Muchacho Polaco

Yunuen and I went to the Home Show today at the Tucson Convention Center. I love these sort of things and I was very excited when my boss gave me free tickets last week. This was my second time to this event at the convention center (last year with Liam) and as the last time it was packed with hundreds of vendors. We saw a great device for making sushi which I was inclined to get, but Yunuen (the wiser of the two) determined that $50 for a fairly cheap piece of plastic was a bit steep and that we’d likely find something a lot cheaper online. I came to my senses and we moved on to find another booth that caught our interest – sponges that are super absorbent! They had a nice presentation that included spilling things on the carpet and wonder sponge was able to get it all out! We couldn’t pass up the deal when it was only $25 and came with two other sponges and sweet towel of the same material to be used on my truck (which I wash once a year).

We continued our wandering until we made our way to a booth that was about to begin their cookware presentation. We were told to find seats which I assertively declined until I was handed a piece of paper with my chance to win a free prize! Needless to say we quickly found our seats and then were horrified to learn how inadequate our pots and pans at home are – we are literally burning off the vitamins and minerals! An hour after the presentation began we got to sample some of the food that was being cooked. The old guy next to me was given a piece of corn on the cob to try and then offered Yunuen a bite from the side of the corn he didn’t lick off. Oddly, she passed but then I was given my own piece of corn that I was eager to share.

It was well beyond an hour before we got to the climactic moment where the prices would be revealed. We had already been prepared over the course of the previous hour that quality cookware was not cheap, but our health deserved it. Even so, that didn’t prevent the horror we felt when we were told the entire kit would run over $2000! That was the sufficient slap to the senses that prompted us to stand up and walk away, despite the awkwardness of it all. I have been invited to Amway (and other pyramid scheme) meetings in the past that had a similar feel!

On an even sadder note, we just found out that Turks are not overly thrilled to have Mexicans visit their country and the consequential enormous cost both in time and money for Yunuen to obtain a visa for our upcoming trip. Confusing the time zone difference, I called Matt and Dana to awake them to the news. Matt is going to check today if the tickets are refundable. If not, Yunuen and I will be likely heading to Mexico City sometime in the next few weeks (likely driving the 30+ hours each way), or if we can, then we have the task of finding an equally exotic substitute!