'll be on the other side on our bikes in a couple of weeksJ.

P.S. All of a sudden I felt compelled to figure out the etymology of the phrase "better late than ever". The Phrase Finder website attributes it to Geoffery Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales (1386). But given that on this Phrase Finder it's spelled as "better late THEN never", I wouldn't consider it a credible source… Aha, this is more likely: it was first used by Titus Livius (59BC – 17AD) in his monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, Ab Urbe Condita Libri ("Chapters from the foundation of the city").

"Because a concession was once made in the matter of tribunes, it had been made again; there was no end to it. Tribunes of the plebs and the senate could not exist in the same State, either that office or this order (i.e. the nobility) must go. Their insolence and recklessness must be opposed, and better late than never." More…